Chapters 1-6

Hello readers! Welcome to my blog about the year 1984. Just kidding. Kind of. This blog is actually about George Orwell's novel 1984. The novel follows protagonist Winston Smith as he navigates a dystopian version of London in what Winston assumes to be 1984. So technically you could make the argument that the book is about the year 1984. In Winston's world everyone is under the watchful eye of Big Brother, a dictatorial figure who has complete control over Oceania, the country the book is set in. Everyone has been brainwashed by him, reporting on those who act even slightly different than the social norm. Citizens are required to daily attend the Two Minutes Hate, a time when citizens sit down and watch a video denouncing the enemies of Big Brother and emphasizing their society’s core values: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. In today's blog post I will be analyzing the main character Winston Smith and those who influence his development.

Right off the bat we can tell that Winston Smith is a rebellious character, a fitting characteristic for a protagonist. He’s a middle-aged man who suffers from a “varicose ulcer above his right ankle” causing him to rest “several times” on his way up the seven flights of stairs to his apartment (1). His apartment is his safe space, as he has maneuvered the furniture in his living room in such a way that he can sit down and not be seen by the telescreen. The Party, the government that rules the society, has telescreens in almost every building so they can spy on their civilians. “Any sound that Winston [makes], above the level of a very low whisper, [can] be picked up by [the telescreen]; moreover, so long as he [remains] within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he [can] be seen as well as heard” (3). It is clear that Winston is intelligent as well; he thinks through ways to defy Big Brother by escape the all-seeing telescreen. This is rebellion alone, but Winston continues to break the rules by starting a diary. Winston assures the audience that “[opening a diary is] not illegal… but if detected it [is] reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least twenty-five years in a forced-labor camp” (6). Winston is taking a huge risk by keeping a diary, a diary where he will record all of the injustices that go unnoticed under the Big Brother’s reign. Rather than publically rebelling, Winston chooses to focus on small things such as thinking unorthodox thoughts and keeping a diary. He maintains a relatively normal public image while rebelling in private, doing a good job at work, keeping up normal conversations with his comrades, and participating in the Two Minutes of Hate.

Something that I would like to point out is that even though Winston disagrees with the concept of the Two Minutes of Hate, he is not immune to them. "It [is] impossible to avoid joining in," Winston notes (14). The Two Minutes of Hate reveal the truly feral characteristics of people; the video strikes such anger into people that they start shouting and acting out, channeling all of their anger toward Emmanuel Goldstein, the Enemy of the People. Emmanuel Goldstein used to be one of the highest-ranking members of the Party until he exhibited unorthodox tendencies that went against the Party's values. He was condemned to death but managed to escape, serving as a symbol of everything the Party despises. The Two Minutes Hate are filled with falsified clips of Goldstein badmouthing Big Brother and "advocating freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, [and] freedom of thought..." (12). Now in America's society today, these freedoms are essential to our Constitution; rights that if taken away would result in a ferocious uproar. But in the Party's society, these are evils spread by Goldstein; any mention of them causes the citizens to react with anger. Winston is decidedly different from his fellow citizens though, because during the Two Minutes if Hate his focus fluctuates between Goldstein and Big Brother. Occasionally Winston is angry at "Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police," sympathizing with Goldstein. Then seconds later "his secret loathing of Big Brother [changes] into adoration" and he is one with the angry citizens denouncing Goldstein. The brainwashing techniques used by Big Brother work on everyone, forcing them to feel rage at whatever they focus on. Winston has the strength to reject the hate towards Goldstein and channel it towards someone else. For example, he is able to direct his hate toward the dark-haired girl, a character who serves as a constant reminder to Winston that he must be careful about what he believes regarding Big Brother. He imagines tying her to a stake and shooting arrows into her and flogging her to death with a rubber truncheon (15). This is important because it shows that Winston, though he may be intent on rebelling, still is not strong enough to resist the power of the Two Minutes of Hate. He still gives into the artificial rage and imagines horrible scenarios. His hate of the dark-haired girl brings up one of Winston's little quirks; he despises women.

