Nineteen Eighty-Four characters

Appears from the start

A thirty-nine-year-old employee of the Ministry of Truth who rewrites old records for the ruling Party. Frail, observant, and inwardly repelled by the world around him, he begins a forbidden diary even though he knows that private dissent can bring death.

Appears from the start

The black-mustached face displayed throughout Oceania as the watchful leader of the Party. Whether encountered on posters or telescreens, his image represents the authority that demands constant loyalty and observes every citizen.

Appears from the start

A powerful Inner Party official with an intelligent, composed manner. Winston is drawn to him by a momentary impression that O'Brien may share thoughts that cannot safely be spoken.

Also known as the dark-haired girl

Appears from the start

A young woman who works in the Fiction Department and wears the sash of the Junior Anti-Sex League. Winston notices her apparent zeal and suspects that she may be watching him for the Thought Police.

Appears from the start

The figure denounced by Party propaganda as Oceania's chief traitor and the organizer of a secret resistance called the Brotherhood. His face appears during the daily ritual of collective hatred.

First appears in chapter 2

Winston's neighbor in Victory Mansions, a sweaty, apologetic woman struggling with blocked plumbing and two unruly children. Her family displays the strain produced by the Party's model of domestic life.

First appears in chapter 2

Winston's neighbor and colleague at the Ministry of Truth, notable for his unquestioning enthusiasm for every Party activity. He is especially proud that his children have been trained as vigilant young informers.

First appears in chapter 3

Winston's mother, remembered only in broken childhood images. Her quiet loyalty and disappearance belong to a private past that Winston senses was governed by human bonds the Party has since weakened.

First appears in chapter 5

A philologist at the Ministry of Truth who works on the latest Newspeak dictionary. Sharp and talkative, he takes intellectual pleasure in reducing the language so that unapproved ideas will become harder to formulate.

First appears in chapter 6

Winston's estranged wife, recalled as rigidly orthodox and emotionally distant. Their marriage failed, but the Party's disapproval of divorce leaves them legally bound while living apart.

First appears in chapter 8

An elderly dealer who runs a dusty secondhand shop in a prole neighborhood. His old objects, mild manner, and memories of earlier London make the shop seem like a surviving pocket of the past Winston seeks.

First appears in chapter 16

O'Brien's quiet servant, who admits Winston and Julia to an Inner Party apartment. His disciplined reserve and trusted position distinguish him from the visibly supervised servants Winston knows elsewhere.