John Sees Mrs. Cangialosi English 12E 3 May 2023 Senior Research Paper By examining the characters of Thomas and Winston with the higher-ups, the effects of their characteristics on other characters, and the impact of the government on the general population, "The Maze Runner" and "1984" illustrate the importance of individuality and memory while also highlighting the similarities and differences between the two novels. Thomas and Winston compare well due to the nature of the environments they were placed in. Both characters have to deal with tyrannical governments and have to create their own ways to escape and thrive with what they were given. Their characteristics allow them to succeed and help the people around them throughout each novel. …show more content…
This thoughtcrime is what causes Winston to ponder these thoughts by himself and makes him more independent. Winston thinks about how everyone in Oceania is a corpse waiting to be sent to their grave because it is impossible to escape the thought police. (Orwell 97). The importance of individuality is represented through Winston’s thoughts. He knows what is wrong with the society he lives in which makes him different from all of the other people he lives with. His individuality is highlighted in his differences from the rest of the population. One of the men in prison with Winston at the end of the novel was arrested for thoughtcrime. Thoughtcrime is having any thought in your brain that The Party does not like or approve of. The man, Parsons, said that he was so thankful that they caught him before it was too late. (Orwell 294-295). The government takes so much control of the people that even when they are in jail and are inevitably most likely going to die, they are still happy because they think the government has saved them. Parsons is a perfect example of how the Party has too much power and extreme control over its citizens. Thomas had just seen a griever and what it could do to a human and he wanted now more than ever to become a runner. He felt this strong desire and obligation to become a runner of the maze. (Dashner 24). Thomas’ individuality is highlighted …show more content…
This internal constant thought causes him to realize what is real and what is fake in his world. In Newspeak, the language of Oceania, DOUBLETHINK is when you hold two contradictory ideas in your mind simultaneously and accept both of them. (Orwell 270). The Party uses this to create a strong hold over the people. It is one of the strongest techniques that is used to control everything that goes on in the society of Oceania. “Individuality has been replaced by an absolute conformity to the rules of the Party, with compliance monitored by the ever observant telescreens, in which even thoughts that differ from party orthodoxy are fatal crimes” (Burt 3). Daniel Burt gives a short synopsis of some of the branches of government of the Party and explains what they do. In this case, he is speaking about Individuality as a whole and how it is affected by the rules of the government. This amplifies the importance of Individuality because if there was no individuality then Winston would not have ever gone against the Party with Julia. “This was the great abiding lesson of my boyhood: that I was in a world where it was not possible for me to be good.” (Burt 2). Orwell states how he thought he couldn't be good growing up through wars and such. This relates directly back to Winston as he said that he feels no matter what he cannot win. Orwell’s personal
During the story of 1984 Winston reveals himself as a heroic figure. His willingness to fight against the untouchable party forces him to risk his own life in many ways. Even Winston thinking poorly of the party was a very punishable crime. Even when he is being punished for his crimes he keeps proving himself a hero as he wonders and pushes to discover why the society is being run the way it is. He is also very stubborn to the thoughts of the party.
Yash Patel Mrs. Choi AP Literature October 2015 1984 Dialectal Journals for Part 2 Text Response 1. “In front of him was an enemy who was trying to kill him; in front of him, also was a human creature… He had indistinctively started forward to help her,” (Orwell 106) This quote shows that even in this time where they live in a life where they are being manipulated, Winston is still living in a time where he is experiencing hatred, but still maintains what keeps him normal or humane, which keeps him separated from everyone else. This hate is showing that people still have hate for each other and still want to kill each other but it also shows the true human he is by helping her when she was threatened.
The author george orwell in 1984, Winston's character portrays individuality through his thoughts on the party's views on creating a inhuman society vs his self leadership. This contributed to the leads of his tragic downfall. The theme of society versus individual can can be see in the beginnings of the book when Winston explain his life as a member in the party in London and how there is a figure watching everything he do called big brother. Winston explains how the party controls everything and strive to make rebellion disappear which show the society that Winston is up against. Wilson finally show that he an individual when he choose to break a rule of self thoughts and start a journal which he knows will lead
Winston knew that his time would come when the thought police would finally catch him. He knew this since he committed thoughtcrime by writing in his journal and he didn’t like big brother. Knowing this information, he tried to eventually pry deep into the secrets of his world and stand out. However, this just ended up making him meet someone that eventually would be the person who tortured him. All this would happen because he was different and he couldn’t be himself or have a different personality than the rest.
