My Opinion of the End of 1984

I found the End of 1984 to be quite inconclusive and disappointing. It might sound strange, but I would have preferred to see Winston die rather than succumb to the party. As the “hero” of the novel, I don’t find this very heroic. In fact, he is the opposite of heroic. If he had died, or even been killed in the duration of the book, it would have been better and made him more heroic rather than a victim who succumbs to circumstances.  It hints to Winston being killed at some time in the future but in a way, Winston has already been killed. His mind has been replaced with that of a party member and his body is merely another number in support of it. Winston truly lives up to his title of the walking dead. I found it frustrating that the last words of the book are “I love Big Brother”. The simplicity and bluntness of the statement shows the party’s victory: their victory in war, over Winston, and over society as a whole. They always win and Big brother will eternally live one, as a victor and protector amongst its people. This conclusion is dismal and bleak, with no hope for a better future.

    In a sense, I believe that this ending evokes exactly the reaction that Orwell intended. We, as readers, wanted a definite be killed or live happily in defiance, sort of ending but in reality, these two options are very idealistic. By ending with Winston saying that he loves big brother, he implies that Big Brother had won the fight. That, after all, Winston never had a chance. I believe that in its symbolism, Orwell is implicating that we, the individual, have no chance when it comes to an all mighty power such as the government.