Winston Smith’s analysis
Winston’s reasons and beliefs:
One reason for Winston’s rebellion, and eventual downfall, is
his sense of fatalism—his intense (though entirely justified)
paranoia about the Party and his overriding belief that the
Party will eventually catch and punish him. As soon as he
writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his diary, Winston is
positive that the Thought Police will quickly capture him for
committing a thoughtcrime. Thinking that he is helpless to
evade his doom, Winston allows himself to take unnecessary
risks, such as trusting O’Brien and renting the room above
Mr. Charrington’s shop. Deep down, he knows that these
risks will increase his chances of being caught by the Party;
he even admits this to O’Brien while in prison. But because
he believes that he will be caught no matter what he does,
he convinces himself that he must continue to rebel. Winston
lives in a world in which legitimate optimism is an
impossibility; lacking any real hope, he gives himself false
hope, fully aware that he is doing so.
Quotes about Winston:
In a lucid moment Winston found that he was shouting with
the others and kicking his heel violently against the rung of
his chair. The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was
not that one was obliged to act a part, but, on the contrary,
that it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty
seconds any pretense was always unnecessary. A hideous
ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture,
to smash faces in with a sledge-hammer, seemed to flow
through the whole group of people like an electric current,
turning one even against one's will into a grimacing,
screaming lunatic.” (Scene: Two Minutes Hate)
His eyes re-focused on the page. He discovered that while
he sat helplessly musing he had also been writing, as though
by automatic action. And it was no longer the same
cramped, awkward handwriting as before. His pen had slid
voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat
capitals
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER
Unleashing all of his fury, Winston finally triumphs his over
fear by setting pen to paper in the essential rebellion that
contains all other crimes in itself – thoughtcrime. (Scene: His
apartment)
"They can’t get inside you. If you can feel that staying human
is worthwhile, even when it can’t have any result whatever,
you’ve beaten them."
He thought of the telescreen with its never-sleeping ear.
They could spy upon you night and day, but if you kept your
head you could still outwit them.
Winston believes that as long as his rebellious spirit is intact,
the Party cannot triumph. (Scene: His apartment)
"We believe that there is some kind of conspiracy, some kind
of secret organization working against the Party, and that
you are involved in it. We want to join it and work for it. We
are enemies of the Party. We disbelieve in the principles of
INGSOC. We are thought-criminals. We are also adulterers.
I tell you this because we want to put ourselves at your
mercy. If you want us to incriminate ourselves in any other
way, we are ready."
Winston and Julia profess their devotion and loyalty to the
ultimate force of rebellion – the Brotherhood.