When asked to name one novel that represented the dystopian genre, it’s a sure bet that 1984 will be brought up. George Orwell’s 1949 novel told the story of a grim future ruled by a totalitarian government under which any citizen could be under surveillance at any time. The unlikely protagonist, Winston Smith, is presented as an ordinary working-class man with a rebellious nature and fatalist philosophy.
Firstly, Winston Smith is a pensive and intellectual man who is relatable in his normalcy. Rather than being shown as exceptional, Winston is indeed a very average man. He is a minor Party member in the Ministry of Truth, which is the equivalent of the working-class. Winston’s build is just as unheroic, as he is described as “physically frail” with a “varicose ulcer above his right ankle.” At the beginning of …show more content…
At first, he impulsively purchases a diary and writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in it – a horrific crime towards the Party. After this initial violation of the law, Winston realizes that “he [is] already dead,” and begins to act even more rebelliously. These larger acts of rebellion coincide with his relationship with Julia, a young woman who inwardly despises the Party. Yet Winston and Julia, while fighting for a similar cause, are fighting for different reasons. Julia is not particularly idealistic and does not seek to make the world a better place. Instead, she rebels for the personal pleasure she can gain from it. She states that she “[is not] interested in the next generation,” instead only being interested in the relationship between her and Winston. Meanwhile, Winston seeks knowledge and understanding along with ending the Party. He becomes deeply engrossed in the book seemingly written by enemy of the state Emmanuel Goldstein, and more than anything he seems to want to understand why the Party acts the way that it
Firstly, Winston Smith is a pensive and intellectual man who is relatable in his normalcy. Rather than being shown as exceptional, Winston is indeed a very average man. He is a minor Party member in the Ministry of Truth, which is the equivalent of the working-class. Winston’s build is just as unheroic, as he is described as “physically frail” with a “varicose ulcer above his right ankle.” At the beginning of …show more content…
At first, he impulsively purchases a diary and writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in it – a horrific crime towards the Party. After this initial violation of the law, Winston realizes that “he [is] already dead,” and begins to act even more rebelliously. These larger acts of rebellion coincide with his relationship with Julia, a young woman who inwardly despises the Party. Yet Winston and Julia, while fighting for a similar cause, are fighting for different reasons. Julia is not particularly idealistic and does not seek to make the world a better place. Instead, she rebels for the personal pleasure she can gain from it. She states that she “[is not] interested in the next generation,” instead only being interested in the relationship between her and Winston. Meanwhile, Winston seeks knowledge and understanding along with ending the Party. He becomes deeply engrossed in the book seemingly written by enemy of the state Emmanuel Goldstein, and more than anything he seems to want to understand why the Party acts the way that it