Winston's True Feelings Towards Julia example essay topic

Winston Smith, such an ordinary name, yet so far from an ordinary character. In George Orwell's novel, 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith, is a 39 year old man who works for the Ministry of Truth. His job is to help rewrite history, a very monotonous job, and it seems as though Winston's character would reflect exactly that. Nonetheless, he is a dynamic character whose actions and words not only reflect Orwell's feelings, but also create a lively character who has the ability to change, grow, and love throughout the course of the novel. Orwell also uses symbols within the novel to highlight Winston's character traits. Winston's life changes dramatically when he realizes that he hates Big Brother and wants to rebel against the party.

He is forced to deal with the consequences of his actions. However, they only serve to give Winston's character more depth and scope, so that he becomes more "real". Winston Smith is very far from a flat character and, throughout the novel, he grows changes and exhibits his true personality. Orwell uses symbols to help demonstrate the true characteristics of Winston Smith. One symbol that is used to reveal Winston's character is the paperweight. The paperweight reveals that Winston has both a fascination and appreciation for the past that he pursues without regard for consequence.

Knowing what the outcome of his actions might be, Winston walked into an antique store, in the prole district, and purchased the paperweight from Mr. Carrington. Winston struggles to recover his own personal memories and create for himself a more accurate picture of what has happened to the world, knowing that if caught by the Thought Police, he could be faced with severe penalties. He does this by trying to reconnect with the past, buying and admiring objects from the distant past, such as the paperweight, the journal and the old picture of St. Clement's Church. Winston's belief that nothing can conquer the human mind is revealed by the paperweight. The coral encased and protected by the glass represents the mind and its ability to resist outside forces. Winston thinks that only his mind is unreachable by the Party.

This idea is supported when Orwell writes, "Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull". (Orwell 29). This is also shown when he writes, "They can't get inside you". (Orwell 174).

Symbolically, when the Thought Police arrest Winston, the paperweight is smashed on the ground, which foreshadows that they will ultimately break Winston's spirit, conquer his mind, and destroy his humanity. The paperweight is a symbol that reveals these two characteristics of Winston and helps the reader to develop a better understanding of how dynamic a character Winston really is. At the beginning of the novel, Winston is doubtful about the power of the Party. He is basically a flat character. He does what the party tells him to do and does not react to his surroundings.

His only hope is to find the truth behind the Party. As the story progresses, he becomes increasingly unsure of his feelings about the Party, more doubtful of the truth behind Big Brother and more troubled when being forced to watch the two minute hate. When he gets his diary and shortly thereafter, he realizes that he actually hates the Party. "All that they did was to keep alive in him the belief, or hope, that others besides himself were the enemies of the Party. Perhaps the rumors of vast underground conspiracies were true after all -- perhaps the Brotherhood really existed!" By buying the diary, it shows the reader that Winston is gaining courage and his character is growing. He is now willing to step outside of the boundaries which are acceptable to the Party and is ready to accept new ideas.

The love affair with Julia is, to him, the ultimate defiance of the Party and the climax of his actions. Julia may not be Winston's true love, yet he is attracted to her because she is "corrupt" and shares his feelings towards the Party. Their relationship is kept a secret because they both know that they will be killed if the Party learns of their relationship. Winston's true feelings towards Julia are shown when they are talking to O'Brien about the brotherhood", 'You are prepared, the two of you, to separate and never see one another again?' 'No!' broke in Julia... Until he had said it, he did not know which word he was going to say. 'No,' he said finally". (pg. 180) The two of them are willing to do anything for the Brotherhood, yet they claim they would never compromise their love for each other.

By this point in the novel, Winston's character understands what love is, feels it emotionally, and is willing to do anything to preserve it. Shortly thereafter, Winston is captured by the Thought Police and taken to the Ministry of Love to be "rehabilitated". When he arrives at the Ministry of Love, he still felt a sense of rebellion. Although the Party tried to take away all feeling, Winston and Julia still felt love towards each other, a deep emotion which indicates one of Winston's many aspects. Winston's sense of rebellion stays with him throughout all the torture, until he is sent to Room 101. Before this, he believes that he will be able to go along with their ways, and still make it appear that he has changed.

Once released, he will know what mistakes not to repeat when attempting to rebel. Room 101 changed his character immensely. While being faced with his greatest fear, rats, he wished Julia was the one receiving the pain, not him. This was the one promise he made to Julia when they agreed to join the Brotherhood. With this one wish, his character took a turn for the worse.

"There are occasions when a human being will stand out against pain, even to the point of death. But for everyone there is something unendurable -- something that cannot be contemplated. Courage and cowardice are not involved... It is the same with the rats. For you, they are unendurable. They are a form of pressure that you cannot withstand, even if you wished to.

You will do what is required of you". (Pg. 298) He had now given in to the Party. He was one of them. Winston could now be molded in any way the Party wanted. The new and "improved" Winston is finally apparent in the last two lines of the book when Orwell writes, "He had won the victory over himself.

He loved Big Brother". (pg. 311) Winston's character grows and changes throughout the novel. Despite Winston's knowledge that there is no escaping Big Brother and the political machinery by which his life is bound, he still defies authority by buying, keeping, and writing in the diary; his affair with Julia and, his meeting with O'Brien. All of his actions take place in the face of tremendous odds. Each incident adds to Winston's character and makes him seem like more of a real person. Winston, as a character, is faced with the same struggles that all people must deal with, and this lets the reader feel more of a connection with him. He had to deal with his weakness for rats, the defining moment in which he gave in to the Party.

Every individual has moments when they feel like giving up, unable to cope. Winston's giving in to his weakness shows that he human. He has moved beyond his level of coping ability. Of course, Orwell uses Winston to portray his own feelings yet he also created a "human" character, one who was forced to deal with many of the issues facing us today.