Essay About Winston Churchill And Possible Thing

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Orwell named his hero after Winston Churchill, Englands great
leader during World War II. He added the worlds commonest last
name: Smith. The ailing, middle-aged rebel can be considered in many
different lights.
1. Youll have to decide for yourself whether Winston is a hero in
his secret battle with Big Brother, or whether hes only a sentimental
man with a death wish, who courts his death openly through an
illegal love affair and through his alliance with the enemies of Big
Brother.
a. If Winston is a 20th-century hero, it seems logical for him to
keep a diary even though he knows it will hang him. It is right for
him to follow his heart and have an affair with Julia. He is doing the
only possible thing by seeking out OBrien and joining the
Brotherhood, which is committed to overthrowing Big Brother. Naturally
he will defy authorities even after he is captured and tortured,
trying to keep one last shred of personality intact.
b. If hes so heroic, why is he so foolhardy? It makes no sense
for him to create a permanent love-nest when he knows it will speed
his capture. “It was as though they were intentionally stepping nearer
to their graves,” he thinks. A careful man would never open up to
OBrien without knowing whether he is to be trusted. You can argue
that Winstons continuing defiance of the Party after his capture is
one more way of courting disaster. Do you think Winston secretly
enjoys torture? Although he confesses to everything they want him
to, he extends the torture by continuing his inner defiance- something
the Party seems to know. Winstons thoughts in Part Two, Section IV,
point to this interpretation.
2. You can learn more about Winston by considering his view of sex
as a means of rebellion. Hes divorced because his wife couldnt
produce the baby the Party expects, and wouldnt consider sex for
any other purpose because desire is Thoughtcrime. He is drawn to Julia
because she is “corrupt,” which means she enjoys sex and has
previously taken several lovers. Knowing he will be punished, he falls
in love with her. Winstons ideal partner for the future is not Julia,
but the mountainous prole woman who hangs out the laundry for her many children. Another of Winstons ideal women, whom Winston writes
about in his diary, is the refugee mother protecting her child with
her own body. Orwell may be arguing that woman-as-mother is to be
honored, but any other kind of love is to be punished.
3. Is the real love affair in Winstons mind, and is it with
OBrien?