Character Analysis of 1984 by George Orwell

In addition, Orwell’s use of the diction in the descriptions of the movements of Parsons reflects the characters stupidity, or in other words, the unconsciousness he is in. Orwell says, “The imbecile Parsons flopped down beside him, the tang of his sweat almost defeating the tinny smell of stew, and kept up a stream of talk about the preparations for Hate Week”. The word “flopped” and “imbecile” reflects Parsons state of idiocy and foolishness. Moreover, although Parsons works hard in favor of the Party, it is ironic when he meets Winston in the cell of the Ministry of Love, since Winston predicts earlier in the novel that Parsons would never be vaporized, “Parsons, on the other hand, would never be vaporized.” Again, the amount of control and brainwashing by the Party is shown when Parsons is in the cell saying, “Of course I’m guilty!” Where he does not even question himself if it is true whether he talked in his sleep or not and said “Down with Big Brother”. Moreover, he even thanks his children for turning him in before it is too late, he says, “I’m glad they got me before it went any further.” Which this, again, shows the level of control that the Party has gained over the people in this society.

Syme is another minor character that represents the oppressed people under this system, however; unlike Parsons, Syme is intelligent. A small man, he is a fanatical member of the Party, who is obsessed with words and works on the production of the Newspeak Dictionary. He is described as “venomously orthodox” and is portrayed, like all other minor characters in the story, such as the doctors in the lab in the Ministry of Love, as inhumane, as when he was describing the hanging he says, “I like to see them kicking. And above all, at the end, the tongue sticking right out, and blue—a quite bright blue. That’s the detail that appeals to me.” This shows how the human emotions are taken out of the people, and how they can be heartless and cold-blooded. However, although he is seen as completely orthodox, Winston says “One of these days, thought Winston with sudden deep conviction, Syme will be vaporized. He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly.” Thus, his superior intelligence leads to his “disappearance”. Moreover, Syme’s character, just like Parsons, is connected to the theme of psychological control, where his brain is controlled by doublethink and the new language he is working on, Newspeak.

One of the major characters that are presented in this novel is Julia, who represents the typical youth in the country of Oceania. Orwell portrays her as a brave, sensitive, and practical young woman and, although not an intellectual like Smith, she is an intelligent woman who understands the workings of the Party and tries in her small way to rebel against it. However, although she rebels against the party but in a more subtle manner than Winston does, Julia is seen a shallow woman, and her relationship with Winston can also be seen as shallow and short-term. She is sensual, pragmatic, and generally cares about pleasing her self and making the best of her life, therefore, Orwell presents her as a person who is selfish, and only cares about physical relationships with other men, she says, “She hated the Party, and said so in the crudest words, but she made no general criticism of it. Except where it touched upon her own life she had no interest in Party doctrine.”  Nonetheless, from the novel, it is shown that this is her way of rebelling, she says to Winston, “Girls are always supposed to be so pure. Here’s one who isn’t, anyway.” Moreover, through Julia, the reader can see how the Party has made people hate literature and books; Julia says, “Books were just a commodity that had to be produced, like jam or bootlaces.” Which this shows how people do not care about education, and that they believe that books are not considered as necessities. Consequently, through Julia, Orwell effectively shows the reader how the people under this totalitarian system can rebel, and how this rebellion is considered as part of the theme “resistance”, whom of course, Winston is part of. However, there is striking contrast with Winston apart from their mutual sexual desires and hatred towards the party; most of their traits are dissimilar, if not contradictory, as Winston is deeper person than Julia is, but Julia understands the Party more than Winston does.

Overall, Orwell presents minor and major characters in this novel effectively, and thus reflects different themes of the novel through those characters. Therefore, the reader is able to interact and connect with the characters feelings and emotions due to the writer’s use of diverse diction and styles that reflect the dark and oppressed setting that the characters are in.