How does Orwell characterize Winston?

Orwell characterizes Winston as a complete, sympathetic human being, and in doing so gives the reader a stake in the outcome of the novel. Because Winston is so real, so common, it is easy for readers to identify with him and to imagine themselves in his place.

What type of hero is Winston in 1984?

Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell’s 1984 struggles to face the state of Oceania and ultimately loses everything he loves and believes in. Winston is a tragic hero, for he is a man with a tragic flaw. Winston’s fatalism, selfishness and isolation ultimately lead him to his own destructive downfall.

How does Winston look?

Winston is a frail figure of a man, thirty-nine years old and suffering from a varicose ulcer on his ankle. He is not well nourished, though as a member of the Outer Party, the auxiliary to the ruling class, the elite Inner Party, Winston should have special privileges.

What kind of person is Winston?

A minor member of the ruling Party in near-future London, Winston Smith is a thin, frail, contemplative, intellectual, and fatalistic thirty-nine-year-old. Winston hates the totalitarian control and enforced repression that are characteristic of his government. He harbors revolutionary dreams.

How is Winston physically described in 1984?

1984 Major Characters. Winston Smith: Winston is thirty-nine, small and frail with fair hair and reddish skin. He wears the blue overalls that are the uniform of the Outer Party. He has a varicose ulcer above his right ankle.

What makes Winston unique?

As a protagonist, Winston is not particularly skilled, charismatic, or powerful. He is, however, different from those around him because of his philosophical and intellectual perspective. His defining characteristic throughout the story is his growing resistance to the Party.

What is Winston’s weakness?

Winston witnesses the weakness within the prole community because of their inability to understand the Party’s workings but he himself embodies weakness by sabotaging himself by associating with all the wrong people and by simply falling into the arms of Big Brother.

Is Winston Smith mentally ill?

The main character Winston is known for his fatalistic outlook on his life, but do his mental issues go deeper than that? Winston is a character who is known to be socially awkward, even to the point where he seems like he has social anxiety, but this trait is not constant.

What are Winston’s strengths in 1984?

Winston’s strengths lie in his unwavering individuality and the accompanying fervent rebelliousness. Seriously, even just keeping his journal is enough to warrant a death sentence—the dude’s brave. Being with Julia brings out even more of the rebel within him, which is why they’re a match made in rebel heaven.

How does Winston’s physical appearance affect him?

Power is inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing down human minds and putting them back together for your own benefit. How does Winston’s physical appearance affect him? He is shocked and starts crying.

What is Winston’s main goal?

Orwell’s primary goal in 1984 is to demonstrate the terrifying possibilities of totalitarianism. The reader experiences the nightmarish world that Orwell envisions through the eyes of the protagonist, Winston.