Main Characters

1. Winston Smith



Winston Smith is the protagonist of 1984. He is one of the most special characters in the novel because he is extraordinarily pensive, meticulous, and curious about every small detail that is going on in his life. He is desperate to understand why and how the Party exercises such absolute power. He also hates the Party passionately and wants to test the limits of its power by commiting innumerable crimes throughout the novel, such as writing “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his diary and having an illegal love affair with Julia, her girlfriend.

Winston knows that all the risks he is taking will increase his chances of being caught by the Party; however, because he believes that he will be caught no matter what he does, he convinces himself that he must continue to rebel. He continuously gives himself false hope for the future.

I liked Winston before he was tortured because he did not give up going against the horrible society though he almost knew how he will end up in the future. However, I was extremely disappointed when he betrayed Julia and admitted that everything O'Brien, one of the secret Thought Police, said about the Big Brother's society was "true," even though it was blatantly deceitful and contradictory. (For example, after he is brainwashed by O'Brien, Winston agrees that 2+2=5).


2. Julia

Julia is Winston’s lover and is the only person whom Winston fully trusts and shares secrets with. She is a pragmatic, pleasure-seeking woman who generally is content with her life. Julia is a total contrast with Winston except for her sexual desire. Unlike Winston, she is willing to accept the overnight changes in the history made by the Big Brother and doesn't think them as a big deal. If Big Brother says black is white, or two and two make five, no problem.

I don't really like Julia because she does not love someone with all her heart, having love affairs with various men. Moreover, she later betrays Winston when she gets tortured despite the fact that she has told Winston that she will NEVER betray him.


3. Big Brother



Big Brother is not a real person; however, he is omnipresent and omnipotent in Winston's society. He represents dictators, such as Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler, and is a mysterious, powerful, but deceiving figure. Winston is fascinated by Big Brother and is drawn to him in some of the same ways that he is drawn to O'Brien, developing a love-and-hate response to both of them which leads to Winston's downfall.

I hate Big Brother because he has created a extreme dystopia where everyone suffers from oppression, secret police, regulation and restriction of free discussions and criticisms, and so on. He wants the absolute power of the society and is illogical in many ways because he always hides his mistakes and wants to control the past and the future of his people.


4. O'Brien



O'Brien is a powerful member of the Inner Party who tricks Winston into believing that he is a member of the revolutionary group called the Brotherhood. We cannot be sure whether the Brotherhood actually exists because its explanation is left obsure. I believe it is simply a Party invention that is used to trap rebellions like Winston. Later, though, he appears at Winston’s jail cell to abuse and brainwash him in the name of the Party.

The interesting part of O'Brien is that when Winston asks O’Brien if he too has been captured by the Party, O’Brien replies, “They got me long ago,” which tells us vaguely that he himself was once rebellious against the Party. I dislike O'Brien because he is the one who has carefully deceived Winston to be trapped by the Big Brother's philosophy.