Orwell's Dystopia: Tracing The Steps of Orwell's Radicalization Through his Self-Insert Winston Smith
Faculty Mentor(s) Name(s)
Nancy Beasley
Abstract
1984, widely considered to be the masterpiece of George Orwell, is a highly politicized novel. This is by design, as Oceania is meant to be a warning against the amount of governmental control that Orwell felt wasn’t far off. Orwell expresses his frustration through the character of Winston Smith, who acts as his self insert. This is a confusing sentiment, as Winston is not portrayed as a hero, setting the stage for most, if not all, negative consequences that take place throughout the book. However the similarities to the real life Orwell and Winston are clear, both middle-aged white men who hold the same beliefs and outwardly oppose the systems they believe shackle them down. While it may be obvious to the modern reader that Winston is not the hero nor a good person, Orwell may have written him to be the hero. 1949, the end of a decade marred by dictators and lower class turmoil is the same year 1984 was published. Orwell quickly became radicalized in his anti-authoritarian beliefs. Not only does this make itself apparent in 1984, Orwell’s beliefs repeat themselves throughout his previous works such as Animal Farm and Such, Such Were the Joys. Throughout these writings, Orwell's commentary slowly grows more pessimistic as does his endings, as they all end in a more sinister fashion. This paints a picture of Orwell’s own radicalization and he expresses all his frustrations and radicalized views through the character of Winston. Keywords: Orwell, Radicalization, 1984, Authoritarian, Animal Farm, Dystopian, Self-Insert
Start Date
27-3-2024 4:00 PM
End Date
27-3-2024 4:40 PM
Location
Arts and Sciences 2-70
Orwell's Dystopia: Tracing The Steps of Orwell's Radicalization Through his Self-Insert Winston Smith
Arts and Sciences 2-70
1984, widely considered to be the masterpiece of George Orwell, is a highly politicized novel. This is by design, as Oceania is meant to be a warning against the amount of governmental control that Orwell felt wasn’t far off. Orwell expresses his frustration through the character of Winston Smith, who acts as his self insert. This is a confusing sentiment, as Winston is not portrayed as a hero, setting the stage for most, if not all, negative consequences that take place throughout the book. However the similarities to the real life Orwell and Winston are clear, both middle-aged white men who hold the same beliefs and outwardly oppose the systems they believe shackle them down. While it may be obvious to the modern reader that Winston is not the hero nor a good person, Orwell may have written him to be the hero. 1949, the end of a decade marred by dictators and lower class turmoil is the same year 1984 was published. Orwell quickly became radicalized in his anti-authoritarian beliefs. Not only does this make itself apparent in 1984, Orwell’s beliefs repeat themselves throughout his previous works such as Animal Farm and Such, Such Were the Joys. Throughout these writings, Orwell's commentary slowly grows more pessimistic as does his endings, as they all end in a more sinister fashion. This paints a picture of Orwell’s own radicalization and he expresses all his frustrations and radicalized views through the character of Winston. Keywords: Orwell, Radicalization, 1984, Authoritarian, Animal Farm, Dystopian, Self-Insert