George Orwell's 1984 is considered one of the most thought-provoking and frightening dystopian

novels in literary history. Readers are transported into the totalitarian world of Oceania through the
perspective of the protagonist, Winston Smith, a lone man seeking to retain his humanity against
the external forces attempting to extinguish it. Winston’s predicament was recognised by Plato
thousands of years before 1984 was penned, observing that “Those who are able to see beyond
the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed by the masses.”
Winston retains his humanity throughout the novel by expressing his individuality, continuing to
think and risking his life to preserve the truth in a world plagued with deceit.

Individuality is essential to being human. What is frightening about 1984 is that the Party demands
absolute conformity, which is epitomised during the Two Minutes Hate that Winston partakes in
during Part 1 Chapter 1 through auditory imagery: “...he could not help sharing in the general
delirium, but this sub-human chanting of ’B-B! ... B-B!’ always filled him with horror.” Winston is
horrified by the unfeeling nature of the crowd chanting Big Brother’s initials, making them sub-
human, following each other like insects. One moment, the Party will fill the crowd with “...a desire
to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge-hammer...”, essentially overwhelming them with
violent images inspiring violent emotions, and afterwards strip their hatred from them, reducing
them to a state of blind submission. What horrifies Winston is the sudden change from one
emotion to the next. This fear also possesses him in the workplace canteen during Part 1 Chapter
5, displayed in a cynical tone: “to wear an improper expression on your face... was itself a
punishable offence… facecrime, it was called.” Winston must assume a blank countenance, acting
emotionally detached to survive the constant surveillance of Big Brother. Winston fears the
consequences of displaying spontaneous individuality through rapid changes in emotions and
micro expressions. In Part 3 Chapter 3, O’Brien reveals the Party’s tyrannical intentions of
obliterating individuality, torturing Winston with the imagery of: “‘If you want a picture of the future,
imagine a boot stamping on a human face — for ever.’” The boot symbolises continual oppression
upon the human face, since the face is the mark of individuality. By oppressing the face, they
dehumanise their citizens, and Winston’s individuality is further threatened with the confronting
image of the rat’s attack upon his face and consequent stripping of his uniqueness in Part 3
Chapter 5: “[The rats] will leap onto your face and bore straight into it.” Thus Winston represents
the individuality of humanity in the face of a chilling dystopia and the continual threat that is placed
upon it by the Party, which seeks to eliminate uniqueness in a violent, dehumanising manner.

Thought and language are inextricably intertwined, for human thought is expressed through words,
and these words can inspire action. Winston rebels against the dystopian system by
communicating his thoughts in a diary, and his actions foreshadow his fate as established in
Chapter 1 Part 2: “Thoughtcrime does not entail death. Thoughtcrime IS death.” Winston is aware
that independent thought is one of the greatest crimes against the Party. Through this paradoxical
metaphor, Winston’s humanity is conveyed. His ability to think means he is truly ‘alive’, but if
exposed will result in the Party using more severe methods to destroy his mind and spirit. Avoiding
Thoughtcrime may keep the indoctrinated alive, however, they are actually brain-dead since they
cannot think. Their ability to think is hindered by the Party through Newspeak, which serves to limit
the range of thought and vocabulary, hence reducing retaliatory action as portrayed in Part 1
Chapter 5 with satire: ‘“Even the slogans will change. How could you have a slogan like ‘freedom is
slavery’ when the concept of freedom has been abolished?”’ By satirising the totalitarian regimes
like that of communist Russia, Orwell depicts the restriction of freedom by simplifying the
complexity of thought and language, which was a powerful weapon for dictators like Stalin. They
reduced humanity to a state of mindlessness, unable to communicate effectively, and hence could
not resist the government for, as Syme stated, they would not even understand the meaning of
freedom. Though Syme promotes the Party’s agendas, Winston ironically recognises Syme is too
intelligent, which leads to his vaporisation, depicted in Part 2 Chapter 5 with the paradox: “Syme
had ceased to exist: he had never existed.” Syme had been deeply contemplating the principles of
Newspeak, so he was eradicated from history. Winston remembers Syme because he is still able
to think, and despite the impending threat of the rats attacking him in Part 3 Chapter 5, Winston
continues to think of how he can survive: “To think, to think, even with a split second left — to think
was the only hope.” The repetition of ‘to think’ emphasises the fact that thinking is a natural instinct.
It is this defining factor of humanity that the Party wishes to suppress. Winston’s defiance emerges
from his thoughts, which form words that can inspire action.

Risking one’s life for the truth is difficult, particularly when the majority are blinded by continuous
propaganda. Winston employs the diary as a means of communicating the truth, as well as
retaining his sanity, as conveyed in Part 1 Chapter 2 with free indirect style: “It was not by making
yourself heard but by staying sane that you carried on the human heritage.” By merging with
Winston’s voice, Orwell expresses how crucial it is for humanity to recognise and acknowledge the
truth. Human heritage is preserved through Winston when he writes the following axiom into his
diary in Part 1 Chapter 7: “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is
granted, all else follows.” Winston writes a universal truth that will essentially lead humanity to
freedom. By understanding the truth of the equation and expressing it on paper, Winston risks his
life to remain sane in an insane society. In Part 3 Chapter 2, O’Brien attempts to destroy Winston’s
sanity, ironically stating: “You must humble yourself before you can become sane.” O’Brien
sadistically uses Winston’s words against him to destroy him, although Winston still speaks the
truth when O’Brien holds four fingers up by repeating: ‘”Four! Four! What else can I say? Four!”’
Winston risks his life and endures great pain to proclaim that two plus two equals four. There is an
overwhelming sense of tragedy when he is at last broken in Part 3 Chapter 4 when he writes the
antonym of his former symbol of truth: “TWO PLUS TWO MAKES FIVE”. Thus Orwell conveys
humanity through Winston risking his life to preserve the truth and defy authority even while under
pressure and torture to conform.

Winston represents what it means to be human within Orwell’s frightening dystopia by expressing
his individuality, demonstrating his capacity to think and risking his life to preserve the truth. Orwell
conveys through Winston that to be truly human, one must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice
in the name of truth, free speech and uniqueness so that our world does not become the
dehumanised world of 1984.