Symbolism In George Orwell's 1984

The lyrics of Radiohead’s 2003 single, “2+2=5” refer to both 1984 by George Orwell and the administration of President George W. Bush. In the three distinct sections of the song, we hear about a character who chooses to live in ignorance, then becomes aware of the evils of his society. In the final segment of the song, the character struggles after learning about the truth, much like Winston Smith did in Orwell’s novel. The music was written and released during the presidency of George W. Bush, whose public reputation had shifted from negative to positive in the years following his controversial election in 2000. The songwriters suggest that, just as citizens of Oceania were trained to forget about history in order to maintain their

Loneliness is something everyone experiences. However, nobody should have to go through the degree of loneliness of being unable to confide in one person. Everybody needs a person. At the start of 1984 by George Orwell, Winston is completely alone and cannot open up about his feelings towards Big Brother to anyone. He is unable to conform to his natural human nature due to a government in total control. George Orwell’s 1984 communicates the threat on society of a totalitarian government by using literary devices such as irony, foreshadowing, as well as characterization.

George Orwell’s 1984 is probably one of the most famous political novels in History. It´s strong criticism to authoritarianism, government abuses and sameness makes it one of the most analysed novels of the twentieth century. Hence, Orwell uses a lot of literary devices such as vivid imagery, symbolism of color and all sorts of allusions to convey the reader into his powerful criticism of authoritarian societies and how the promote the decay of free-thinking and individualism, which his the meaning of his narrative prose.

Like Bradbury, Orwell incorporates the mutual theme into his novel in various ways. “The paperweight was the room he was in, and the coral was Julia’s life and his own, fixed in a sort of eternity at the heart of the crystal” (Orwell 147). Winston had purchased the glass paperweight to rekindle his relationship with the past. The paperweight is his attempt at trying to get things back to the way it used to be. Later on in the story, the paperweight breaks. This shows that the world Winston is living in will never change, and all the power will constantly remain in the hands of the Party (Oceania’s government). Not only does it show that things will never go back to the way they used to be, it also shows that the relationship between Winston and Julia will not last. Hope for a better future no longer remains with Winston. Another symbol that relates to the theme featured in 1984 is the telescreen. Orwell first introduces us to the telescreen when he says, “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard” (Orwell 3). The government in 1984 uses new technology, such as the telescreen, to keep an eye on everyone. The Party is clearly afraid of rebellion, or the fact that someone may do something they do not like. The telescreens are used to make sure that people like Winston cease to exist, the Party does not want the citizens of Oceania to have a mind of their own, but rather to have a mind operated by the Party itself. Orwell’s description of the symbol is one of many reasons why his style differs from the styles of other authors. Orwell describes the symbol very vividly,

After meeting Julia, he decides to openly become a rebel, and without hesitation he falls in love with Julia. This is an act of rebellion by Winston and Julia, because the government forbids love and sexual relations in any relationship. The two rebels have a relationship that they feel is secret, but in reality the government knows all. Julia and Winston would have never acted upon their actions if they were not influenced by writing ideas down, but the couple acted upon their thoughts which soon got them into deeper trouble than they could ever imagine. The torture and experiences that Winston and Julia went through after they were captured by the government shows just how powerful authority is. The end result of Winston betraying Julia is a product of how the government controlled and manipulated Winston’s mind to do unthinkable and hurtful actions. Conforming to a

He hated her because she was young and pretty and sexless, because he wanted to go to bed with her and would never do so, because round her sweet supple waist, which seemed to ask you to encircle it with your arm, there was only the odious scarlet sash, aggressive symbol of chastity” (Orwell 15). But when Winston is approached by a woman named Julia, everything he has ever dreamed of comes true because not only does he achieve his sexual desire, but there is another person out their rebelling against the Party along with

Julia and Winston In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith, and Julia are complementary characters. Although they both want to rebel against Big Brother, they do it for different reasons. Winston’s rebellion is in the hope that future generations will be free from the party and not be denied the truth. He wants future generations to be able to live in a time where they are free to think what they want.

In 1984, Orwell makes excellent use of symbolism to further enhance the novel's theme and to reveal character. He wrote 1984 as a political message to warn future generations about the dangers of totalitarian societies. He relays this message through various themes and characters, in turn utilizes powerful symbols to give them further significance. His symbolism is very vast but it can be classified into three categories: characters, places and objects.

