How can a hero survive in a world gone mad? Casablanca, the classic 1940s film, and 1984, a classic piece of literature by George Orwell, both revolve around a chaotic world, where no one can be trusted, and a war rages inside and out. In 1984, the protagonist, Winston, is in hiding from a totalitarian, thought-controlling government that seeks to crush any aggression against the Party. In Casablanca, the main character, Rick, faced a world shaken by the aftermath of World War II, where everyone was a spy and even spies were spied on. Both wish for hope and courage in their mutually exclusive worlds, but only Rick finds hope in his. Winston dies in utter despair, where no one will ever know his life or his deeds, but he dies a hero. Rick is a cynic, thrown into a chaotic but romantic world, and emerges victorious. In Casablanca, we emerge with a sense of hope and joy, that the forces of good can win and that ultimately we will triumph over our enemies. wherever and whatever they are. Although lazy and romantic, Casablanca is a touching film, and probably one of the best ever made. 1984, on the other hand, is a deep psychological thriller. In a world of total thought control, we find that even a strong hero like Winston is brought down by the party, simply because he is alive, and that the virtuosity of humanity will ultimately be defeated by our greed and our lust. Their struggles are those of man against the oppressor. Both 1984 and Casablanca are about a world gone mad and the struggles of not-so-ordinary people. Often, parallels can be drawn between the characters of the two. Renault can be compared to O'Brien, as both are "double agents" of the rest of the world. Heroes can exist in a world gone mad, as we see in 1984 and Casablanca. Lazlow is a hero of the rebellion, who stood up against the oppression of the German government and fled to Lisbon. Winston spat in the face of the Party, aroused human emotions in it and committed the gravest crime: he was alive. Both acted in the face of defeat and achieved their own victories. There are many similarities between the characters and events of 1984 and Casablanca. The sentence that sums it all up was said by Rick. “That day in Paris, the Germans wore gray, and we wore blue.” They dared to be different and to be human, in a world gone completely mad with its own evils. How to cite this pageMLA quote: “Casablanca and 1984 (1984). » 123HelpMe.com. April 18 2014.