In 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith the protagonist, is the perfect example of a character trying to free himself from the power of the others. Winston is trying to escape the power of the Party and Big Brother; he feels trapped and in a terrible society that won't let him become independent and have freedom.
The leaders of Oceania claim they have no laws, but so many things are punished by death if a character in the story is caught, like in Winston's case keeping a journal. Julia and Winston are having an affair within the first or second chapter and Julia is really the only person who Winston can talk to because she is also against the Party. Without Julia, Winston may have not rebelled as much as he did.
The struggle begins in the first chapter when Winston is explaining his apartment in Victory Mansions and he informs the reader that he is breaking a rule by writing in a journal, which he got from a store where the proles live which is also breaking a rule. Then it continues when he and Julia begin to have their affair that lasts a long time; in Oceania the Party prohibites sexual anything. Winston still continues to break free when Winston finds out that O'Brien a member of the inner party is part of the secret society called the Brotherhood. As soon as Winston finds out about O'Brien he immediately goes to see him and he joins the Brotherhood.
Winston still wanting to have freedom decides to search for anything that could hint at what Oceania was like before the War, and within this search he stumbles upon a prole in a bar and he has a few drinks with the prole, but the prole can't really tell him much, but Winston feels a little better that someone remembered something. He also learns a song that makes him so happy because it has the churches and buildings in the song that aren't in the same condition anymore, it really is the highlight on his struugle at finding some happiness and freedom in such a cruel and depressing place. Since Julia and Winston are always sneaking around and they are afraid they are going to get caught Winston rented a room above the prole shop where he brought the journal and learned the song, and found a glass paperweight with coral inside of it that he thought was absolutely gorgeous. The room was heaven to Julia and especially to Winston, there were no telescreens and they could do whatever they wanted, like when Julia stole real food, not the Victory food they were served at any place that had food.
In all this new happiness from breaking all the rules to get freedom there were some major struggles in keeping it and trying to get more. Winston got caught by the thought police because there was a telescreen in the room Winston rented and when he got caught he turned in Julia so he could stay alive in the end he didn't keep his freedom.
The author used this power struggle to enhance the fact that one can't over power or free oneself if they don't have enough will and are strong enough to make it and escape and to get people to join the rebellion. So in Winston's case he wasn't strong enough and he didn't get people to join his cause and he didn't plan his attack on the Party and Big Brother in a smart way that could be effective.
