Book Reports / 1984 Essay, The private and personnel life of Winston [6]

Gurjot Duggal
Mrs. D' Souza
ENG4U1-05
October 31, 2015

The private and personnel life of Winston Smith
Nineteen Eighty Four represents a possible future dystopian world, led by fear and despair. Written by George Orwell, the protagonist of this novel is Winston Smith. Winston's surname is shared with his fellow countrymen; this symbolizes the Parties idealistic view of the faceless man. Winston can be seen as a hero or lack thereof because he does not embody the traditional characteristics of a heroic character. Winston decides to follow Big Brother during the closing chapters of the novel; however Winston struggles with this throughout the book because he fights the ideas of the party, the relationship between himself and Julia, mutability of the past and doublethink.

To begin, Winston can be looked at as a potential hero in the world of Nineteen Eighty Four, he regularly disagrees with the principles presented by the Party and often struggles with mutability the past. First off all, Winston despises Big Brother and does not adhere to the laws set by the Party. In the early chapters Winston obtains a diary from a local shop, also in the process he obtains an ink pen. Furthermore he illustrates his hate for Big Brother and the Party by writing "Down with Big brother" in his diary. The Party is run by Big Brother, and George Orwell describes Winston's hate toward the party and his desire for freedom. In addition to this, Winston feels the need to join the brotherhood. O'Brien, a person who Winston believes to be a member of the Brotherhood invites Winston to his house. He goes to question Winston, "You are prepared to cheat, to forge, too blackmail, to corrupt the minds of children. Yes" In a brief discussion, Winston displays his willingness to oppose the Party. Winston's hatred towards the Party has grown gradually due to years of manipulation and intimidation. Secondly, Winston struggles with mutability of the past. While working in the Ministry of Truth Winston comes across a photograph, this photo intrigues Winston due to the fact he had recently come across these three men. "And it contained a photograph of the delegates at some party function in New York. The point was that at both trails all three men had confessed that on that day they were on Eurasian soil." Winston realizes the extent to which the Party will. Even more he wishes to indulge the entire population with this knowledge. Additionally Winston believes that true happiness will arise only if the party falls. He dreams, "Suddenly he was standing on short springy turf, on a summer evening when the slanting rays of the sun filed the ground. The landscape that he was looking at recurred so often in his dream that he was never fully certain whether or not he had seen it in the real world. He called it the golden country." The golden country is symbolic because it illustrates Winston's desire for freedom. R.A. Lee describes Winston Smith as a potential hero; this is demonstrated through Winston's struggles Party ideas and mutability of the past.

Never the less, Winston maintains his private virtue because of his relationship with Julia and his inability to doublethink. To start, engaging in affairs with comrades is a crime. Once again Winston disobeys another law when he begins to love Julia. "Their first love making had been simply an act of will. But after the second time it was different. The smell of her hair..." The Party was in complete control of sexual and intimate relations, it was a crime to be in affair that the Party had not assigned. Also, Winston's love for Julia can be seen while visiting the house of inner Party member O'Brien. O'Brien goes on to ask many questions to which Winston answers yes but once asked "You are prepared, the two of you, to separate and never see one another again. Winston is willing to commit any crime that the Brotherhood will assign but the thought of separating from Julia upsets him. Secondly, Winston's inability to accept doublethink is a characteristic which differentiates him from the population. Manipulation and fear are almost always used by the Party, by brainwashing the population the Party controls reality. Winston displays he will not be controlled when he states, "Freedom is Freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows." He lived in a society where citizens are brainwashed and will do anything that is assigned to them. Winston describes that freedom will only be achieved if one was not persecuted for their beliefs. In the same manner he also doubts the wars in which Oceania is involved in. When Winston states, "He was as anxious as anyone else in the Department that forgery should be perfect. A mighty deed, which could never be mentioned, had been achieved. It was how impossible for any human being to prove by documentary evidence that the war with Eurasia had ever happened." Oceania is one of three superstates in 1984, the Party states they are currently at war however Winston is doubtful to this. He comes to a conclusion that the Party can not be trusted upon. To summarize Winstons relationship with Julia and his desire for freedom are what keeps him maintain his private virtue against public demand.

In the end, he struggles to become free and independent but ultimately he shares the fate of his fellow countrymen. Winston and Julia were in love, the two had promised to never betray each other. In the Ministry of love, Winston betrays Julia when he shouts "Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!" Julia was a symbol of hope for Winston, the moment Winston betrayed Julia the Party won. Furthermore Winston had never adhered to the idea of doublethink. This changed once Winston left Room 101. "I wish Oceania wins" He wishes for the success of Oceania, this is very symbolic because now he believes in the Party. Also, once regaining his strength and leaving Room one zero one, he and Julia meet once again. They both say "I betrayed you". While Julia had also loved Winston, she was only a rebel from the waist downwards; Winston on the other hand truly felt true love towards Julia. Lastly, as the book is ending, Winston once again restates his love for Big Brother, "I love Big Brother". O'Brien describes to Winston that the Party never simply kills off those who do not believe but instead they are tortured until they once again believe love Big Brother. This is true in the case of Winston. R.A. Lee explains that it is impossible for Winston to have private thoughts and that he will ultimately share the fate of his fellow countrymen. This statement is true because Winston has once tried rebel in the past but he eventually goes on to love Big Brother and the Party.

Winston lived in a world which is led by fear and terror. The idealistic view of the party is the faceless man; this can be seen through the sharing of Winston's surname with his fellow countrymen. Winston struggles in the novel because he fights the ideas of the party, mutability of the past, his relationship with Julia and the inability to doublethink.