His reasoning for his hatred of women is that "It was always the women... who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies and the nosers-out of unorthodoxy" (10). This hatred appears to stem from a time when Winston was hurt by a woman, and later on, in Chapter 6, I discovered that Winston used to be married to a woman named Katherine. He describes her as having the "most stupid, vulgar, empty mind that he had ever encountered" (66). From Winston's experience, those who are the most stupid are those most easily seduced by the propaganda in their society. However, I believe there is more to the story, as Winston explained his sexual encounters with Katharine as awkward unromantic encounters. For anyone else in their society this is normal and what is expected as the Party's purpose is "to remove all pleasure from the sexual act" (65). Winston is different though, he wants more from a relationship, and Katharine would just lay there during intercourse, doing exactly what the Party wanted of her. I think that Katharine is partially the reason Winston doesn't like women. To him, women stand as symbols of the Party's successes; they try not to enjoy sex and they absentmindedly epitomize the Party's slogans.

Winston’s rebellious tendencies also are revealed through his interactions with O’Brien. O’Brien is Winston’s superior within the Party, however, Winston is certain that O’Brien sides with him on some of his traitorous ideas. Winston describes O’Brien as “being a person that you could talk to, if somehow you could cheat the telescreen and get him alone” (11). When the two are attending the Two Minutes of Hate they make eye contact, leading Winston to the realization that “O’Brien was thinking the same thing as himself" (17). Both O'Brien and Winston are struck with terror by the animalistic way people react to the Two Minutes of Hate. This shows how Winston is slowly coming to terms with how hypnotized the citizens are by Big Brother’s message. O’Brien serves as a foil for Winston as he shows how Winston is developing from a character who merely thinks of rebelling to a character who is taking more definitive action. For years Winston has been questioning Big Brother's absolute power, and now he started to keep a diary of what exactly he thinks is wrong with his society. O'Brien has even begun to invade Winston's dreams, saying "'We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness'" (25). This is a sign that Winston is ready to take the next step and begin to verbalize his feelings about Big Brother. Even though O'Brien didn't actually ask Winston to meet in real life it still shows that O'Brien heightens Winston's unorthodox thoughts, encouraging him to act on them.

The conflict Winston is facing is whether he conform to society or attempt to form some sort of an identity for himself. I personally think that he is leaning towards continuing to resist. Throughout the chapters I read Winston is continuing to write in his diary and exhibits even more rebellious characteristics towards the end of the section, showing that his character is quickly developing. He also has already accepted that he will be vaporized, meaning he will be killed and his existence will be wiped from all government and historical documents. He is going to be vaporized because he wrote the phrase "Down with Big Brother" in his diary, committing what he calls Thoughtcrime, meaning he thought about undermining the totalitarian ruler. He explains that "Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you" (19). The "they" refers to the Party in general, with their army of telescreens, spies, and Thought Police. The Thought Police are exactly what they sound like, meaning they are people who probe your mind for any evidence of wrongdoing. I believe that Winston acknowledging that he is a dead man no matter what he does now will encourage him to take bigger actions to resist Big Brother. Maybe Winston will finally converse with O'Brien about their similar opinions, or maybe if Winston is feeling particularly risky he will try to seek out the Brotherhood, Goldstein's underground rebellion.

I like Winston and I think he is probably a likeable character for most readers. He isn't exactly a hero, but that is understandable given his situation. The only complaint I could see some readers having is that he doesn't seem to fit the hero stereotype given his physical appearance and how he isn't doing anything drastic to change the Party. However, if I was in his position I probably wouldn't have even started the diary, let alone do anything more, because I would be so scared of getting vaporized. So I give him credit because at least he is doing something.

Let me know your thoughts below and check in next week for a new post!

Citation(s)

            Orwell, George. 1984. Signet Classics, 1977.