ENGLISH

DEPARTMENT

The Picture of Dorian Gray

10th Grade 1st Period

Ana Mara Nio

*Literature*
MAJOR CHARACTERS
Protagonist
Name Winston Smith

ANTAGONIST
Name: Big Brother

Type: Round and omniscient

character.

Type: Round and third person

limited in the few things he
says.

Thin, fragile, intellectual,

serious, fatalistic, thoughtful,
paranoiac, and pessimistic. He is
39 years-old, he has
revolutionary dreams and works
for the party in a low position.
Conflicts: (types of conflicts
present)
The main conflict is man vs.
society because Winston is
always against the government
and he always doubts about
their ideals. Another conflict
present, coming from the last
one is man vs. man because
Winston has a bad relationship
with the party functionaries. And
finally there is a man vs. selfconflict because Winston is
always questioning the party
and himself about his daily life.
Also he doesnt know if he
should rebel because of his
ideals or stay believing what the
party says.

Name: Julia
Type: round and third person
objective character.
Traits: (deduced and given by the
author)

Traits: (deduced and given by the

author)

FOIL

Traits: (deduced and given by the

author)

May not really exist, he is only

seen in photos, coins, videos,
posters, etc. His eyes always
follow people, he is about 45
years-old, with a black mustache
and ruggedly handsome
features. He is supposed to be
the leader of the party.
Conflicts: (types of conflicts
present)
There are no conflicts because
he is not actually a character.

She is Winstons lover, enjoys sex,

is pragmatic, optimistic, and has
a personal motivation for
rebellion unlike Winston. She is
also beautiful and black haired.
Conflicts: (types of conflicts
present) Julia has men vs. society
conflicts because she has a
personal motivation for rebellion
against the party, mainly because
she enjoys sex. This leads to man
vs. man and man vs. self- conflict
because Julia uses other party
members for personal rebellion
and she contradicts herself by
wearing the anti-sex league
symbol, but in fact she has an
addiction to sex.

IRONY:
Situational: Julia is a nymphomaniac, and its a big irony that she is part of the junior Anti-Sex-League. Also, she takes
men to have sex in places that she discovered because she is part of this league.

Verbal: The names of the ministries that rule in the 1984s dystopian society are evidently a verbal irony. The Ministry of
Truth is the one who lies to the people, the Ministry of Love discourages love, and the Ministry of Peace incites violence.
TONE/MOOD:
Tone: Unrelieved darkness, gloomy, depressing, oppressed and colorless.
Mood: It is very dark since the novel talks about a dystopian society, it cant be bright. It is also sad, hopeless, and there
is no sense of freedom.

SYMBOLISM:
Telescreen: The omnipresent telescreens represent the partys constant surveillance of its subjects. They also
symbolize how the totalitarian govenment abuses of technology for its own goals and doesnt improove knowledge.
The place where there is no darkness: This place is not what Winston imagined throughout the novel, its not paradise
but actually a prision cell where the light is never turned off. It symbolizes hope and Winstons approach to the future and
his pessimistic attitude towards it.
Big Brother: Represents the party in its public manifestation, he is known as the leader of the party and of the nation.
He also symbolizes the vagueness with which the higher rakns of the party present themselves. His name and the
posters of his face symbolize protection but at the same time a threat because of his power.
THEME:
Totalitarianism: 1984 is a political novel and the party at government is a totalitarian state. The whole novel takes place
under this theme. Orwell is really concerned about the oppression he observed in communist countries and also by the
role of technology which allowed governments to monitor constantly and control every situation, and all of this is what he
tries to describe and narrate through the whole book. The book reflects a perfect totalitarian society in which the
government, in this case the party, has an absolute power over the rest.
Psychological Manipulation: The party as a totalitarian government manipulates all people under its rule. Winstons
work is a clear example of how they brainwash people to believe and do what they say with no objection. The partys
main objective is to eliminate the independent thought. The telescreens located everywhere, apart of monitoring the
behavior of citizens, are in charge of transmitting propaganda that shows every fail of the party as a giant success.
Additionally, everyone is constantly reminded of the sentence: Big Brother is watching you. announcement that restricts
citizens of acting the way they want. Its also important to mention that the Party is always trying to break family bonds
by introducing children to the Junior Spies and making them betray their parent if they betray the Party. Sex is seen as a
procreative action in order to create new party members, its no longer a desire.
Technology: They live in a futuristic society. When the book was written, the technology that appeared in the book
didnt actually exist (the telescreens, the torturemachines, etc.). It has an important role in order to keep surveillance,
facilitate physiological manipulations, and finally achieve totalitarianism and absolute power. By using telescreens and
microphones, the party is able to monitor the citizens all the time. Additionally, technology is also used to control
economic production, sources of information and also the machinery to torture enemies. Technology, usually used for
improving a society, is now used to facilitate and increase danger.

IMAGERY:
Oxymoron: Statement that is contradictory but contains truth.
- War is peace
- Slavery is freedom
- Ignorance is strength
- Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.
Personification: Constantly, Orwell is giving life to the Party in order to give life to the whole story.
Irony: The names of the ministries that rule in the 1984s dystopian society are evidently a verbal irony. The Ministry of
Truth is the one who lies to the people, the Ministry of Love discourages love, and the Ministry of Peace incites violence.

PLOT:

Introduction:
Winston is like any other citizen of Oceania. He starts a diary rebelling himself against the partys ideals and politics.
He feels constantly under pressure because of the presence of the telescreens everywhere, he is constantly afraid
and paranoiac. He fears that a party member will notice that he is against Big Brothers leadership. During the first
part, the narrator shows the arguments that lead Winston to hate the party, specially the way the totalitarian
government manipulates the whole community.

Rising Action:
Winston gets involved in a relationship with Julia. Now, besides of hiding his diary, he has to hide his relationship with
Julia. Winstons lover doesnt care about the party either and she also has a personal enjoyment for rebellion. Having
a relationship with Winston its a rebellion itself. These increases Winstons need of rebellion and therefore the tension
of the book. Additional to this, OBrien inducts Winston and Julia into the brotherhood.

Climax:
The climax of the story is reached when Winston and Julia are at St. Clementss Church. They wake up as nonrepressed people and they start discussing their future, taking into account that they have now joined the Brotherhood.
There is a picture inside the church that echoes what they say, soon enough they are surrounded by the thought
police.

Falling Action:
Winston is send to the ministry of love where they lock him up. He has the opportunity to meet with other prisoners
who, because of an unknown reason, seem to fear the room 101. Then, he is submitted to a series of horrible

interrogations, performed by OBrien. Finally, OBrien takes Winston to the room 101 where he has to confront his
worst fears. When he enters, he is surrounded by rats which are ready to eat him, so in order to avoid it he decides to
confess everything and by this he betrays Julia.

Resolution:
Winston is released from the Ministry of Love and he is now totally reformed. He now believes in the politics and
ideals of the party. Winstons relationship with Julia is now apathetic; his love for her is now replaced for his love for
the party.