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1984 Winston A Hero Analysis

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The definition of a hero in the 21st Century: who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Definition of a hero in 1984:ordinary people doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed. Winston is a simple member of the town, nothing special. He's not the leader of any party nor a man of wealth. He's not a high official of the system. He's just a worker. Therefore, Winston is not extraordinary. Going through both definitions, quotes from the play, Winston’s thoughts and actions throughout the novel, by Orwell’s definition, does not consider Winston Smith a hero. First, every now and then someone will do something …show more content…

Winston is not a person someone can admire, but he does deserve sympathy and pity. His vulnerability makes him so very human. If anything is to go about, Winston is an anti-hero, but at the same time, he is nevertheless the protagonist of the story and an "Everyman" type all at the same time.
Julia and Winston both believe that at first, that their minds and their hearts are inaccessible. O'Brien then shows them that they are both wrong at the end and that everything Winston did is the worst type of crime. Not only does his crimes have material consequence, but he loses the one thing he had kept safe throughout, his freedom. Winston may not be a hero to the people, not even close, but he wanted to be one. However, he was trying to be a hero to himself, give himself his own freedom.
He spoke the truth at the end due to the O'Brien's torture and the mind control, he always knew this would be the outcome from his diary entries, the conversations with Julia and his observations of Jones. Breaking his only promise to Julia, never to betray her, was unavoidable. And the brief encounter with Julia when he is released, she gave him what she had gotten from him, bitter

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