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The Paradox Of Hope As An Unlikely Hero In 1984 By George Orwell

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The Paradox Of Hope As An Unlikely Hero In 1984 By George Orwell
In his dystopian novel, 1984, George Orwell portrays a society under a harsh totalitarian regime. The protagonist Winston is an unlikely hero because of his fatalistic nature and the subtlety of his rebellion. He risks exposing himself by daring to act on his own sense of individuality. The paradox of hope´s presence in a dystopia highlights the little optimism in the novel. Hope is generated by characters who are able to recognize the wrong in society that others seem oblivious to, and resist, even if that resistance does not go beyond mentally acknowledging that there is a problem. Despite the Partyś relentless pursuit of totalitarianism, they never achieve total control, and that weakness inspires optimism in the reader.
Orwell demonstrates …show more content…
Winston is a fatalistic character, making comments such as “we are the dead” (135), but his willingness to rebel, despite his knowledge that capture is inevitable, adds optimism to his situation. He follows this statement by saying “our only true life is in the future,” illustrating that the degree of oppression in their society makes it so that they are not truly living, providing a source of motivation for Winston to rebel. For him, death becomes a welcome idea as long as he has the opportunity to truly live as himself, if only for a short period of time. Orwell chose the last name “Smith” for his protagonist to portray Winston as an “everyman” because it is the most common English surname, meaning there is nothing extraordinarily special about him. Therefore, having thoughts that differ from the Party does not make him special and others must have similar beliefs. Orwell proves this once again when he reveals that Julia has been with men “scores of times...always with Party members” (125). This offers hope as others are willing to act on their dissent towards the Party, or simply have no misgivings when it comes to not abiding by their laws. Winston and Julia are both broken by the Party, suggesting that there is a lack of hope in the society. However, hope simply must come from others who have yet to express their dissent of Party ideals. Also, perhaps Winston, deep-down, has not succumb to the Party’s indoctrination, but simply cannot forgive himself for betraying Julia and has lost his motivation for rebellion. Winston rebels so that he can live, but in the final chapters he expresses a desire to die. This sentiment is driven by his regret and complete loss of self-esteem which prevent him from being able to continue fighting, but it cannot be assumed that he has lost his belief that rebellion is necessary. Hints of his own individuality
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