Preview

Winston Smith 1984

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
412 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Winston Smith 1984
The visionary George Orwell once said, “During the times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” Winston Smith, the main character of the novel titled 1984 written by George Orwell, is a humanist who believes freedom should dictate the life of a society. He lives in a society called Oceania. This society is very similar to a North Korean society, where the government controls the city with a figure called Big Brother. This leader is a godlike figure to the society. Everybody looks up to him because “he” makes all of the decisions. Winston believes he isn't real, which concludes the fact that he is not controlled by Big Brother or the government. He wants to rebel against them because he doesn’t believe what the government is telling them. He finds many ways to rebel, one of which is finding love. Winston does this to show that the government that they cannot control everyone. He wants to take down the government and prove the strength of the innocent. He …show more content…
The first theme was love. Love was used to rebel against the party to prove they are not so strong. Sexual intercourse was used as one way of showing love. “The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion” (Fitzpatrick). Julia and Winston were both the characters to do this. Julia had sex all the time. That was her best way to rebel. Winston did it because Julia had told him this is one of the best ways to rebel. Another theme is hope. Winston hopes that he can get the society back to normal and take down the government. “Winston maintains, throughout the novel, two avenues of hope for a life outside…” (Fitzpatrick). Hope is one of the only ways Winston can get through this time. He hoped for the proles to save the day because they were not brainwashed like the other citizens. Hope and Love are some of the ways a rebellion, like Winston, can get through this

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    In a world where almost everyone blindly follows a leader, there are bound to be problems. Where no thoughts are allowed, there is bound to be at least one that wants to rebel. In the novel, 1984, by George Orwell, all citizens of Oceania are kept under surveillance 24/7. There is no freedom in their world. However, not everyone is down with The Party. Winston and Julia take a different route, and choose to rebel against Big Brother, thinking they have escaped the watchful eyes of The Party. However, they were sadly mistaken. Big Brother sees all.Orwell’s character, Winston, is a quiet and critical thinker; Winston’s role is to overthrow The Party in order to bring the past back; however, while on his journey, Winston is caught by Big Brother.…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fear In 1984

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength”, now who would ever believe such ridiculous phrases? With the correct use of manipulation anyone can make people believe in anything. Through the eyes of Winston, the protagonist in 1984, we observe the forces used for the government to retain its complete power over the people. The government almost diminished free thought of the people, has destroyed any means of building relationships, and utilized fear to make sure everyone would stay true to Big Brother. In such a dystopian society it may only take one person to overcome such obstacles, or so we thought.…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Orwell’s 1984 cleverly illustrates the dangers of totalitarianism. The story’s central character, Winston Smith, is faced with several challenges set forth by the ruling government, referred to as the Party. In Orwell’s depiction of a totalitarian state, no individual is capable of having the courage and bravery to face danger. In other words, there is no room for a hero.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Ap Essay

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages

    War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength. These three phrases may contradict everything that you know and have been taught, but in the “negative utopia” of George Orwell’s novel 1984 these are the slogans of the Party and of Big Brother which governs Oceania (modern day England). This society suppresses all free thinking, free enterprise, and all other freedoms. George Orwell predicts that the world will come to this if someone does not stand up to the dominant society. This someone is Winston Smith, the thoughts and actions of Winston in 1984 place him against the Party, their views, and Big Brother.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The human drive for power has led to the corruption and downfall of many nations. In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, the power hungry tyrant Big Brother suppresses the party members of Oceania into unconsciousness. They have become mentally numb. Winston Smith struggles to free himself from the over powering Big Brother by progressively disobeying the law and sacrificing his life in his defiance, revealing how suppression breeds delusional rebellion.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Essay

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the book 1984 by George Orwell, many different ideas about the government and its power are discussed by the main character Winston. At one point in the book Winston says “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure.” in reference to the state of the government at that point in time. However, this can be proven false by the actions of the government, the people’s response, and the determination the government uses to ensure their ultimate power and control.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Human Vulnerability in 1984

    • 2649 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Despite the faith that the characters of 1984 put in their courage, this confidence is proven false as numerous betrayals occur in the text due to relentless torture performed by the Party, the tyrannical government in the novel. The best example of betrayal can be seen in the love relationship between the protagonist, Winston Smith, and a rebellious young woman, Julia. In Orwell’s world, love is not allowed and sex is for reproductive purposes only, so the relationship of Winston and Julia is considered a horrid crime. At first, both Winston and Julia believe that even if the Party catches the two in their love affair and tortures them for their crime, their feelings would still remain the same for each other:…

    • 2649 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “1984” is a text which depicts the story of Winston smith who is a common man or a member of the outer party in the hierarchy of the ‘big brother’ system. The “1984” world is a totalitarian society where the party or big brother tries to control everything, including thought and emotion. Big brother is a dictator ship which controls every movement in society through constant surveillance and harsh penalties for…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 vs. Today

