Winston Smith

Winston Smith in the 1984 film adaptation

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**Winston Smith** is the protagonist of George Orwell's novel *1984* and it's 1984 film adaptation as well.

## Personality

Winston Smith is the everyman and is meant to serve as the audience surrogate. He is a worker for the Outer Party and is miserable in his job, though he is an efficient worker. He secretly hates his job and wants to rebel against the Party and its leadership over Oceania. He buys a diary to detail his true thoughts and opinions about the Party even though it is considered illegal. He knows "thoughtcrime" is illegal and wants to know how long he will be able to keep up his thoughcrime before he is captured by the Though Police.

When he starts a relationship with Julia, which is considered forbidden because the only type of love that is legal is love towards Big Brother, Winston starts to enjoy life more. He starts secretly rebelling against the Party and enjoys it. He takes appreciation to the little things like rainbow-shell or to an obese but dedicated singing woman. He also enjoys going out to a field to gaze upon nature and the sunset. He gains hope that they could keep this up forever and that the Party's rule would eventually collapse, though he would be wrong.

Winston seems to be a bad judge of character. He believes that O'Brien is secretly rebelling against the party when in reality, he is a dedicated member to the Inner Party and is the one that mentally breaks Winston. He also initially believes that Julia is dedicated to the Party when she actually hates the Party and that Charrington was helpful in Winstons's rebellion when he is actually a member of the Thought Police and was baiting him. The only time he correctly guessed someone's fate or character was when he predicted that Symes would be vaporized because he is too intelligent, which he was corrected.

Winston gets captured by the Thought Police and is taken to the Ministry of Love. Before his torture, he believes that he could keep on a straight face and his beliefs even during and after the torture. However, when he does get beaten and torture, he willingly submits to the Party and confesses to crimes he didn't actually commit. He did plan to keep his beliefs or at least his love to Julia after his torture even after the beatings stop and he was put through torturous rehabilitation led by O'Brien. However, after being revealed by O'Brien in the last of his many torturous teachings that his health has deteriorated and that he looks ugly, Winston starts wishing to die.

After the torturous teachings, he is held in a cell which he starts to enjoy. He regularly exercises and starts to believe in Big Brother and the Party. However, while sleeping, he suddenly starts crying out to Julia. This forces O'Brien to put Winston through Room 101, which contains the someone's worst fear. A rat is placed on Winston's face, which terrifies him and makes him beg for Julia to go through it instead of him. He is released with no love for Julia anymore and no thoughts of rebellion. After an announcement of Oceania's success in the perpetual war, Winston realizes that he loves Big Brother.