Winston’s outlook on the Party was very new and undefined. He had vague suspicions about the Party’s honesty, but he did not know how to obtain evidence that would bring their intents to light. Before Julia, Winston’s sole method of rebellion was writing in a journal. “Releasing his fury, Winston triumphs over fear by setting pen to paper in the essential rebellion that contains all other crimes in itself, thoughtcrime” (19). It worked for Winston, but it was not active. Julia, on the other hand, had rebelling down to a science. She had been defying for about a decade, and had developed firm beliefs on why she hated the Party. She understood the Party’s lies and had reasons to reject them, whereas Winston did not possess that ability. Winston and Julia’s difference in experience with negative feelings towards the Party caused them to express their emotions in very different

In the book 1984 by George Orwell, there is a lot of symbolism that represents one major themes of the book. These symbols reflect the theme that a totalitarian government does not allow freedom. The goal is to control the thoughts, the hearts and the minds of the population. Those that are different are centred out to be changed and if they cannot be changed they are eliminated. Free thought is not free. The price for free thinking can be your life. Winston, the protagonist, is a free thinker who has rejected the norms of the totalitarian regime, but to survive

Telescreens are the most important and visible symbol of the party which they use to monitoring its subjects. The telescreen is a propaganda tool which is used by the party to get into people’s heads and control them. Not does it only control people it also monitors everyone’s actions and speech completely controlling every aspects of human existence. The telescreens also symbolize how the government abuses technology for its own good and there is no escaping from it.

I drew Winston, hand in hand with Julia, walking down a hallway. The hallway intentionally lacks colour and is drawn to appear white and spotless as described in the quote, “The passage down which he led them was softly carpeted, with cream paper walls and white wainscoting, all exquisitely clean”. I added a thought bubble above Winston to signify him remembering only contaminated, grimy hallways, “Winston could not remember ever to have seen a passageway whose walls were not grimy from the contact of human bodies”. The endlessness of the hallway, and the minuscule size of Winston and Julia signify the fear in them in this part of the chapter. What they were facing was unknown and scary, and they couldn’t be sure how it would end, they must

In literature, symbolism is used to convey an idea or meaning using an object or action. In George Orwell’s book, 1984, set in a dystopian version of England, the Party is the tyrannical group that presides over of the city of Oceania. The Party uses the omniscient symbol of Big Brother to invoke not only fear, but also safety in the people of the city; it keeps the citizens in line and makes sure they never go against the law. This symbolism shows that when the government has all the power, individualism and personal freedoms are lost.

Orwell displays human tendencies of initial compliance throughout his novel as the reader discovers early on within the novel that the protagonist, Winston, internally rejects the culture and societal expectations forced upon him. Winston concludes that “Orthodoxy means not thinking”, leading the reader to expect his actions to align with his way of thought. However, within the story’s exposition the protagonist’s actions show little to no indication of his true thoughts regarding The Party. Winston’s justification for the contrast between thought and action was that “…to control your face, to do what everyone else was doing, was an instinctive reaction” despite however adamantly one may have been opposed to whatever was taking place (Orwell 18). This pattern of behavior is displayed during the Two Minutes Hate when Winston internally states that “…it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty seconds any pretense was always unnecessary” (Orwell 15). Eventually, the reader observes a similar divide between the thoughts and actions of both Julia and O'Brien, further cementing Winston's speculation. The reoccurring acquiescent acts toward The Party and Big Brother's ideals accurately illustrate the

George Orwell’s novel 1984 introduces the complications of a totalitarian government through his use of symbolism in order to provide a deeper meaning to his readers. Symbolism is first presented in the novel through the imaginary character Big Brother. The citizens in Oceania are not allowed to believe in a religion, so “Big Brother… provides [as] a substitute for organized religion” (Celona 3). This example proves how Big Brother symbolizes as someone or something the party can worship in the place of an existent religion. Symbolism is also displayed through Orwell’s use of the glass paperweight that Winston had purchased from Mr. Charington. The glass paperweight in Winston’s hideaway “represents the past” and exactly how “the party has abolished beauty for its own sake” (Celona 4). This indication illustrates exactly how the party has destroyed everything beautiful and how something as