Examples Of Heroism In 1984

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A hero is a man who is respected for his courage and noble qualities; however, within literature, many different types of hero’s appear. There are valiant heroes who embody everything good about humanity. There are also heroes crippled by their own flaws who need to overcome their innermost downfalls to succeed. The most frequently found heroic archetype in literature is an ordinary person who is involuntarily dragged into an extraordinary situation because a sense of heroism arises within him and he is called upon to act. In Orwell’s novel, 1984, Winston Smith possesses the qualities of this kind of hero because he is courageous, he gains a sense of heroism, and he becomes determined to weaken and test the Party’s power by rebelling against …show more content…
While working in the Ministry of Truth, Winston comes across rumors of corruption and lies within the Party. Because of this, Winston begins to constantly rebel against the Party. First he purchases a diary in the prole district and then undertakes the risky act of writing down his hate for Big Brother and the Party. Just by opening the diary, Winston could get in a lot of trouble, but he had the gut to write down his illegal thoughts and feelings. He repeatedly writes “Down with Big Brother” (Orwell 18). The act of writing this down is the ultimate crime and an intolerable offense in the eyes of a Party because it is calling for the downfall of the symbol of the party. Winston also writes, “Thoughtcrime is death. Thoughtcrime does not entail death. Thoughtcrime IS death. I have committed even before setting pen to paper the essential crime that contains all others unto itself” (Orwell 28). The Party takes loyalty very seriously. It does not tolerate any acts against it, even if they are minor thoughts. Winston knew that he would be caught by the Thought Police; however, he continued to persist with his beliefs, which is what makes him a true …show more content…
They begin to beat him mercilessly until "his body was being wrenched out of shape, the joints were being slowly torn apart.”(Orwell 245-246). O’Brien will not stop the torture till Winston admits that he is holding up five fingers. Winston did not give into O’Brien at first; instead, he stayed true to his beliefs. He undergoes over twice the intensity of the beginning pain until it gets to the point where he cannot tolerate it anymore. Even though Winston submits to O’Brien, he should be respected for his

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