George Orwell’s 1984: Is Winston Smith a Hero?

1984 is a dystopian novel written in 1949 by English novelist George Orwell. The book is set in the fictional state of Oceania and follows the story of Winston Smith, an everyday man who’s day-job is to doctor historical documents to keep up with the changing ethos of the totalitarian ruling Party. Orwell portrays Winston’s character as an everyday man working an ordinary job, at least by the standards of Oceania. Moreover, through Winston, readers learn the suffering that the totalitarian government has imposed on its people. George Orwell once described a hero as an ordinary person doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even knowing that they cannot possibly succeed. Could Winston Smith be a hero? Read on…

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Why Winston is a hero according to Orwell’s Definition.

Winston is an ordinary person flawed with personality and physical shortcomings not associated with the classic hero; he loves to write, drink, smoke, and maybe out of the smoking, he has terrible coughing fits each morning. Winston also has an itchy, swollen ulcer at the back of his leg. When Winston rebels, he develops an intense sense of fatalism. He is over-paranoid about the Party and believes that the Party will eventually catch him. Moreover, true to his fears, the Party was watching all along. Winston holds on to a dream of freedom and independence from a totalitarian system, and this everyday person who is somewhat cowardly ends up fighting for what he believes in, fully aware of the consequences of his action. Orwell mentions in his book that “in the face of pain, there are no heroes.” Although Winston is tortured to the point that he denounces Julia and cries for his love for Big Brother, this man of ordinary stature was facing a daunting task he possibly could not succeed in and is still a hero in Orwell’s definition of the term.

Winston is a hero that readers can emulate.

Totalitarian systems use propaganda, intimidation, and fear to demand conformity. History is doctored, the truth is altered, and dissent is severely punished that, with time, people begin to believe the lie that the government wants them to believe. Winston lives in such a system. He is a lonely and observant intellect interested in the truth. His work of re-writing and distorting history makes him see the bigger picture, and he grows to resent the Party’s oppression. According to the novel, “He felt as though he were wandering in the forest of the sea bottom, lost in mosterous world where he himself was the monster…What certainty had he that a single human creature now living was on his side? And what way of knowing that the dominion of the Party would not endure forever?” (Orwell, 1990. p47). To escape the tyranny of the government, at least in his mind, Winston portrays an attitude to do what is right and shows bravery by rebelling against Oceanian law, fully aware that Big Brother could be watching and that such actions are punishable by death.

Winston is an everyday man anyone can relate to; however, he does not just sit and allow his mind to be imprisoned. He does whatever he can to achieve freedom and independence. His rebellious tendencies against what he knows to be wrong are the first indicators of his heroism. Moreover, he has an unwavering attitude to keep rebelling until the very end. He starts by rebelling against the Party’s unfair laws. He occasionally prowls the street looking for items from the past that he can buy, which is where he obtains his diary. However, buying such items is against the Party laws. “Party members were not supposed to go into ordinary shops. (Orwell, 1990. p6). Winston even rebels during the Two-Minutes Hate period when citizens of Oceania are supposed to conform to propaganda. According to the book, “there was a space of a couple of seconds during which the expression of his eyes might have conceivable betrayed him.” (Orwell, 1990. p16).

Why some might not consider Winston Smith a hero

Historically heroes are admired for their great courage and outstanding achievements. Moreover, heroes are known to face adversity and fight for what they believe to the very end, emerging dead or victorious. Winston is captured and tortured, and eventually broken. Winston fails in his search for independence and freedom, which can be attributed to his weak willpower, unorganized planning, and indulgent nature. Heroes boast of outstanding achievements, but Winston has none. In the end, he only suffers and ends up exactly as the Party wanted him. His sense of freedom is taken away, and the Party manages to turn him into a subservient unquestioning loyal citizen. He even renounces Julia, whom he earlier believed to be the love of his life. Nevertheless, Winston achieves nothing and ends up worse than he started, which hints that he might not be the hero everyone wants him to be.

 However, Orwell defines a hero by their actions and not the outcome. Winston is an ordinary man who takes action to free himself from tyranny and even makes an effort to try and fight for the freedom of others. Hence, by Orwell’s definition, this is what should define Winston as a hero. Even when undergoing torture, Orwell writes, “Winston knew that he was on the wrong, but he preferred being on the wrong,”(Orwell, 1990, p50). This shows his unwavering attitude to continue fighting for freedom in the face of adversity. Heroes do not have to be perfect; they are everyday flawed men and women. Although Winston is eventually broken, he is still a hero because he stood up for all oppressed citizens of Oceania and knew deep inside that he could not succeed and might even have ended up dead.

