Characterisation

Question 1

why are many characters in 1984 rather straightforward and undeveloped?

Answer 1

many characters are quite straightforward, except Winston Smith

dystopias dramatise ideas rather than personalities and the world of 1984 is hostile to individuality and eliminates all originality, which explains why characters are often straightforward

Question 2

key facts about Winston

Answer 2

smallish, frail figure and physically unhealthy (varicose ulcer)

wears the blue uniform of the Outer Party and works in the Ministry of Truth rewriting records of the past

begins a diary in order to think for himself and rebel against the Party

develops a relationship with Julia but is still isolated in his rebellion as she offers no intellectual support

not strong enough to withstand torture and brainwashing, defeated at the end of the book

desires human affection and someone to truly understand him, the only love he’s ever known is from his mother during childhood, his relationship with Julia is still important but limited in comparison

Question 3

what is the significance of Winston’s name?

Answer 3

Smith = the most common surname, establishes him as an ‘everyman’ figure

Winston = reference to Churchill (the prime minister during WW2), which links Winston to resistance to evil

an ironic comment — Winston is unable to resist evil, whereas Churchill was known for being strong minded and winning the war against Hitler

satirical — under Churchill, government control was significantly increased during the war

Question 4

Winston as the focaliser….

Answer 4

focaliser — he’s not the narrator, but the story is told from his point of view

we see his reflections, dreams and longings through free indirect discourse

allows a deep insight into his mind, but we are still somewhat detached from him

his personality grows throughout but is brought to a brutal end as his rebellion is replaced with a superficial, conformist personality

Question 5

how is Winston an anti-hero?

Answer 5

not a strong, typical hero — he is merely an average, middle-aged man

powerless victim of an evil world, he is brainwashed and defeated by the end of the book

quite unlikable and unadmirable….
• at times he displays the same ideas as the party (e.g. when watching the film at the beginning he displays stereotypical attitudes towards the proles and women), he is not free from indoctrination

• untrustworthy and not always reliable (his prediction about Parsons never being arrested proved wrong, he failed to spot any clues about O’Brien and Charrington betraying him), meaning we must view his judgements with caution
• misogynistic and often details hatred and violence towards women (e.g. fantasising about raping and murdering Julia)
• unlikable — vows to kill children when pledging allegiance to the Brotherhood, he is just as bad as the Party in this sense

Question 6

key facts about Julia

Answer 6

wears a scarlet sash belonging to the Junior Anti Sex League to appear orthodox, but also to draw attention to her body, thus making herself more sexually attractive

Question 7

Julia and her rebellion

Answer 7

under the pretense of conformity she is actually a promiscuous disbeliever in the Party’s moral code

in active rebellion — Winston is not the only Party member she’s had sex with, she appears to be very experienced

Question 8

how can Julia be seen as a problematic portrayal of women?

Answer 8

her rebellion seems to be only for herself, she does not wish to change the world or defeat the Party — arguably a problematic portrayal of women

uninterested and rebels merely to enjoy herself, she has no deeper capacity or ambition to free herself from the Party’s oppression, very much accepting of her situation

“a rebel only from the waist down”

doesn’t care to answer or explore wider and more abstract ideas about her existence

Question 9

how is Julia NOT a problematic portrayal of women?

Answer 9

regards revolution as an unrealistic option, but this cynicism enables her to see reality more clearly (e.g. it is Julia who suggests the Party bombs its own people to create a common enemy) and be highly practical

Winston eventually proves Julia correct when he is defeated

she rebels merely to enjoy herself, although this may not be a problematic portrayal because she is making the most out of a situation that she knows can’t be greatly improved — she has no unrealistic expectations, unlike Winston

highly practical, skilfully organises numerous love affairs and obtains luxury goods which suggests that she knows how to work the system to her advantage

Question 10

feminist interpretation: how can Julia be seen as a male fantasy figure?

Answer 10

has sex with older men, arranges their meetings and takes charge of their sexual encounters

young and sexually alluring

Question 11

what is Julia’s purpose?

Answer 11

introduced largely to develop Winston’s character and help him create an alternative life for himself

recieves limited character development herself

Question 12

key facts about O’Brien

Answer 12

member of the Inner Party, very high up and responsible for the regime

at the end it’s revealed that he is a true fanatic who converts his victims into orthodoxy before executing them

“burly, thick necked, brutal face”

intellectual, powerful but very mysterious

“in spite of his formidable appearance, he had a certain charm of manner” — traps Winston and lures him in

draws Winston in, Winston longs to talk to him and feels a deep connection to O’Brien when he suspects that he is unorthodox and will understand him

Question 13

how does O’Brien highlight Winston’s vulnerability?

Answer 13

the danger that O’Brien may have been betraying Winston the whole time should’ve been evident to Winston, but he was blinded by rebellion and failed to notice the signs, instead placing immense trust in O’Brien

creates a sense of Winston’s vulnerability and O’Briens power

Question 14

how are the proles presented?

Answer 14

first introduced via the woman in the cinema in Chapter 1

this woman has positive values but is loud, disruptive and can only express her views using repetitive and common language

undeveloped, mainly plot devices

Question 15

how does Winston view the proles? how have his views changed?

Answer 15

Winston eventually comes to respect their humanity, which contrasts so deeply to the Party

but before this, he disliked and dehumanised them (e.g. he simply kicks a severed prole hand into the gutter, careless and insensitive)

he hopes that they will one day overthrow the Party, seeing as they’re the majority, but they have not done so — they are presented as mentally inferior and incapable of understanding or challenging the Party

Question 16

how are the proles stereotypical?

Answer 16

many critics have condemned the way they are presented

Raymond Williams strongly criticises Orwell’s depiction of the working-class

many argue that Orwell is a product of upper-class schools and spent time as an imperial officer in Burma, so struggled to empathise with those of a lower class despite trying

Question 17

what effect does the stereotypical presentation of the proles have?

Answer 17

the stereotypical portrayal of the proles may a satirical exaggeration to dramatise the class divisions and impact of the Party

Orwell may be mocking the faith that some socialists have in ‘the people’ to revolt against their oppressors

e.g. Winston only starts liking the proles and viewing them as human when he believes they can overthrow the Party, demonstrates a romanticised view of working people, they are not simply tools of rebellion like Winston hopes they are

if the proles were presented any differently this would bring an element of hope to the novel that somehow they could rise up against Big Brother and defeat it due to the sheer size

this would defeat the purpose of the novel and undermine the warning of the dangers of totalitarianism, so their inferiority emphasises the lack of hope and suggests the Party will never be defeated

Question 18

why should we view the presentation of the proles with caution?

Answer 18

their presentation may not be entirely accurate or trustworthy because Winston is an unreliable narrator

he is a Party member who has never truly succeeded in freeing himself and his past judgements have also been false on numerous occasions (e.g. he predicted that Parsons would never be vaporised, failed to predict O’Brien’s betrayal)

Question 19

other key characters

Answer 19

Parsons — enthusiastic, blind supporter of the Party

Syme — intellectual, responsible for the destruction of language via Newspeak

Ampleforth — poet, arrested for failing to alter a poem

Bumstead — victim of torture, represents a different stage of destruction

Mrs Parsons — downtrodden housewife

Parsons children — aggressive brats, lack of hope for the future

Charrington — member of the Thought Police in disguise

Question 20

how can it be argued that Winston has no autonomy or freedom ever?

Answer 20

he is a victim — he has no autonomy, even as a rebel….

O’Brien lured him in

the Thought Police initiated his rebellion by selling him the diary and giving him a room with no visible telescreen