1984 Journal 1

Topic B: Winston

Winston is constantly questioning what is going on in his country. From everything from the constant surveillance of the people to the poor tasting food, Winston is in struggle. His act of revolt is writing in his diary. This is a crime in his society, so he is rebelling by doing so. He even write "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER" in his diary. Among listing out things that are very disturbing, such as a bunch of people getting joy out of watching woman and child being torn apart by a machine gun. Winston sees that there is something terribly wrong with the society in which he lives and wants desperately to find out about the past. Contrary to other people in the society, Winston vaguely remembers a time when things were different. Since he has these memories to compare the present too, he is able to see that something is wrong. He also picks up on things that others don't. Such as when the chocolate ration is lowered and but is said to be raised, Winston realizes it was lowered. Winston's ability to remember things and independently think about his quality of life turns him into a rebel in his society, wanting to escape the totalitarianism that plagues his every move.