In the early 1900’s, there were many totalitarian regimes that forced citizens to adhere to certain outward beliefs. These included fear, manipulation, torture and fear. George Orwell created the character Winston Smith in 1984 to draw attention to the dangers posed by a totalitarian government.
Winston’s fear of the consequences of treason by the Party was used by Orwell to illustrate the dangers of totalitarianism and how fear was used as an instrument to control citizens. Winston says that the program was created to incite Oceania’s members to join forces with Big Brother. Winston displayed signs of rebellion, but he acts as if the Party is his support. Winston made this outward display of support for the Party to show how far he would go to protect his life and keep him from being captured by Thought Police. He could have been vaporized if he had opted to remain seated and not react to Goldstein’s footage. Winston also claims that he was tortured to conform to society’s demands and then released from the prison. Although he does not like the Party’s beliefs, Winston decides to stop defying them. He fears that he will be tortured again and this is more important than his internal desires. Winston’s actions and his work as a writer for the Ministry of Truth are only two of many ways he tries to be normal. Winston’s main purpose for acting is to protect his survival. In totalitarian countries, this instinctual desire to join in is common. Many totalitarian countries used fear and propaganda to keep their citizens loyal to their country, much like the novel. Orwell uses Winston to illustrate the danger of totalitarian states and gives vivid descriptions of their twisted tactics. Julia confides to Winston about Julia’s betrayal. Although Winston and Julia may appear to be following the government in both words and actions, it is clear that they are actually against the government. This shows that no matter how strict the government attempts to enforce uniformity, there’s no way to control the population. Winston doesn’t feel guilty about his actions, but he is curious about the history and reasons for them. Winston rebels against Julia’s wishes to meet him, as he keeps a diary. Although it “wasn’t illegal”, he would have to reveal his inner thoughts. Winston begins to hide his secret life from the public. Winston is anxious about what might happen to his freedom of thought and fear. He is always on the lookout for rebellious ways, which eventually leads him to trust people he thought were trustworthy, only to find out that they are actually causing his death. Only he is smart enough to question what the Party teaches them. The rest, however, are happy to accept the lessons. Winston’s captivity and brainwashing by Big Brother to conform to their rules are symbolic of the totalitarian society and how citizens can lose their individual rights. Orwell explores Winston’s inner thoughts and attempts to draw attention to the dangers posed by a totalitarian government.
Winston’s inner rebellion against the Party is used by George Orwell as a metaphor for Orwell’s conformist attitude towards everyone else, a result of his fear of being caught. This allows Orwell to highlight the terrible effects that government aims to have on all their citizens. Orwell uses Winston’s inner and outer tension to highlight the power of a repressive government over its people. Orwell’s warning is that an absolute government like The Party will result in the elimination of one’s individual rights. Winston’s failure with his rebelliousness against the government is due to Orwell. Orwell makes many analogies to real life events throughout 1984.
