Is Winston A Hero In George Orwell's 1984

Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities; a person who is greatly admired; the chief male character in a story, play, movie, etc.” Looking at the list, Winston only fits one of these criteria. Winston is not a hero, even though he is the protagonist in this story. His actions and behavior throughout the book is unbecoming of a hero, and in the upcoming paragraphs, I will discuss what discredits him as a hero. Winston breaks, plain and simple. When it mattered most, his final stand against O’Brien and the oppressive powers of big brother, he is unable to withstand the onslaught. He gave up the only thing in the world of 1984 that made him human. Throughout the interrogations, O’Brien and BB took his body, mind, and forced him to believe things he did not (223). The one

The last part of Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as “The chief male character in a story, play, movie, etc.” Winston is the main character of 1984. We follow his journey as he tries to rebel against BB, form a relationship in overwhelming oppression, resist O’Brien’s attempts to rip everything human from him, and eventually, him breaking in the face of his greatest fear. Winston was our guide to the world of 1984, and according to Webster, this makes him the hero of the novel 1984. I would disagree with this analysis. Being the main character makes you the protagonist, not the hero. Winston is no hero. He is a weak man who was as equally attracted to sexual desires and release from pain as he is in liberating the people of Oceania from BB. He gave up his one love, Julia, conspired to murder his wife, and agreed to acts that would benefit the government he sought to overthrow. His conduct and thinking directly opposes the definition of hero. The only argument to be made is the fact that he is the main character, but that makes him a protagonist, not a