Winston Smith Flashcards
protagonist
39 year old Outer party functionary who privately rebels against the Party’s totalitarian rule
his characteristics
frail, intellectual and fatalistic
works in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth- rewriting new articles to conform with the Party’s current version of History
Party’s ultimate goal
to gain absolute mastery over the citizens of Oceania by controlling access too the past and minds of its subjects
reality
Orwell uses Winston’s habit of introspection and self-analysis to explore the opposition between external and internal reality, and between individualism and collective identity
battle
“their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory”
equality
“where there is equality there can be sanity”
loved BB
“he had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother”
combat reality control
Winston believes that to combat the reality control practiced by the State, he must record his private thoughts, even if he cannot share them with another person
Julia’s defiance
the ease with which Julia defies the Party’s rule impresses Winston, who finds it harder to repudiate them because he must do so on an intellectual level
Winston’s job
of “revising history” is based on the Stalinist habit of airbrushing images of ‘fallen’ people and removing all references to them in books and newspapers
his name
possibly reminiscent of Winston Churchill
both Winston and Offred
live in communities in which people are isolated, with little communication
uniform
“blue overalls of the Party” - indicates the extinction of individuality
the party crush
his rebellion and replaces it with conformity and resignation - could be compared to Moira, who seems resigned when Offred meets her again at Jezebel’s
1984 is very much the
experience of the central character
BNW focuses on several characters
neither novel attempts to present likeable characters - Winston’s self-centred and flawed, while Bernard is selfish, self-pitying and whiny
