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1984 Tom Parsons Character Traits

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Character analysis: Tom Parsons

In the book 1984 by George Orwell, the character of Tom Parsons is the complete embodiment of the totalitarian government’s manipulative mindset. Tom Parsons is a minor static character in the book that impacts the story by showing the reader a clear example of the everyday life in the book. He is foil to the main character, as he is the complete opposite of Winston.

Firstly, he is physically described by the main character, Winston, as a fat childish looking man, when he states, “At thirty-five he was already putting on rolls of fat at neck and waistline, but his movements were brisk and boyish. His whole appearance was that of a little boy grown large, so much so that although he was wearing the regulation …show more content…

This is seen when he is arrested by the thought police, because his children reported him as he was caught sleep talking “down with big brother”. As he was being incarcerated, he meets Winston once more, and he says “Do you know what I’m going to say to them when I go up before the tribunal? ‘Thank you,’ I’m going to say, ‘thank you for saving me before it was too late. ‘‘‘Who denounced you?’ said Winston. ‘It was my little daughter,’ said Parsons with a sort of doleful pride. ‘She listened at the keyhole. Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day. Pretty smart for a nipper of seven, eh? I don’t bear her any grudge for it. In fact, I’m proud of her. It shows I brought her up in the right spirit, anyway.” (III, I, 245).
This quote shows that even though he is going to be executed because of his own children, he is proud of them for what they did. In the beginning of the book, he stated that he was proud of his children for being part of the junior spies’ program, and by the end of the book, he is proud of them, even though they are causing his own death.

In conclusion, Tom Parsons is a clear representation of manipulation in the book 1984. He is the complete representation of the dreams and goals of the totalitarian

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