Transcript Symbolism in 1984

‘1984’
Symbolism
What is symbolism?
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Symbolism is when a writer uses
objects, characters, figures, and
colours to represent abstract ideas
or concepts.
Symbolism in ‘1984’
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Big Brother
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The glass paperweight and St. Clement’s
Church
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The place where there is no darkness.
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The Telescreens
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The Red Armed Prole Woman
Big Brother
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Everywhere Winston goes he is faced with the picture
of Big Brother.
The citizens are told that he is the leader of the nation
and the head of the Party, but Winston can never
determine whether or not he actually exists.
For most people, he is a symbol of reassurance as the
name suggests.
However, he is also an open threat that one cannot
escape from ‘BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU’
Also a symbol of the vagueness that seems to go along
with the world the occupy.
Winston thinks he remembers that Big Brother
emerged around 1960, but the Party’s official records
date Big Brother’s existence back to 1930, before
Winston was even born.
Big Brother
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BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. Scared yet? Big Brother is the
face of the Party, the leader behind the great power. The best
part is that we never come to confirm his actual existence. He
might not even be real. Maybe the Party just hired an
intimidating-looking male model to make those posters. The face
of the Party, Big Brother acts as reassurance and a trustworthy
entity for many (his name is warm and fuzzy and easy to
embrace). Yet, he is also your biggest enemy and threat – if you
are one of the criminals (he is watching your every move).
So about his name. This is more irony. "Big Brother" should be a
nice guy that, even if he gives you wedgies once in a while, still
has your back on the playground. But since war is peace,
freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength, Big Brother is also
a controlling and not remotely brotherly guy.
The glass paperweight and St
Clement’s
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Winston buys a paperweight in an antique store in the
prole district that comes to symbolize his attempt to
reconnect with the past.
The old picture of St. Clement’s Church in the room
that Winston rents above Mr. Charrington’s shop is
another representation of the lost past.
The place where there is no darkness
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At the beginning of the novel, Winston
dreams of meeting O’Brien in the place
where there is no darkness.
In reality he does meet him in a place
where there is no darkness it’s just that
this is in the Ministry of Love
It symbolises Winston’s hope for the
future as well as his fate- it’s just that
these mean different things.
He allows himself to trust O’Brien despite
the fact that inwardly he senses that he
might be a Party insider.
The Telescreens
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The most visible symbol of the ever
present party.
Dual role; to control party members
and also for constant stream of
propaganda.
Symbolises the totalitarianism
government’s abuse of technology.
Exploits knowledge to improve
civilisation
The Telescreens
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With their dual ability to blast Party
propaganda and to view and hear the exact
goings-on in a room, these telescreens are
a visible symbol as well as the direct means
of the Party’s constant monitoring of its
subjects. They also symbolize the tendency
of totalitarian governments to abuse
technology to further their own ends
instead of to improve living standards.
The Red- Armed Prole Woman
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This is the woman that Winston
hears singing when he is with Julia
Represents Winston’s one hope for
the future; that the proles will unite
to get rid of the party.
A symbol of fertility; that the
woman’s offspring are a sign for the
future.
Victory Gin, Victory Cigarettes
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Discontented with his life, Winston turns to vices as a means of
escape and self-medication. In Winston’s case, it’s alcohol and
cigarettes. He drinks gin to sedate his paranoia, like that time he
downs a shot or two before finally writing in his journal. He
smokes cigarettes for a similar reason: to calm himself down.
These common vices help Winston check his doubts and paranoia
at the door.
Irony - Winston’s "vices" aren’t personal decisions, nor are they
small acts of individuality or rebellion. Rather, his vices have been
assigned to him. Which kind of defeats the purpose of vices
altogether. There was a Simpsons episode where Marge tells Bart
he can’t have vegetables until he finished his ice cream. The
result? Ice cream is not so enjoyable anymore. Same deal here.
Winston’s Varicose Ulcer Above
His Ankle
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A thing that swells and itches, and after
you scratch it, flakes. Sounds gruesome,
right?
Observe when the symptoms subside and
then become evident again.
Memory Holes
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These were only briefly mentioned in the novel, but that
doesn’t mean they are unimportant. Memory holes are
those things in the ground that the Party insists any
scraps of paper get tossed into. They lead to a furnace.
Let’s think about this for a second.
Memory…furnaces…memory…are memories being burned
here? Why yes, they are. By destroying paper, the Party
destroys documents and therefore evidence of the past.
Which, given all the thought control going on, would seem
to be the only real link left to history. Well, it was,
anyway, until it got sent to the furnace.
Emmanuel Goldstein
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The ultimate symbol of opposition to the Party, we are
not sure whether Goldstein actually exists. Publicly, he is
known as a Party enemy, but he actually serves the
Party’s purposes as a scapegoat. Every time something
goes bad or wrong, the Party attributes it to Goldstein –
conveniently. Could Goldstein be a device created by the
Party?
Julia’s Scarlet Anti-Sex Waist Sash
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This represents a citizen’s devotion
to Party doctrine and Party cause. A
symbol of chastity in the book,
Julia’s sash actually represents her
duality. A devout Party member by
appearance, Julia uses the sash to
disguise her true actions.
Winston’s Mother
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Appearing only in his dreams and
memories, Winston’s mother represents
better, pre-Party days when life was safe
and not quite so oppressive. As the novel
progresses, however, we also come to see
that she represents Winston’s intense sense
of guilt. If Winston didn’t actually kill his
parents (and we’re leaning toward this),
then Winston’s mother is the epitome of a
pleasant past colored by the lies and
manipulation of the Party.
Paperweight
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“Here comes the chopper to chop off your head!” This is an important
foreshadow, as it is the telescreen hidden behind the picture that
ultimately leads the Thought Police to Winston, symbolizing the Party’s
corrupt control of the past.
When the thought police capture the two, they smash the paperweight,
symbolising the control the Party has over the past.