Winston Smith as a Tragic Hero Essay

1984

Spiderman, Macbeth, Mother Teresa, and Princess Diana. These well-known people or fictional characters are all considered, by society to be heroes. They are heroes through a positive light and negative one as well. Some continued being a hero up until their death, others had a specific flaw that caused their downfall. This is what differentiates a __ hero and a tragic one. A tragic hero, according to Aristotle is a man of an elevated social stature who falls from his or her position through the effect of a tragic flaw. A tragic hero also experiences a sense of recognition that he has contributed to his downfall through his own actions. In the novel 1984, the author, George Orwell, creates a fictional character, Winston Smith, who is clearly a tragic hero. 1984 presents an imaginary future where a totalitarian state controls every aspect of people’s lives, even their thoughts. Winston, the main character, struggles to face the state and eventually dies trying. Winston Smith, is definitely a tragic hero, for he is a man of a high class, with a tragic flaw, that sparks his downfall in the end.
The protagonist of 1984 is Winston Smith. Winston is an outer-party clerk for the Ministry of Truth. His job is to rewrite historical documents so that they always match with what the party claims to be true. Winston is not part of the inner-party, which means he does not have access to the real information of the party. However, he is not a part of the third world society either. The third-class of the state, which are called the proles, live in suburban filth. Winston on the other hand, lives in a higher class area with a better financial situation. His mediocre class in society, allows him to be in the eyes of Aristotle, a tragic hero.
A tragic hero is mainly characterized by a flaw that encompasses the hero. At first, this trait may be inevitable, but it is the hero’s personality that allows the flaw to take over and play a crucial part in their down fall. In...