Disappointment

"He loved Big Brother" (pg 298) Throughout the entire book, I always imagined Winston as being the hero of the novel. He is the one who stuck out and internally opposed and hated the party. He even went to far as to sneak off with Julia as much as he could. I had the idea that he would somehow outwardly revolt against the party and continue being strong in his own thoughts and beliefs. However, the last four words of the novel (the quote above) reversed my opinion about Winston and I saw him as an antihero. Yes, I think its harsh to say that he lacked courage after all that he was put through by O'Brien (who I really don't like), but he certainly is no hero by the end of the novel. This disappointment in the Party's triumph over Winston really emphasized the fact of hopelessness in the novel. When I read these last four words, I just felt as that if Winston was not strong enough to withstand the tortures of his conversion, then nobody would be able to. My image of Winston as a hero is what really made the end much more dramatic for me.