Winston, was in the early days of the book weak, cowardly, and misunderstood by most of the other characters in the novel, but he was also and always have been, curious and very observant. His devotion to find the truth has lead him to risk the lives of many others, including his own. But this did not stop him, as any other main protagonist, he keep his fight and even put faith into those who were weaker then himself, to someday overthrow the Party. Even though the odds were always stacked against him. The desire to reveal what the Party's main goal was lead Winston to join the 'Brotherhood', which was created by the Party and masked in secrecy and was said to be against the Party itself. Winston went through severe questioning and torture in order to prove loyalty until death to the Brotherhood, which was actually the Party. The book Winston had read also has no value whatsoever other than committing another thought-crime.

Portrait of Winston during 1984

This is a picture of Winston in the movie 1984. Winston is 39 years old and works as a records editor in Records Department at the Ministry of Truth. He drinks and smokes, and has terrible coughing fits in the morning. Maybe he should lay off the cigs. He also hates group exercise, has an itchy swollen ulcer on his leg, and likes to write which leads him to spend much of his time jotting down what he learns about the real past and musing on his rebellious tendencies in a secret journal he keeps in an alcove in his room that escapes the watchful surveillance of the telescreen. More than anything, Winston seeks the unadulterated truth, and the only way to attain that is by rebelling against the totalitarian rule of the Party
You can also see a portrait of Big Brother watching Winston's back, symbolizing that whenever you think he's not there, he's watching every move and decision you make.