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George Orwell's 1984 Essay

Decent Essays

1984 is a powerful work of George Orwell, but one of the key components to the book is the dream of Winston and how that dream relates to the book overall. Winston dreams of the deaths of his mother and sister. They were sinking in water, sacrificing their lives in some tragic, loving way to keep Winston alive. The dream then changes to the "Golden Country," an idyllic setting. A girl runs towards him, carelessly tearing off her clothes in defiance of the Party. Winston wakens with "Shakespeare" upon his lips. Apart from numerous abstract details, Orwell uses concrete details. First, the appearance of Winston's parents is described. Winston's mother was a "tall, statuesque, rather silent woman" and Winston's father was "dark and thin, …show more content…

In 1984, no normal person had the level of love to die for a family member. However, in the dream of the better past, love was evident. The cruel knife of the Party had not yet cut the cord of family love. The death of the mother and sister was tragic. The death was described as being in a "deep grave." Next, they seemed to be in a "saloon of a sinking ship." The green water separated Winston from his family more and more. Though the concrete visual seems to merge on abstract ideas, the dream is definitely presented in a way to show the harsh nature of the death. The death was "tragic." To Winston, tragedy belonged to an "ancient time," a time when "privacy, love, and friendship" were common. In 1984, these positive attributes were replaced by "fear, hatred, and pain." The change makes evident the backward ideology that continues to grow and grow, becoming crueler with time. Later in the book, O'Brien describes the future with the image of a face being stomped on forever. However, in Winston's dream, the past is characterized by the embracing of a helpless child. Winston longs for a different, better life. The dream describes the nature of family loyalty. In 1984, the family structure seems to flip inside out. The children are largely in control of the family. As with the Parsons, the Junior spy

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