1984

Compare and contrast two main characters in your novel

"Nineteen Eighty-Four" written by George Orwell is a story about a man named Winston Smith who lives in a totalitarian state known as Airstrip One (London) which is part of Oceania (made up of USA and western Europe). The name Winston Smith most likely stands for Winston Churchill, a powerful man, while Smith is a common surname, to give him normality. "Nineteen Eighty-Four" was written in 1948, a time when England was suffering due to the war, giving Orwell the setting needed to create such a story. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting two main characters, Winston and Julia. These two characters have similar qualities such as determination and bravery, but have different views on the world they know.

Winston and Julia are members of the outer party which makes up about 13% of the population of Airstrip One. Outer party members work in the ministries and have no freedom. The first quality that Winston and Julia share is bravery. Winston repeatedly goes to the Proletarian area which is where 85% of the population lives, the Proles are 'free', however the government still has control over them. The Prole area is dangerous because many outer party members are considered suspicious for going there, even though it is not illegal. Winston talks to Proles and regularly visits a Prole antique shop. Julia shows bravery by also visiting the prole area, which is especially dangerous for a woman to do so alone. She takes calculated risks however so she has a rough idea of what she is getting herself into.

Another quality they have in common is determination. Winston shows determination by trying to find out the truth about life before the revolution happened, whether it was better before or now. He interrogates an elderly Prole who he hopes will remember life before the revolution. He also goes