Winston Smith: Tragic Hero

Winston Smith really is somewhat of a tragic hero. He became overtly confident that he would be able to help to overthrow the Party and not get caught that he lost his caution. As a reader, it was hard to watch the downfall of Winston because it is truly hard to not hope that he will succeed in his goal of bringing the Party down. Winston’s resistance gives hope that the Party is not an indomitable force and that it can be brought down, though after he is arrested by the Thought Police and brought to the Ministry of Love all hope seems to fade. Winston’s downfall at the Ministry is harsh to say the least because of his forced loss of self; our hero dies a stranger, a man who is a devote Party Member with love for Big Brother and it is due to this that his death is all the more tragic.