1984 Essay, Research Paper
Being Winston Smith
In the novel, 1984, the main protagonist, Winston Smith, guides us through
the society of Oceania. Winston is the character that the reader is supposed to
relate to in the novel. He symbolizes the reader by sharing some of the same
thoughts feelings, and experiences. Winston’s character is very complex in many
aspects. Things such as his appearance, his personality, and his relationships
with others inspire many readers to become close to Winston. In this novel,
Winston symbolizes the hope that people today have for the future through
Orwell’s eyes.
Winston Smith was never the most attractive gentleman that one would
meet. He had many bad habits that took away the “glamour” from him. He drank
too often that he neglected his physical appearance. Also, he had no money to
contribute to grooming himself. He couldn’t even afford a pair of pajamas. He
did not have a healthy state of mind and was unable to control the conditions of
his life.
Winston’s character was constructed to resemble the typical human being.
He was created with several faults which was not normal in his society. He
wanted to be different. He wanted to have his own thoughts, feelings, and
privacy. He often felt like he could not go on living his life. Thoughts of sucide
entered his conscience. Winston could not escape reality. He was all alone in a
world turned against him. He sought after hope of change. Anythi
that came across his path encouraged him to move on. This occurred until there
was no one else there for him. He was deceived by everyone that he had ever
trusted. He knew that he was living in a strange society, but he did not realize
how strange it was.
Winston’s relationship with Julia had a big influence on his character.
When he met her, he fell in love with her. This is when things began to look
better for Winston, but only for a few moments. Winston conspires to join the
Brotherhood, and a miracle was suspected to happen. His health began to
improve as well as his feelings for Julia. Winston and Julia had to be secretive
about their relationship, so no one would find out. However, this too did not last
for Winston. He was forced to love the very people who did this to him.
Winston’s hopes of a new lifestyle were destroyed along with himself. He was
betrayed be everyone that he had ever put his trust in and was forced into
becoming like everyone else. He now loved Big Brother.
The downfall of Winston Smith was symbolism of the downfall of the future.
When Winston’s hopes and dreams were destroyed before our very eyes, a part
of us went with him. He did not succeed in his goal to get away from Oceania.
He thought that he might could have succeeded with help from others, but
everyone who he thought was his friend, was his enemy. He had no control on
what happened. This novel makes us wonder. Are we being controlled?