Final take…Winston Smith is an absolute hero

In conclusion, Orwell defines a hero as someone ordinary doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they cannot succeed. No one could be more ordinary than Winston Smith. He is 39 years old, divorced tobacco addict with a relentless cough and an itchy swollen ulcer at the back of his foot. However, Winston is also a lonely intellect with an unwavering quest to achieve independence and freedom from an omnipresent totalitarian system. Winston takes action to stand for all oppressed citizens of Oceania. Although he fails to achieve this, Orwell’s definition shows that a hero is defined by his action and not the outcome, making Winston an absolute hero.

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How does Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy Evolve in Pride and Prejudice?

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice follows the tempestuous relationship between Fitzwilliam Darcy, a wealthy aristocrat, and Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a country gentleman. The words pride and prejudice, as used by Austen, have negative connotations. Pride, in this case, refers to someone pompous, self-important, and arrogant, while the word prejudice refers to someone with a set of ideas based on preconceptions and assumptions. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy is the proud one, and Elizabeth has prejudice, especially concerning how she views Darcy. Nevertheless, throughout the story, Elizabeth and Darcy overcome their nominal pride and prejudice to eventually fall in love and get married.

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In what kind of society does Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy live?

18th century England, also known as the regency era, had two distinct lifestyles: the poor and the rich. The industrial revolution started in the mid-century, and with it came machinery that made the minority capital owners very wealthy. The rich, during Austen’s time, were the tiny minority. They lived luxurious and lavish lifestyles in elegant country houses and luxurious mansions, which were furnished with the most expensive furniture of the time. Their schedules included opera, theatre and dinner parties. Most of the great fortunes of the rich were inherited, and most of them never had to work, cook, or do simple household chores. Although education was not compulsory, most upperclassmen and a few upper-class women attended school.
However, life was not so rosy for the poor, who were the majority. Starting with their diet, poor people ate monotonous foods like potatoes and bread. Meat was an unseen luxury. Most labourers lived in two or three rooms with their families, had very simple and plain furniture, and struggled daily to find their next meal. According to the History Extra Journal, “the chasm between the rich and the poor was never starker than in the Regency era.” Moreover, this was something that Austen’s audience at the time lived through and understood very well.

How is Fitzwilliam Darcy proud?

Darcy comes from the above-mentioned upper crust of England’s society. Like most rich people, his wealth is inherited, and he is highly educated. Moreover, he has been born into the chasm that existed between the rich and the poor, which affects his personality and greatly influences how people perceive him. Darcy is the Lord of Pemberly, an expensive estate located in England’s countryside town of Derbyshire left to him after his parents’ death. Although Pride and Prejudice is narrated from Elizabeth’s point of view, it is safe to assume that Darcy is a private individual, and his circumstances and upbringing have highly influenced his opinion and how he views the people around him.
When the audience is first introduced to the lord of Pemberly at the Meryton ball, he comes off as the villain of the book. It is easy to dislike Darcy from the first impression. He complains about the evening, will not interact with the others, and seems self important as described by Elizabeth. When teased about his pride, Darcy does not see anything wrong with this character failing. According to Darcy, “Where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will always be under good regulation” (Austen, 2001. p.9).
Darcy also comes off as arrogant. At the Meryton Ball, Darcy notices Elizabeth, and when their eyes meet, he turns around and tells Mr Bingley, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who other men slight.” (Austen, 2001. p9). Darcy says this within Elizabeth’s earshot, which she finds very hurtful. In another instant, Darcy is overly intrusive. He plays the main role in breaking up Bingley and Elizabeth’s sister, Jane. Darcy disapproves of Jane and Bingley’s engagement because, according to Elizabeth, the two are not of the same class and such a union would be degrading to Bingley. given that Bingley was an aristocrat and Jane was from a lower class. Although Darcy is noticeably handsome, from the way that he talks, his condescending manner towards Elizabeth at Netherfield, how he deals with Wickam, and him turning Bingley against Jane, by the end of chapter thirty-three, the audience have come to form the opinion that Darcy is another arrogant, vain and prideful aristocrat, kind of like today’s stereotyped trust fund babies

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How is Elizabeth Bennet prejudiced?

