Winston Smith: A Tragic Hero in 1984 Argumentative Essay

Is Winston Smith a Hero?

Winston Smith is a tragic hero in my opinion. Winston has a tragic flaw that leads to his ultimate failure. That is what makes him a tragic hero. Winston was selfish and that one reason ultimately led to his downfall and his rebelioness. The journey of a hero usually begins with downfall and ends with success. However, with Winston it is the other way around, his journey starts at success and ends with downfall. Some people might argue that Smith was not a tragic hero. He was certainly not praised for his greatness. BUT, Smith does have a tragic flaw, his selfishness. Smith also has heroic qualities.

Why Is Winston Smith Tragic Hero?

Before I explain my reading of why Smith was a tragic hero. I’ll tell you about Smith and his life. He was known to be thin, frail, contemplative, intellectual, and fatalistic thirty-nine-year-old. Winston Smith worked as a clerk in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth. His job is to rewrite historical documents so they match the constantly changing current party line. This involves revising newspaper articles and fixing photographs mostly to remove "unpersons", people who have fallen off of the party. Winston Smith is known for his fearfulness. Winston has been indoctrinated to be afraid of everything. But was he really? Smith was also known for his violent fantasies/desires. And lastly Smith was known for his curiosity, Winston has a huge desire to know objective reality. He remembers that the Party did not invent airplanes. He has an idea of what the Ministry of Truth is, he is still very curious about what goes on inside those walls.

The significance of Winston's job leads to the tragedy downfall of Winston. 

Winston's job is an integral element that allows the Party to manipulate and control the population. By controlling the past, Big Brother is depicted as omniscient and citizens are continually misled. Without accurate, genuine historical records, citizens lack a reference point and the Party can completely erase its political enemies.

Even though Winston's life is replete with misery and pain, Orwell allows him a brief time of happiness and love. During this time, there is hope for Winston, and subsequently, hope for the future. But Orwell makes certain that there is no happy ending. Totalitarianism does not permit such an ending; Winston must be crushed. If Winston were to escape, Orwell's agenda of showing the true nature of totalitarianism would have been lost.

Winston is also an easy charter to identify with. Readers identify so closely with Winston because he has individuality and undying self-determination. Winston embodies the values of a civilized society: democracy, peace, freedom, love, and decency. When Winston is destroyed, these things are destroyed with him, and so goes the reader's faith that these values are undying and a natural part of being human. Winston represents the struggle between good and bad forces, and there is no mistaking where the lines are drawn.

Some might say Smith is a legend. Does his actions make him a legend? I would say yes. Winston can be just viewed as a legend for his caring characteristics. His courageous attributes are his readiness to battle against outlandish chances, taking a chance with his life all the while, and his obstinate journey to comprehend not just what was befalling him and society, yet additionally why it was happening. 

Winston tried to be a leader. He still proves that he is a questing hero through his courage, strong mentality and his ability to look past his limitations. All leaders have their own limitations. Sometimes that stops them from following through with their plan. Other times it doesn't. 

Did Smith's downfall ledd to his death?

If you were to read the second-to-last paragraph of 1984, you might think that Winston met his end with a bullet to the brain. However, that's not the case. Instead, Orwell is trying to suggest that Winston is completely dead on the inside. So to sum up,  O'Brien killed what made Winston himself. Ultimately, Winston loses his spirit and his humanity, the two characteristics that he fought so hard to keep. Orwell insists that Winston's fate could happen to anyone, and it is for this reason that Orwell destroys Winston in the end, so that the reader may understand Orwell's warning and see that the society of 1984 never comes to pass.

Winston hated the party. He hates the lack of privacy he has. He hates the Party in the end because they worked hard to break and torture him. Most of all, the lies of society and manipulation of the people resound to the reader through Winston Smith character.

Another important thing about Winston was his love. Did Julia really even love Winston? I believe she did. Her refusal to be separated from Winston suggests that she really is in love with him. At the end of the book, another strong hint shows that Julia was once in love with Winston.

Works Cited

“1984.” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/homework-help/winston-smith-tragic-hero-yes-how-no-why-not-3927.

“1984.” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/homework-help/winston-smith-tragic-hero-how-he-like-macbeth-4065.

“Is Winston Smith, the Main Character in George Orwell's Book, ‘Julia 1984’ a Hero?” Free Essays - PhDessay.com, 26 Jan. 2021, phdessay.com/is-winston-smith-the-main-character-in-george-orwells-book-1984-a-hero/.

“Winston Smith: A Tragic Hero.” Winston Smith: A Tragic Hero - 1191 Words | 123 Help Me, www.123helpme.com/essay/Winston-Smith-A-Tragic-Hero