Character Analysis of Winston
Instructions:-
1.Write an essay in which you analyze ONE character from the book 1984. In your analysis, you should focus on how this character grows or develops throughout the course of the novel. Avoid obvious statements like, “Winston was a rebel, but then he became loyal to the party.” This is obvious and doesn’t need any special analysis or discussion to prove it. Instead, try to focus on more subtle changes or changes in the characteristics of a character or their personality or the way they approach things differently. A good thing to think through is, who were they at the beginning of the book, how was the character changing or developing in the middle, and who did they end up being at the end. Please use direct quotes from the text as evidence to support the claims that you are making about the character you have chosen.
Solution
Character Analysis of Winston
The book 1984 by George Orwell provides an insightful and scary look into a dystopian future of a society that exercises extreme totalitarian control over its citizens. Orwell uses the character of Winston as the main protagonist in this novel, to illustrate the paranoia and cynicism that results within such a society. In the novel, Winston’s character moves from that of a timid and law-abiding citizen, consumed by his fear, to a fatalistically rebellious individual.
At the beginning of the novel, Winston is a peaceful and law-abiding citizen, who adheres to the rules of the society. Albeit he constantly contemplates rebellion and breaking free of the current control, his fear dominates him so that he does not act on his rebellious thoughts. Winston hopes that O’Brien’s “political orthodoxy was not perfect” (14). While Winston feels that he can talk to O’Brien, he fails to do so, due to his timid nature. Perhaps the best illustration of Winston’s fear and the associated paranoia occurs on page 23, after Winston had written “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (Orwell 23). Despite the fact that he is alone in his room, Winston believes that the Thought Police are on their way to arrest him for his Thought Crime.
As the novel
continues, Winston’s character develops into a much braver one. The process
begins after he encounters Julia. Winston’s thoughtfulness seems to wane as his
desire for Julia flares. Winston actively takes risk such as going to the
ruinous church so that he could make love to Julia. In the end, Winston ends up
actualizing his thoughts by rebelling. This rebellion, however, cannot simply
be attributed to his courageous nature. Rather, it is also an outcome of his
paranoia, since Winston believes that no matter what he does, he will
nonetheless be caught. This is well illustrated by the scenario described
above.
Work Cited
Orwell, George. “Nineteen Eighty-Four. 1949.” The Complete Novels 7 (1990).