Symbolism in Orwell's 1984

The basic framework of the novelÆs plot is said by Pritchett (124) to be straightforward. In 1984, Winston Smith, a civil servant and Party member in the English Totalitarian State, develops political doubts, drifts into rebellion, is detected after a short period of happiness with a female Party member and rehabilitated. Mario Varricchio (98) describes this as a society emptied ôof a sense of history and of memory of the pastö in which ôthe emptiness is filled by a host of images of propaganda.ö

One of the most significant symbols present in the novel is that of the glass paperweight. According to Troy Place (108), ôthe paperweight symbolizes escape from a self-defeating and unnatural routine, as it represents the suspension of time.ö Indeed, the literal characteristics of the paperweight suggest suspension of time as well as life. Winston compares the glass to rainwater which implies purity and rebi

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the PartyÆs eye, Big BrotherÆs huge face is to be found everywhere, on stamps, coins, and posters in all streets and buildings.ö Climbing the stairs of the high rise building in which he lives, Winston must walk past on each landing ôone of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran" (Orwell 157). The eyes, in the view of Varricchio (99), ôare indeed the windows to the soul in OrwellÆs novel. They can either disclose or conceal new perspectives and are associated with positive or negative meanings according to the different characters and to WinstonÆs capability to see through them.ö For example, Winston is able to spot the fierceness in the look of Mrs. ParsonÆs children (Orwell 176). At the same time, Winston completely misinterprets the gaze of his interrogator, OÆBrien, at the end of the Two Minutes Hate: ômomentarily he caught OÆBrienÆs eye. OÆBrien had stood up. He had taken off his spectacles and was in the act of re-settling them on his noseà. There was a fraction of a second when their eyes met,à Winston knewà that OÆBrien was thinking the same thing as himself" (Orwell 170-171). Just as the eyes of the picture o
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Ministry Truth, Mario Varricchio, Inner Party, According Troy, Winston Julia, Julia Charrington, Love Winston, George OrwellÆs, Patricia Rae, Declaration Independence, inner party, junk shop, written word, winston smith, ministry truth, glass paperweight, pritchett 124, symbol novel, suspension life winston, winston recognizes, paperweight winston,
Approximate Word count = 2138
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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