Primary Characters in 1984
Winston Smith - The Protagonist
Winston Smith serves as our window into the dystopian world of Oceania. As a 39-year-old man working in the Ministry of Truth, his character embodies the internal struggle against totalitarianism.
NoteWinston's name itself is symbolic - "Winston" likely refers to Winston Churchill, while "Smith" represents the common man.
Key characteristics:
- Physically weak but mentally rebellious
- Suffers from varicose ulcer (symbolic of the "rotting" society)
- Works as a records falsifier but secretly hates the Party
- Nostalgic for the past he barely remembers
"He was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear."
Julia - The Catalyst
Julia serves as both Winston's lover and a catalyst for his rebellion. Unlike Winston's intellectual resistance, Julia's rebellion is more instinctual and personal.
Character traits:
- 26-year-old Party member
- Works in the Fiction Department
- Outwardly devoted Party member but secretly rebellious
- Pragmatic rather than ideological in her resistance
Pay attention to the contrast between Julia's and Winston's forms of rebellion - it reveals different aspects of resistance against totalitarianism.
"I hate purity, I hate goodness! I don't want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones."
