Prompt 3

Home Away from Home: The Struggle between Individuality and Conformity

In the midst of a silent struggle to rebel against a tyrannical government, Winston, the main protagonist in George Orwell’s novel 1984, finds himself continuously transitioning between two very contrasting settings. It is through the stark differences between Winston’s dreary apartment and a secret room above an antique store Winston often visits that Orwell is able to exemplify and reinforce the idea of individuality versus conformity.

In the beginning of the novel, Orwell sets the tone of the story by introducing the reader to Winston and by describing the apartment he lives in. Winston’s small living space is portrayed as very bare and lifeless, and is where he suffers the constant watch of Big Brother, the leading force of the government that runs the country he lives in. It is in this room that he stringently follows the laws of the government, as well as experiences the pain of loneliness. As the story progresses and Winston begins to question the way he lives, he rents a small room above an antique store in the city. This room is described as cheery and bright, and gives a sense peace and security. It is here that Winston has a secret love affair (something strictly prohibited by law) with his coworker, Julia, and where he participates in other acts that are in direct violation of the laws laid down by the government he comes to despise. Hence, both the atmospheres and the actions that are done by Winston in both settings are the major factors that differentiate the two places.

As well as acting as physical places that Winston visits throughout the novel, these two contrasting rooms are used to represent a central conflict in the story. The room that Winston resides in represents the idea of conformity. This is because it is here that Winston acts in the way that everyone in the country is expected to act, such as only reading approved material and only having sexual relations with a partner for the sole purpose of procreation. As for the secret room above the antique store, Winston’s deliberate acts against the government’s laws that he commits here show that this room is used to represent the idea of individuality. Therefore, the contrast of these places overall shows the conflict between conformity and individuality in the novel.

The contrast between Winston’s apartment and secret room and the conflict that it represents ties greatly into meaning of this novel. This is due to the fact that the differences of these rooms show how Winston is internally conflicted because he must constantly decide between doing what he is required and doing what he believes in. The rooms show how Winston develops as a character and what it means to overcome conformity through defying the government by living for one’s own beliefs.

Even though Winston his forced into conformity towards the end of the novel, it is the contrast between his dreary apartment and secret room above the antique shop, both literally and metaphorically, that exemplifies his struggle to rebel against the totalitarian government that runs his life and choose to be an individual rather than a conformist.