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. Anything or anybody

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?