As the story progresses, Winston gradually becomes more rebellious. He's no longer prepared to accept life as a humble functionary in the Outer Party; he wants to play his part in overthrowing the tyrannical state which he serves. Deep down he knows that one day he'll be crushed by the regime as with so many others before him. But if he's going to go down, then he might as well go down fighting.
This attitude of quiet defiance leads him to act recklessly, taking risks that will bring him one step closer to being vaporized: the recording of subversive thoughts in the diary, the illicit love affair with Julia, the involvement with what he thinks is the anti-government resistance. All of these activities show Winston becoming bolder in his defiance of the Party.
But Winston is ultimately caught out by the Party, as he always knew he would be. Subjected to prolonged and painful torture and forced to confront his innermost fears in the hellish confines of Room 101, Winston finally gives up the ghost and cracks under pressure. Whether Winston has truly changed in the very depths of his soul is a moot point, but outwardly at least he has indeed undergone a profound transformation. For he now loves Big Brother.
In the beginning, Winston just goes through the daily routine of work and home, ever aware of Big Brother's presence everywhere. While his job requires him to rewrite "reality" according to the Party, he tries to remember his past. In his dreams, he envisions a place where there's peace. He feels cut off from everyone since relationships aren't allowed. This is why he gets involved with Julia and becomes friends with O'Brien. Winston's secret individuality gets him into trouble in the end, however. He's tortured and brainwashed until he loses his desire for individuality and says he loves Big Brother. He becomes an alcoholic who is only a shell of what he used to be once he gives into Big Brother.
How does Winston's character change throughout the novel?
Winston starts the novel groping to find his humanity through writing in a journal, but at this point, he is largely dehumanized. This is made most clear by his thoughts about Julia. Before he even knows her name, he sees her in her red chastity belt, notes she is both beautiful and (he thinks) unavailable, and wants to rape and harm her. This shows how the alienation, hate, and violence encouraged by the state has seeped into his soul.
However, once he gets involved in an affair with Julia and gets to know her and love her, he begins to become a real human being again. He wants to protect Julia, not harm her. She matters to him very deeply, and he experiences great caring towards her.
As Winston gains some sense of humanity, he begins to remember more about his mother, another person—probably the last other person—to show him genuine love. He also is able to turn from viewing...
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the proles with hatred and contempt to seeing the large older woman who hangs the wash outside the window of Mr. Charrington's shop as "beautiful."
Of course, O'Brien's goal will be to try to eradicate all this newfound humanity.
What is Winston's attitude toward life in 1984? Does it change?
In 1984, Winston Smith's attitude toward life changes at least twice. Initially, he is rebellious in an unfocused and clandestine way. He hates Big Brother and the Party, disbelieves in the principles of Ingsoc, and clearly sees what is wrong with the society in which he lives. He has an instinct for survival and ensures that he does not appear too unorthodox, but he has enough intellectual curiosity to try to find out the truth about history.
Winston's attitude changes when he begins his affair with Julia. The relationship makes him happier and more fulfilled, and the companionship of another rebellious soul helps him to believe that his rebellion against the Party might go beyond Thoughtcrime into action. It is with this attitude that he decides to join Goldstein's Brotherhood.
The final adjustment to Winston's attitude comes when he is in the Ministry of Love. This involves breaking his will with torture so that he emerges as a fundamentally different person. When he is captured, he loves Julia and hates Big Brother. By the end of the book, these feelings are reversed. He is a slavish devotee of Big Brother and an orthodox member of the Party who looks on his former lover with something close to hatred.