Invisible Man

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Myron Steed Mrs. Lankford AP Essay (1984) '76 October 10, 2001 Winston and The Party The novel 1984 by George Orwell was published in 1949. The main character, Winston, is in rebellion against the leader of society in his world, also know as the Party. The Party, Winston Smith is almost powerless member of the Party, the ruling party in London, in the nation of Oceania. Throughout the novel, Winston's present is monitored by the Party. Every facet of Winston's life revolves around the Party which is lead by the seemingly omniscient Big Brother. Because of Winston's beliefs, he rebels against the party by committing numerous so called crimes at different points throughout the novel. In the novel Winston's rebellion against the party is an extremely brave and noble rebellion. His actions are even like those in the commentary, Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Throu. It isn't for his own monetary benefit, or for reckless reasons, he is rebelling against the party because he believes that its practices are wrong.

Winston is an intelligent, thoughtful man. He knows that some of the party's practices are wrong, he knows that as a human he is entitled to certain rights. Winston is fighting this fight in order to set himself free of the wrongs the party has unleashed upon people in the novel. The crimes Winston committed would not even be considered a crime in a normal society. For example his first crime was scribbling down in his diary "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER." Many people would consider this a right as it is; Winston is thus defending this right. A very noble fight indeed.

Another of Winston's crimes was engaging in sexual acts with a partner for secular reasons. The Party wants sex to be a chore, a duty intended by the Party, to be used only for procreation. Winston is admirably defending his right to engage in sex for his own sexual gratification. Winston's rebellious acts against his society in the novel are for great reasons moral and ethical. Big Brother or, the Party's, unethical and amoral beliefs in furthering the power of the Party are blatantly obvious throughout the novel.

In conclusion, after examining the conflict between Winston Smith and the Party, it can be seen that Winston's reasoning behind his plight are justified morally and ethically. The Party on the other hand, after trying to conform society to one has absolutely no moral backing. The conflict in the novel 1984 is a timeless one, and even through written in 1949, is still applicable today in 2001.