    • 849 Words
    • 3 Pages

    George Orwell created a dystopian future in his novel 1984. Winston Smith is an outer party member who works in the records department in the Ministry of Truth. His job is to rewrite the past so it is in accordance with the present. Winston is not like the others in Oceania. He secretly hates Big Brother and The Party. Winston has a love affair with another outer party member named Julia. Winston and Julia elope to a room above an old antique shop owned by Mr. Charrington. O’Brien, an inner party member, senses Winston’s discontent for the The Party and invites him to his home to become a part of “The Brotherhood” an underground organization with the intent of bringing down Big Brother. One day while Winston and Julia are in the room above the antique shop the “Thought Police” charge into the room and arrest Winston and Julia for being “thought criminals”. Winston is taken to the Ministry of Love to be interrogated. While there Winston discovers that O’Brien is actually a supporter of The Party and set Winston up. While in the Ministry of Love O’Brien explains he will make Winston “love Big Brother” which he eventually does. In the novel 1984 George Orwell correctly foresaw public surveillance, and people willingly giving up their right to privacy out of fear. Orwell incorrectly predicted the government trying to break the ties people have with their families and each other, and trying to abolish the act of sex.…

    • 849 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984, by George Orwell, is, on the surface, the story of one man's rebellion against the system in a futuristic totalitarian world. Every word and movement of the citizens is monitored and controlled; even their thoughts are not their own. They are manipulated by the insidious propaganda of the government, Big Brother, that serves to weaken the power of the people. This relates to what the dictator, Josef Stalin, once said: "Power is not in the hands of those who vote, but rather in the hands of those who count the votes." In other words, people may be led to believe they are in control when they, actually, are not. Winston Smith, the main character, realizes how dangerously ill society is becoming, and his beliefs lead him to rebel against the government. Orwell illustrates throughout the novel the value of individualism and the dangers of giving it up without a fight. Faced with the threat of such a totalitarian state, the only effective way to prevent the degradation of society is to never lose touch with reality, retaining a strong sense of self by holding onto individual thoughts, beliefs, and liberties.…

    • 978 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the novel “1984” by George Orwell the theme of betrayal is reoccurring throughout. We see different elements of betrayal in each part of this book. From the reader’s introduction into the society of Oceania. To the events leading up to the ultimate betrayal. The character that we see this world through is Winston Smith. His experience is meant to be that of the average party member. What he goes through could be the same as many others, giving the sense of how deeply betrayal is engrained into the world of “1984.”…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When we first meet Winston, our narrator, and protagonist, he languishingly fulfills mundane duties at his job. Subsequently, 1984 is able to illuminate the gormless manner in which many of us lead our lives. Lives in which conformity equates to self-degradation and personal sacrifice. Winston leads a life of servitude in solitude. His wife never loved him and left him before the events of 1984. 1984 expands upon the notion that unity amongst the oppressed is detrimental in sustaining a system of oppression.In Winston's indoctrinating society…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    1984 Winston’s Struggle

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages

    George Orwell creates a dark, depressing and pessimistic world where the government has full control over the masses in the novel 1984. The protagonist, Winston, is low-level Party member who has grown to resent the society that he lives in. Orwell portrays him as a individual that begins to lose his sanity due to the constrictions of society. There are only two possible outcomes, either he becomes more effectively assimilated or he brings about the change he desires. Winston starts a journey towards his own self-destruction. His first defiant act is the diary where he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” But he goes further by having an affair with Julia, another party member, renting a room over Mr. Carrington’s antique shop where Winston conducts this affair with Julia, and by following O’Brien who claims to have connections with the Brotherhood, the anti-Party movement led my Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston and Julia are both eventually arrested by the Thought Police when Mr. Carrington turns out to be a undercover officer. They both eventually betray each other when O’Brien conducts torture upon them at the Ministry of Love. Orwell conveys the limitations of the individual when it comes to doing something monumental like overthrowing the established hierarchy which is seen through the futility of Winston Smith’s actions that end with his failure instead of the end of Big Brother. Winston’s goal of liberating himself turns out to be hopeless when the people he trusted end up betraying him and how he was arbitrarily manipulated. It can be perceived that Winston was in fact concerned more about his own sanity and physical well-being because he gives into Big Brother after he is tortured and becomes content to live in the society he hated so much. Winston witnesses the weakness within the prole community because of their inability to understand the Party’s workings but he himself embodies…

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story of 1984 stars the character of Winston Smith, he is a worker for the Ministry of Truth, that hates the amount of control the government has, by prohibiting, or limiting free thought, sex, and individuality. He wants to join a group that plans on overthrowing the government. The person that will help him is O’Brien, who is a high ranking person in…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    1984 Love

    • 2002 Words
    • 9 Pages

    George Orwell presents us with an interesting portrayal of love in his novel, 1984. In the nation of Oceania that he writes about, the Party tries desperately to erase love for anything but Big Brother from the lives of its members. In many ways, it is successful in doing so. It causes Winston 's marriage with his wife Katharine to be frigid and cold and to end in separation. Even occasional affairs that sneak by the Party 's watchful eyes at first, like Winston and Julia 's, are eventually stopped and the participants are forced to stop loving each other. Perhaps the strongest love that remains in Oceania is the warped love of tortured towards his torturer. This love is displayed by Winston towards O 'Brien and remains strong throughout the novel even when O 'Brien tortures Winston to near death. The novel leaves us with the knowledge that Winston finally loves Big Brother. This love is the only love sanctioned by the Party. The Party 's attempts to destroy natural love throughout the novel are largely successful and result in the emergence of love that our society would see as unnatural.…

    • 2002 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays