Persuasive analysis of George Orwell's 1984

Winston Smith is the hero of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell. Winston's ultimate failing is not the failing of a human being, instead it is a symbol of the ultimate power of the society.

Persuasive technique - definition, personal observation)

In literary terms a hero can be vaguely defined as the main character. However, further to this the character needs to be superior, of good character or extraordinary in some way (Baldick 98). Winston Smith is the main character in 1984 and he is extraordinary. What is most important in understanding this is realizing that we must not compare Winston with modern man in this society, but with modern man in the society of 1984. This is one of the key aspects to understanding, to first understand the society he is existing in. This society is one where the people are completely controlled, with the people having no freedom from this control. This is represented in the opening chapter of the novel where we are introduced to Big Brother and the Thought Police. The fact that Winston cannot escape Big Brother is hinted at by the posters and by the voice of Big Brother. We first see that the eyes of Big Brother are always watching, "On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran" (Orwell 3). We then see how Winston is also unable to escape the voice of Big Brother, "The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely" (Orwell 4). We also see that the Thought Police are always watching. Even the name 'Thought Police' indicates that there is no escape. This is also made clear in the line "Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen. It was safer; though, as he well knew, even a back can be revealing" (Orwell 5). In analyzing Winston then, we need to view his actions in relation to his environment. In the novel we see that Winston goes against the society and tries to rebel. This rebellion is far more than just a brave act when we consider his environment. Consider the reality of Big Brother and the society on human freedom. Winston is not able to speak of his problems, he is not able to write them down, he is not able to read about other opinion's as the media is controlled. Added to this he has the constant voice of Big Brother convincing him of the goodness of the society. Not only is Winston not able to speak out or take action against the society, it is also a struggle just to form an opinion about it. Looked at in this way, Winston is truly extraordinary that he finds the ability to go against the society and attempt to take action against it. This is what makes Winston a heroic character and separates him from the rest of the society. Unlike the majority of the society, he manages to have and sustain his own personal opinions that are different from Big Brother's. Winston's act of heroism begins when he finds the courage to write, "The thing that he was about to do was to open a diary. This was not illegal (nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least a forced-labor camp... He dipped the pen into the ink and then faltered for just a second. A tremor had gone through his bowels. To mark the paper was the decisive act. In small clumsy letters he wrote: April 4th, 1984" (Orwell 8). While viewed in relation to our modern society, this does not seem like a heroic act, looked at within the society Winston lives in, it is.

Persuasive technique - refutation)

The main argument against Winston as a hero, is the argument that in fact he is an anti-hero, where an anti-hero is when "our expectations of heroic qualities are strikingly disappointed" (Baldick 98). This argument is based on the fact that he ultimately fails with his struggle. While his heroic struggle began when he rejected Big Brother, he ultimately becomes what Big Brother requires and accepts Big Brother,

He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O. stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother" (Orwell 311). The end of his struggle can be seen as his ultimate failing, but the fact still remains that Winston did make the struggle, unlike the majority of society. His failing then can be seen not as a result of him as an anti-hero, but of him as a hero who was not strong enough to overcome society. The nature of the struggle as one of himself vs. Big Brother is also shown in the passage, where we are told "he had won the victory over himself." The real struggle was himself against Big Brother, but in being defeated he believes he has won over himself. This shows how the struggle was between himself and Big Brother. With the strength and power of Big Brother, we see how difficult it would be for one man to defeat it. This further shows how it is not Winston's failings that are the cause, but rather the immense strength of Big Brother.