Elizabeth Bennet

Pride and Prejudice is narrated from Elizabeth’s point of view. Elizabeth is Bennet’s second daughter. She comes off as intelligent – maybe the most intelligent in her family, quick-witted, and the story’s protagonist. Elizabeth has numerous desirable qualities. She is clever, lovely, and converses as brilliant as anyone. Moreover, her wit, honesty, and virtue elevate her above the bad behaviour and nonsense associated with her spiteful and class-bound society. Moreover, Elizabeth becomes even more impressive from the everyday struggles that she has to rise above, which include her hopeless mother, distant father, poorly behaved siblings, and the snobbish antagonizing females around her.
Elizabeth also has her character failings, which are mostly pointed out by the people around her. In chapter 1, Darcy points out Elizabeth’s tendency to form misconceptions about others. When she overhears Darcy describing her as tolerable and not handsome enough to tempt him, her misconception of the man is reinforced such that it blinds her to Darcy’s good side. Elizabeth does not see that Darcy was the most eligible bachelor in Derbyshire and might develop an aloof and prideful appearance to put off unmarried girls and match-making mothers craving for his attention.
Besides Darcy, Elizabeth misjudges other people as well. She has misconceptions about other people too, which she openly expresses. For instance, she puts off Mr. Collins’s proposal very arrogantly. Although she might be right to reject Mr Collins due to his ridiculous and absurd behaviour, calling him the most disagreeable man in the world is a little too harsh. Elizabeth is also too quick to believe the sly Mr Wickam, who lies and is easily believable because of his charming appearance, highlighting Elizabeth’s prejudice.

How does Darcy and Elizabeth Transform?

Darcy’s botched proposal to Elizabeth cultivates self-awareness that ignites the transformation of the two characters. After the proposal, Darcy’s other side come to light, and the audience begins to view him differently. Darcy is neither self-centred nor vain. Elizabeth has coloured the audience’s view of Darcy from the beginning, and much of Darcy’s pride and vanity are a figment of Elizabeth’s prejudice. What’s more, Darcy’s pride could be valid given that he is the Lord of Pemberly, a role that affords him confidence while allowing him to help others.
Elizabeth’s refusal of Darcy’s proposal challenges his arrogance and disdain. He goes into self-examination and understands himself enough to express his insight to Elizabeth in a letter. He contemplates about his actions and concludes that his advances were pretentious and insufficient, especially towards a woman who is deserving. Darcy is eager to prove that he is changed, and his changed outward manner reflects this. He accepts Elizabeth and her relatives and soon sponsors Lydia’s elopement and marriage. In his final proposal, Darcy is humble enough to express his hopes without mentioning his expectations. Moreover, he acknowledges his pride and is thankful to Elizabelth for humbling him.
Elizabeth’s self-realization begins when Darcy points out that she is arrogant. Elizabeth comes to discover the truth behind Wickham’s assertion, which was Slander, and Darcy’s point of view behind his involvement in the Bingley-Jane situation, which is rather honest and touching. Through Elizabeth, the audience comes to learn that Darcy is just as intelligent as Elizabeth from their conversations, and realizes Darcy’s real kindness and generosity when Elizabeth overhears the servants at Pemberly describing him. Nevertheless, Darcy is an affectionate brother- trusted by Georgiana, a loyal friend to Bingley, and a generous and wise landlord. The only chief fault in Darcy is his pride. Moreover, through Darcy, Elizabeth learns how prejudiced she could be.

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What Austen could have meant by Elizabeth and Darcy’s transformation

The first part of Austen’s novel shows real controversy between two persons. However, it is later revealed that there was nothing between the two characters but their own pride and prejudice. Austen’s novel is like a narrative that discusses these two human traits in detail. Darcy and Elizabeth are the perfect match. Through Elizabeth, Darcy humbles himself, and through Darcy, Elizabeth learns of her prejudice. Darcy’s personality contrasts with Elizabeth’s, hence, complementing each other and forming a true unity. The title, Pride and Prejudice, describes the whole story. In Darcy’s case, pride begins in the first chapter and ends with the climax.
Similarly, Elizabeth’s opinion changes and in the end, she accepts Darcy’s proposal. Austen wraps the novel by saying, “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain.” Nevertheless, Austen’s book highlights the proverbial don’t judge a book by its cover quote.

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