Is Winston a Hero?

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

-Christopher Reeve, 1952-2004

 
In story books, fantasy novels for children, the line between good and evil is clear and precise. There is no in between. There is no gray area. The hero is the brave prince who risks all to save the helpless princess. The villain is an evil step-mother or a cackling witch. In the real world, things aren't quite so simple. Good and evil are never clearly defined, and one might possess both qualities of a hero and a villain.

Even if the hero is not a handsome prince come to save the day, he generally does possess certain qualities. He is courageous, selfless, determined and dedicated. He is willing to make sacrifices for the greater good and he is loyal until his last breath. A hero is vigilante and visionary, he persists until he has accomplished what he set out to do.

When Winston decides to write a diary, he could be called courageous for committing such a bold act in the face of the Party's regime but he could just as well be called foolish. He can not be called selfless, as shown in his memory of stealing chocolate from his dying sister. He is not courageous. He is determined but he never makes anything of his determination. In theory, Winston claims that he would make any sacrifice for the cause but as one can see by his torture and subsequent betrayal of Julia, that he is neither vigilante nor loyal.

When the novel begins, Winston appears to be what is commonly called an 'everyman'; a character, often the hero, who can be identified with by a wide variety of people. Winston is shown to possess very few heroic qualities and those which he does embody are lost by the end of the novel.