In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith is an individual living in London, England, also known as Airstrip One. In this dystopian society, Winston works destroying and rewriting history in order to control the public.This novel explores the world that Winston lives in, which is under totalitarian ruling. He has always hated the government, seeing firsthand the depths that the Party will go to in order to gain complete and unchallenged control, including starvation tactics, psychological torture, endless propaganda, and crushing individual freedoms. Orwell wrote this book as a social commentary on real world events happening during the time period that he lived in, and the gruesome story he wrote influenced many aspects of current …show more content…
Orwell considered himself an anarchist at first, then later turned to socialism. Some of his earlier works, such as an account on mining, required him to live among the poverty stricken. He may have chosen to portray the distant future as impoverished because of these experiences. He also experienced the Spanish Civil War firsthand when he fought against communists who were under orders from Stalin, which contributed to his fear of communism and other similar forms of government. Orwell was terrified for the future of the world and his worst nightmares come alive in this novel, including his fear that if one totalitarian government were to fall, it would cause wars between the other governments. The establishment of the three nations, Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, that are endlessly at war with no end in sight, is one interpretation of the chaos that the rise and fall of a government would cause. Orwell also stated that in writing this book, he showed that there was still hope left, and that if action was …show more content…
The world that Orwell grew up in was war-torn and increasingly destitute. The world that Winston Smith lives in was also shaped by battles and poverty. One of the tactics used in both real life under Joseph Stalin and in the novel, is that a government or its leader would rather execute an individual rather than have them vocally oppose their system. Stalin created death warrants, which would allow him to kill his own officials and citizens with a reasonable purpose, such as to silence them for speaking out about the horrible system that person was forced to live under. Under the guise of concern for public safety, Stalin also authorized beatings, public hangings, and illegal arrests of other rebellious citizens. In the novel, Smith is beaten by the Thought Police and taken into custody of the Ministry of Love for his relationship to Julia, and for defying government rules, such as having sex without the purpose of procreation, and being openly rebellious. While he is imprisoned in the Ministry of Love, O’Brien tries to break Smith’s spirit, leading him to believe that “they would have blown his brain to pieces before they could reclaim it”, meaning that the government would rather lose a potentially perfect citizen rather than have one rebellious citizen (Orwell, 308). There were also “great purges involving thousands of people” where criminals would be
Towards the end of Orwell’s novel that presents a dystopian society, the antagonist, O’Brien, a close member of the inner party, warns Winston, the protagonist and one of only two reasonable people left, that “We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them” (319). Winston, who has been taken prisoner for his political dissent, receives this grave warning tied down to a chair with O’Brien’s face staring at him from above. This alarming solution to the infamous mystery frightens Winston a significant amount, who after sacrificing so much, has just learned his fate. Orwell has brought about this fate to emphasize the perpetual triumph of the party over its enemies. In George Orwell's 1984, the author creates the totalitarian state of Oceania to warn the reader of the potential corruption and oppression of such a government.
“I hate purity, I hate goodness! I don’t want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones.” (Orwell 72). These are not the words of a man bereft of virtue. In fact, with these words, Winston Smith expresses his frustration at the falsehood the Party represents. This is, after all, a régime that perpetuates its repression through “double speak.” Its slogans displayed through Oceania are: “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” (Orwell 14). Winston Smith’s world is a world where all that is noble is forbidden, and all that is forbidden is noble. Truth and lies are intertwined to the extent of being indistinguishable. The awareness that Winston Smith possesses makes him an uncommon, if not extraordinary man. It is because of this awareness that he rebels against the tyranny of the Party and refuses to conform or adapt, and walk the predetermined path of a meaningless existence that has been chosen for
Winston Smith, is the protagonist of George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. He lives in the seemingly
George Orwell, writer of the novel 1984, wrote in his book, "Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious" (Orwell 74). The novel 1984 is all about a dystopian society that allows people to have very few freedoms. The people of Oceania are being watched constantly whether it is outside their homes or right in their living rooms. The people are not allowed to even have their own thoughts. There are thought police that are hidden throughout all of Oceania that monitor the people. If someone is thinking rebellious thoughts against the totalitarian power of Oceania then they could potentially be executed. In George Orwell’s 1984, clearly Winston Smith is physically, emotionally, and intellectually unorthodox.
