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Winston Smith In 1984 George Orwell

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In a futuristic society, so suppressed by the government that the people believe they are living in a utopia, few individuals will discover the truth and realize that they are controlled and have never experienced freedom. Winston Smith, the main character from George Orwell’s 1984, is an intelligent leader who has this unusual ability to stray from conformity, realizing that the society he lives in is controlled and the government has dominance over all aspects of his life. In the beginning of the novel, Winston gradually begins to separate himself from the members of the party by committing acts of rebellion, allowing himself to write, to think original thoughts, and to love. However, as his ideas and feelings begin to develop, big brother’s …show more content…
Like many other members working for the party, he works in the Ministry of Truth to erase and change all information recorded in the past. However, Winston soon begins to develop character when he realizes the degree of power and control the government has on the people of Oceania. He begins to secretly hate the party and rebels against the constant watch of Big Brother by hiding a journal where he writes “I understand HOW: I do not understand WHY” (Orwell 80). As he continues to journal and think thoughts against the party, the reader sees he will do everything in his willpower to bring down big brother. This displays the positive development of Winston’s character because he desperately wants this secret brotherhood and is willing to fight for change and the restoration of democracy. Winston’s actions and rebellion against the party show his courageousness and his hope for change in a restrained …show more content…
Winston is arrested and begins his downfall of losing all previous knowledge, destroying all the feeling and passion he once had. Eventually, through torture and cruelty, the party shatters every last idea and belief Winston held in hope to save the society. He is left to be just the empty shell of a man, reciting, and believing every word of the party, exclaiming that “He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother”(Orwell 298). This final development shows the power of a controlling government and the need to keep power within the people. Winston’s development and growth throughout the novel allow him to experience the ideas and feelings of a free person, but then he returns to the lost man he once was because of this overpowering party

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