Winston Smith's Definition Of Heroism

In 1949, George Orwell published one of the most well-known dystopian fiction novels of the 21st century, 1984. Set in the then near future, Orwell depicts a super nation named Oceania under a totalitarian government called the Party, where every citizen’s freedom is severely limited and under constant surveillance by ‘Big Brother’. The protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, despises and wishes to rebel against the Party. However, by the novel’s closing, it is evident that Smith’s actions proved futile. Orwell defined heroism as individuals who try to improve the lives of themselves and their entire society, even if they do not succeed. Winston Smith displays characteristics of Orwell’s definition of heroism throughout the novel, but also exhibits traits that stop him from being a true hero.
Winston displays his distaste against the
Party early within novel during the Two Minutes Hate, stating his hatred was not against the apparent enemy on the screen, but against Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police (Pt. 1, Ch. 1). This quote sets him up to become the hero of the novel, to plot against the Party and bring Oceania out of its current state. When Winston bought the diary, he knew that detection of its existence was punishable by death or extensive labor, but he still wrote in it, even writing “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” boldly multiple times (Pt. 1, Ch. 1). He secretly writes his thought crime, despite the risks, knowing that the Thought Police will get him in the end. His affairs with Julia also violate the Party’s rules, as the act was intended only to create more children to impose the values of the Party, while Winston and Julia commit the act because of their love for one another (Pt. 1, Ch. 6). In O’Brien’s home, both Winston and Julia are ready to sacrifice their lives for the cause of the Brotherhood, so their rebellious acts against the Party would not be in vain (Pt. 2 Ch. 8). Once Winston and Julia are caught and taken to the Ministry of Love, Julia is the one to easily crack and forget the reasons to rebel against the Party, “immediately, unreservedly”, as O’Brien states (Pt. 3, Ch. 2). Winston, however, endures countless weeks of torture in hopes that he can find answers on the whereabouts of Julia and the motives of the Party (Pt. 3, Ch. 2). Through enduring this torture, Winston shows the lengths he is willing to go to find the truth. His actions during stage three of his reintegration and life afterwards, paint Winston’s character in a different light.
During the third and final stage of Winston’s reintegration, O’Brien uses Winston’s greatest fear against him; rats. Seconds from death, Winston screams, “Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me” (Pt. 3 Ch. 5). Despite stating to give his life for the Brotherhood in O’Brien’s home, Winston would rather the love of his live face his punishment, casting a negative shadow over his former, somewhat heroic self. Toward the end of the novel, in the Chestnut Tree Café, Winston stares at a poster of Big Brother and states that he “loved Big Brother” (Pt. 3, Ch. 6). Winston’s reintegration was complete; all his thoughts and wishes for the overthrow of the Party ceasing to exist and instead replaced by love for the Party. Despite an unfortunate ending and the un-heroic nature of Winston at the end of the novel, Winston’s actions complicate the answer to whether-or-not he is indeed a hero.
Winston is a near perfect example of Orwell’s definition of heroism, as he tries to change governmental control for the better for himself and Julia, even though he is unable to succeed.
However, he is not a hero in a traditional sense that readers can look up to. When faced with his greatest fear, he wishes it to Julia instead. A traditional hero would face his fate rather than wish it upon someone else; especially to someone they love dearly. In the end, Winston also falls to the Party, unable to change Oceania for all of its citizens. Winston is unable to be a traditional hero due to his fixed destiny from the moment of his capture. As O’Brien states in Chapter 2 of Part 3, “no one whom we bring to this place ever leaves our hands uncured”, Winston would never be able to become a true, traditional hero, as the Party’s reintegration would be successful no matter what. The Party would tear his mind apart and rebuild it with their ideals, despite his resistance. Although Winston hopes to start a revolution against the Party, he is not the hero Oceania is ready for, due to the tight grip the Party currently holds upon its
citizens. George Orwell’s 1984 served as a warning as to what might happen when a government’s control over society became too powerful. Winston Smith has to live a life where the government can track every detail of every citizen, a life in which he wants to change. In closing, while Winston meets Orwell’s definition of heroism by secretly rebelling against certain rules of the Party, such as freedom of thought and his sexual acts with Julia, he is not a traditional hero readers can look up to, as he was destined to break and fail from the start.