Winston Smith, a middle-aged man who works as a records editor in Records Department at the Ministry of Truth, is the novel 's protagonist. He is the character that the reader most identifies with, and the reader sees the world from his point of view. Winston is a kind of innocent in a world gone wrong, and it is through him that the reader is able to understand and feel the suffering that exists in the totalitarian society of Oceania. As a secretly rebellious free thinker, Winston challenges the societal norms placed in the story by the antagonistic government, known as the Party. Orwell wants the reader to be intrigued when vivid descriptions of advanced technology, such as telescreens and hidden microphones, are included in the text providing the feeling of familiarity and pleasure. On the contrary, constant mentions of the tyrannical rule of Big Brother keeps the reader anxious about what will happen to Winston. Furthermore, the Party, the omnipresent ruling system in Oceania, uses several techniques in order to control the minds of the citizens. By exploiting the need to fit in through the use of the Anti-Sex League, the Party is able to suppress resistance to new ideas. The Party also destroyed the ability of citizens to evaluate logically by eliminating any privacy through the form of telescreen surveillance. Finally, through the
The main character in George Orwell’s book 1984 is a thirty-nine year old man with the name of Winston Smith. Winston Smith creates thought crimes, he also has anti-Party views. The story “1984” tells about all of Winston Smith’s struggles. In an effort to avoid being monitored, Winston physically conforms to society, however mentally he does just the opposite. Winston is a thin, frail and intellectual thirty-nine year old. Winston hates totalitarian control and enforced repression that are characteristics of his government. Winston hates being watched by Big Brother. He always has revolutionary dreams, he feels like he would be protected. Julia is Winston’s lover, a beautiful dark- haired girl working in the
George Orwell was the pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair, and he was famous for his personnel vendetta against totalitarian regimes and in particular the Stalinist brand of communism. In his novel, 1984, Orwell has produced a brilliant social critique on totalitarianism and a future dystopia, that has made the world pause and think about our past, present and future, as the situation of 1984 always remains menacingly possible. The story is set in a futuristic 1984 London, where a common man Winston Smith has turned against the totalitarian government. Orwell has portrayed the concepts of power, marginalization, and resistance through physical, psychological, sexual and political control. The way that Winston Smith, the central
In his work George Orwell excellently describes the darkness and futility of the dystopian world in which the protagonist of our story Winston Smith lives. Although the title of the novel is 1984 the work itself was written in the late 1940’s. The reasoning behind the title is Orwell’s prediction of what the year 1984 would look like if something were not changed. In the novel the author uses an abundance of symbolism and theme, which acts as a driving force of the novel. I have always been a fan of Orwell’s work and 1984 is definitely not an exception.
In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith is a character plagued by an oppressive party that controls and monitors its entire population. On a journey to meet a young girl in the countryside, Winston's mood, setting and point of view are used with Orwell's diction and imagery to portray a complex tone. Describing Winston as apprehensive and nervous throughout the beginning of the chapter because he does not know what is going to happen and he is anxious to meet this new girl but fearful for his own existence.
In the novel 1984, George Orwell relates the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning by allowing the reader to see inside of the mind of Winston Smith. Orwell uses Winston’s rebellious thoughts to counteract his actions in order to show the reader how a dystopian society can control the citizens. Although Winston is in an obvious state of disbelief in the society, his actions still oppose his thoughts because of his fear of the government. Winston’s outward conformity and inward questioning relate to the meaning of the novel by showing Winston’s fight to truth being ended by the dystopian society’s government.
Winston Smith walked home\surrounded by posters proclaiming “Big Brother is Watching You”. Smith does not like the Party but expressing his opinion would mean certain death. Thought crime means death or vaporization, it meant a person’s existence was never there; they were born. This story is composed in three parts; the world of 1984 as he (Smith) sees it, Smith’s rebellion and affair with Julia and Smith’s interrogation, torture, most importantly, his re-education at Miniluv. Winston Smith live in the now ruined London, “chief city of Airstrip One” as quoted in the
Orwells’ book is set in a totalitarian state where all who live there must accept and comply with every one of the Party’s rules, ideas and orders. The main character in this novel is Winston Smith. Winston decides to rebel against the Party and soon after this results in his capture and torture from the Party. By the end of the book Winston
The main character in George Orwell’s 1948 novel, 1984, Winston Smith can be seen as many things. To some, he may be a hero, but to others he is a coward and a fool. Throughout the novel, Winston’s characteristics are explored, and readers are shown the reasoning behind Winston’s twisted mind. It is evident that although Winston thinks he had control over his own mind and body, this is an imagined factor. The world of 1984 is one of a totalitarian society, where no one can be trusted, and no one is safe, Winston being the primary example of one who trusted thoughtlessly.
Winston Smith, George Orwell’s main character from 1984, contributes greatly to the novel in many ways. While he is presented to be a simple man, Winston adds many complex ideas to the classic piece of literature. Orwell uses internal and external characteristics, symbols, and significant quotes to develop Winston’s role in 1984.
Hopelessness, deep and gaping ever lasting hopelessness. If the course of humanity fails to change, to this everyone will succumb. That is the message that George Orwell has left for the future, and it would be in humanity's best interest to heed. Winston Smith of 1984 lived in a world that had been consumed by the everlasting abyss of injustice. Eventually this world became too much for our hopeful protagonist and thus, like the future that is bound to a horrific fate, he succumbed. “It was like swimming against a current that swept you backwards however hard you struggled, and then suddenly deciding to turn round and go with the current instead of opposing it” (Orwell 248). No one in this world is any different than Winston, they will follow his path like all of those before them, following the five stages of Kübler-Ross. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance make up the cycle that every feeble life will follow and that Winston grew to know all too well.