Orwell's+Nineteen+Eighty-Four

George Orwell’s, __Nineteen Eighty-Four__ Published in 1948, and set thirty-six years in the future, __Nineteen Eighty-Four__, is George Orwell’s dark vision of the future. Written while Orwell was dying and based on the work of the Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin, it is a chilling depiction of how the power of the state could come to dominate the lives of individuals through cultural conditioning. Some critics have related Winston Smith’s sufferings to those Orwell underwent during preparatory school, experiences he wrote about just before 1984. Orwell maintained that that book was written with the explicit intention “to alter other people’s idea of the kind of society they should strive after.” Throughout the course of the novel Winston Smith undergoes the trials and difficulties of a sheltered and troubled society, ultimately being drawn into the unforgiving grip of Big Brother. Perhaps the most powerful science fiction novel of the twentieth century, this apocalyptic satire shows with grim conviction how Winston Smith’s individual personality is wiped out and how he is recreated in the Party’s image until he does not just obey but even loves Big Brother.

Winston Smith, the central character, has a true personality that be described as peaceful, caring, and loving. The first time the reader meets Winston, we see the ugliness of the life he lives in: a life of drunkenness, unhealthiness, powerlessness, loneliness, financial trouble with a lending toward suicide. As the novel continues the reader is introduced to the true Winston Smith: a loving and caring individual. The loving aspect to his personality shows when he first meets Julia. After meeting Julia, Winston’s life gets better, and for a moment he is actually becomes happy. Because of Winston’s interaction with Julia, the reader gets to witness his peaceful heart and loving devotion. Winston is so overcome with love and peace that he begins to take better care of himself; he begins to become a healthier individual. The two lovers, Julia and Winston, unfortunately have to meet in secrecy because of the oppression of the time. Unfortunately Winston Smith’s loving and peaceful personality does not last forever, he is ultimately forced under the power of the Party and the control of Big Brother. The indignity that has been heaped on Winston seems almost too much to bear. He is forced to love the very people that have caused him much heartache and strife. The Thought Police really take a toll on Winston’s outlook and life when they invade his privacy, something every individual should be entitled to. Winston is destroyed mentally before the reader’s eyes, and we as the readers become just as helpless to stop the cruelty of the Party as Winston is unable to stop it himself. Winston is so influenced by the Party and Big Brother that the final four words in the novel read, “He loved Big Brother” (308). Winston Smith is forced to love the ones that he should not love, and finally submits himself completely to Big Brother. The main reasoning behind the importance of Winston Smith is for us as the reader to see his fate, and try to prevent it from becoming ours. We have the privilege to be an individual in America. We have the right to voice our opinion on any issue in our society, ultimately trying not to fall into the evil of our world unlike Winston.

George Orwell does an eloquent job illustrating the troubles of the human race. All humans are vulnerable to being influenced negatively and pushed against their will. __Nineteen Eighty-Four__ shows the trials of an individual against the power of many. Unfortunately the evil takes over and consumes Winston Smith at the end of the novel. __Nineteen Eighty-Four__ definitely portrays a dystopia rather than a utopia, and does not hold any qualities that should be considered for our community of Survivors.