Heroes? Heroes.

            1984 is a novel about what the author, George Orwell, contemplates about how the future will be like. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is living in London, England which was now called Airstrip One, Oceania. He lives in a dystopian society being controlled by a Tyranny. He is in jail at the moment for being caught with his lover, Julia. Winston was being tortured and what he says during it has a literal meaning. He stated this: ‘Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes, no heroes, he thought over and over as he writhed on the floor, clutching uselessly at his disabled left arm.’ The real meaning of this statement is clearer than what it seems.

            Many people may not understand what Winston was saying when he said that. He meant to say nothing is worse than pain. There is no way to save someone from pain, so pain has no heroes. No matter how much someone wishes they could be saved by pain, it is not going to happen. That is why Winston was thinking about it over and over again.

            This statement talks about pain having no heroes. A hero is a person who is admired for courage or noble qualities. An example of a hero is a firefighter. Firefighters risk their own lives to save us. Their courageous qualities are the key to them being heroes. They are everyday heroes and can lose their lives at any moment saving us. They are truly the meaning of a hero.

            In final analysis, nothing is worse than pain. Pain cannot be stopped by someone other than oneself. Therefore there is no way to save someone from pain, because pain has no heroes. Heroes are everywhere; it just takes a risky event to happen for them to be brought out. In Winston’s case, he could not be saved from pain. Pain cannot be stopped.

©SamanthaSosnowski