1984 Winston Smith Character Traits

In the novel nineteen eighty-four by George Orwell, the main character and protagonist is Winston Smith. He displays a few personality traits that show during the story, these traits lead him to bad situations in the book. Winston Smith is not your average man, he has several character traits that set him up for failure, if it weren't for these traits Winston would have lived a relatively normal life without all the bad coincidences he experienced and all the dangerous situations he was put into. In the end his curiosity, determination and loneliness get him into the rut of his life, he loses himself, and it all could have been avoided if it weren't for his character traits.

Usually curiosity isn't such a bad thing, but you have heard the …show more content…
“The thing that he was about to do was open a diary.” (Orwell 9) and he did just that, Winston began writing in a diary about his experiences which is an action punishable by death. Winston became so determined to write for “the future, for the unborn.” (Orwell 10) in this diary and with such determination he kept writing in the diary, about everything he thought. Which one day, will lead the thought police to his doorstep. Winston was so determined that he didn't care what happened, he was just determined to let the future people know what he was going through at that time. Winston let his determination put him in a situation that could lead to his demise. If Winston did not have this trait of extreme determination then he might have lived a safer life in …show more content…
Winston is lonely, he shows this throughout the novel by many things he does. One example of Winston loneliness is when he states “He felt as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom, lost in a monstrous world where he himself was the monster. He was alone. The past was dead, the future was unimaginable. What certainty had he that a single human creature now living was on his side? And what way of knowing that the dominion of the Party would not endure forever?” (Orwell 34). This is him talking about how alone he feels, he also displays loneliness when he has dreams about Julia, “She stood looking at him for an instant, then felt at the zipper of her overalls. And, yes! It was almost as in his dream. Almost as swiftly as he had imagined it, she had torn her clothes off, and when she flung them aside it was with that same magnificent gesture by which a whole civilization seemed to be annihilated.” (Orwell 47). You have to be pretty lonely to keep making up scenarios in your head about someone you have not talked to yet. This loneliness leads Winston to becoming friends/lovers with Julia in the end it gets him stabbed in the back. Julia turns Winston into the party and Winston is taken away and tortured. If Winston was not so lonely then he would not have became close with Julia which means she could not have back stabbed