Character Analysis

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Winston Smith - Winston's character, a low ranking member of the party, is designed to represent the common man. Though Winston lives in constant fear of the party, he often considers rebellion of some sort, and, eventually does rebel. Winston's rebellion, however, extends beyond the act of rebellion itself. He desires to understand why the Party has such power, and how it functions the way it does. Orwell has Winston act in such a fashion to give the reader a view into the soul of the Party.

Winston's rebellions come in several different fashions, such as his diary, his affair with Julia, and his decision to join the Brotherhood, a secret group that opposes the Party. Winston's rebellions come depsite constant fear that the party is watching him. He ends up being correct: there was a telescreen on him during his affair with Julia, and his induction into the Brotherhood was really the work of O'Brien, a government agent, pretending to be a rebel. Because Smith feels he will already be caught by the party, he does not bother covering his tracks, which is what actually leads to him being caught. His guarded optimism is empty, and Winston has no real hope for a good life. Ultimately, he is bent to submission by O'Brien and the Party, demonstrating how great totalitarianism's control on the people can be.

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Julia - Julia acts as a foil for Smith. While she rebels against the Party through her affair with Winston, she is rebelling for different reasons. Winston is focused on the greater issues at stake, such as the government's oppression and how everybody is forced into submission. Julia, however, simply wants to enjoy her life, and rebels not because the issues threatening Oceania bother her but because she does not want to be limited by the party. She also hints that she has had affairs before and does not plan on stopping. Because of this, she is more focused on not getting caught by the party, while Winston is already resigned to it.

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O'Brien - O'Brien's character is about what he represents rather than O'Brien himself. O'Brien is essentially a representation of the Inner Party. The way in which the party functions is never actually revealed, and it is left as a mystery to both Winston and all readers. All that is known of O'Brien is that he is a high-ranking government agent, and that he also pretended to be in the Brotherhood in order to draw Winston into an act of treason. O'Brien hints during his interrogation of Winston that he too was once rebellious. Questions about his past, however, remain unanswered, as do any questions about how the Inner Party works and whether or not the Brotherhood actually exists.