In George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984, Winston Smith is a secret rebel, fighting the control of Big Brother, who represents the overpowered, all knowing government. Winston is fighting more than his government though, he is fighting his entire society. Big Brother’s power comes from his ability to manipulate the masses, so influentially, that the masses work towards the oppression of themselves. In questioning Big Brother, Winston is questioning the entirety of known society. Winston meets others that share his views on society and expand Winston’s field of thought, leading him to make conclusions about his society; conclusions that lead to direct rebellion against Big Brother.
The major characteristic of Winston’s society is the lack of individual thought and privacy. Every aspect of their lives is monitored by telescreens and microphones in the
The individualists in this world are seen as the rebels, as they work against the way the Party wants to operate. Winston’s real rebellion begins when he starts meeting Julia. Once he becomes close with Julia, he starts expressing himself, showing more of his actual character and not the face he puts on for the party. This allows Winston to become more of an individual, and separate himself from the Party life. Orwell illustrates the positive affect that this gain in independence has on Winston on page 157.
With this act of rebellion against the oppressive system of Oceania, Winston showcases his courage because he does all of this to aid him in his journey towards uncovering the truth of the past. Next, there is the selflessness that Winston possesses. For this specific quality, it is shown most prominently when Winston gets into a disagreement with Julia on their goals for their rebellion. During this argument, Winston firmly states that the reason for his desire to obtain and keep incriminating records of the Party’s lies is so that they can be left behind, thereby allowing for “‘the next generations [to] carry on where [they] leave off’” (196). From this, Winston demonstrates how unselfish he is because, rather than worrying about himself – like Julia – he wants actual change and progress to come as a result of his rebellion.
Through the restrictions placed from the Party, the population of Oceania is forced into conforming. The cost of this is represented through Obrien explaining that there is a loss of beauty, of art, and no enjoyment of life. Individuality is shown through the development of Winston as a character. While meeting with Julia and expressing himself more, Winston becomes more of an individual rather than one of the other Party members. This initially has a positive affect on him, with the immediate increase in his health, however he eventually suffers deeply for it.
The main character, Winston, changed with the issues at hand. Throughout the beginning and middle of the book, Winston was set apart from everyone else; he had a rebellious soul. Rather than conforming and thinking like the majority, he felt the need to communicate with the future about the world’s current state. His diary was his first major act of rebellion. Then, his affair with Julia was a desire fulfilling act, and it went against the governing party’s rules.
To begin the novel, George Orwell expresses his main character's distaste of the people around him. It is narrated that, “Winston’s hatred was not turned against Goldstein at all, but, on the contrary, against Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police” (Orwell 15). Orwell's choice to write about Winston's disdain for the party foreshadows Winston's character because of how his hatred was turned against the Party, Big Brother, and the Thought Police. It also means that he is already committing a Thought-Crime due to his opposing ideas which predicts that he will do additional Thought-Crime against the Party. In addition, Orwell chooses to write about Winston’s feelings towards the propaganda spread by the Party.
Winston’s version of freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four, if that is true then all else follows. Winston believes that individuality in the book can be kept by personal memories because he believes that, “they can’t get inside you.” They being Big Brother. Winston believes that the past has a true and real existence. A popular
At the beginning of the novel, Winston made it prominent that he dissented Big Brother and his party’s idea. He wrote in his diary, in Book 1 Chapter 1, “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER…” (Orwell 18). This shows that Winston dissented his country’s government and was willing to rebel for he knew deep inside that
Winston's ability in 1984 to understand basic human rights allows him to see the flaws in society and will himself to fight against Big Brother.. The construct of the despotic society does not allow people to think creatively. To understand the meaning of doublethink citizens must commit doublethink, and then suffer an unimaginable consequence. Laws like this minimize the opportunity people get to think about the flaws in government and permits the government to manipulate historical events without having people doubt its accuracy. Winston is internally conflicted when he becomes aware of the government’s manipulative actions.
By:Aman Parmar Internal conflict and strife affects people throughout their lives and the way an individual handles it may speak to who the character is, and how they view the people around them. In the book 1984 George Orwell created a world in which Winston, and many others lives are controlled by the party, resulting in fear, which may lead straight into conflict with themselves. Conflict between the characters and the party, and strife between O’Brien and Winston. The internal conflict and strife that is developed by the characters can lead to a certain thought or representation of an individual or group that can lead to two different outcomes, one in which makes the character understand, or the complete opposite, as they face challenges that they aren’t used to. Conflict between a person and themselves, can lead to both positive and negative thoughts of a person or a party, leading to realization, and the truth, and may also lead to believing what’s not the truth, regrets and overthinking.