Writing Prompt 2 - 9/19/08

In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith finds himself in a struggle to free himself from the power of the Party. The Party is the government over Oceania, and whatever they propose has to be followed and believed. Winston, the novels protagonist, knows that everything the Party says is not valid and is pitted against them. Orwell uses Winton’s struggle to highlight the overall meaning of the work, sustaining individuality in a plummeting society.

Winston knows he is “different” from the start of the novel. He knows he is politically corrupt. The audience can see that when Winston is beginning to write in his diary, and he talks about how wrong he knew it was. He is one of the novels very few who is not following the beliefs of the Party.

The reader sees Winstons struggle to free himself from the Party throughout the novel. He often talks about rebelling against the Party, but because everyone around him has succumbed to subjugation, he often finds himself in the minority. He tries to rebel by committing crimes against the Party, like writing in his diary, buying things from the Black Market, and having a pleasurable affair with Julia. Even when Winston found that O’Brien was not with him, but against him, he initially still refused to believe that 2 + 2 is five. His struggle to free himself is actually his struggle to remain true to himself. Remaining human is his ultimate goes, that is what will set him free.

Orwell uses Winstons power struggle to enhance the meaning of his work. Orwell pleads readers to “remain human” despite the dehumanized world. He uses Winston’s own struggle to show his audience how easy it may be to give in, shown by Winston’s ultimate surrender at the novels end.

Furthermore, Orwell uses the theme of power struggle to warn readers of their future government. As time goes on, Orwell believed that the government would become more powerful. 1984 is a prophecy and warning of that. Winston Smith symbolizes every reader and their struggle they may experience with the same type of alpha government.
Ultimately, Winston Smith’s hardtime in dealing with authority enhances the meaning of 1984. Readers should heed Orwell’s warning of this toletarian government he reveals in this work.