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Is Winston "jealous" of the Proles?

Overtime, Winston glimpses more of the life that Proles live in and despite the prejudice against them, he finds himself wanting to know more about this different world.

When Winston woke up from his dream about his mother and sister,his flashbacks gave him an insight of real familial love as well as a taste of humanity. I believe this was when Winston reached an epiphany that the Proles have something he can’t have while working under the Party. He slowly realizes how his mother had cared so much for him and his sister and how she had sacrificed her greed in order to support him and his sister.

A quote from the passage also shows how he recognizes this universal “motherly love” when he walked down the streets of the Proles, “gesture of the arm made by his mother, and made again thirty years later by the Jewish woman he had seen on the news film, trying to shelter the small boy from the bullets, before the helicopter blew them both to pieces.”

Even though Winston has more than the Proles in terms of wealth, he finds that the Proles can indulge in entertainment, family, love, freedom to write and express their thoughts, etc.

If you were to choose a lifestyle, would you like to go for the Prole life or maintain some wealth and live like Winston?

Comments

  1. Alice GaoFebruary 22, 2021 at 9:57 AM

    I think both are bad, but I would probably pick the Prole life. I like living, so if ignorance is bliss then I'll take what I can get. However, I think any joy the Proles have is both glorified by Winston who is jealous, and also by the Party because they want the Proles to also like the life they live.

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  2. KeshavFebruary 22, 2021 at 9:58 AM

    Personally, I would rather live as a prole, as difference in the conditions of living between proles and (Outer) Party members like Winston is pretty small. However, it would be nice to not be as worried about what emotions you can feel, thoughtcrime, etc. Great post!

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