Symbolism In 1984 By George Orwell

In the book 1984 written by George Orwell, even the most innocent –hopeful, even– symbols can be highlighting the broken world Winston and his comrades inhabit. Whether the red-armed prole woman singing, the picture of a church hanging on the wall, or a beautiful paperweight, nothing in this book is quite as simple as it seems. This goes for the dismal and disheartening symbols as well, such as the totalitarian figure Big Brother and the Place Without Darkness. These symbols tie together and allow us to interpret the terrible circumstances 1984's society forces the characters endure to an entirely deeper level than it would be without. The first tragic thing about Winston’s interaction with the Red Armed Prole woman is that it “struck him

Something along those lines surely came into Winston’s mind when O’Brien said his infamous “we shall meet in the place with no darkness” (pg 25) but that’s not what O’Brien had in mind at all. When O’Brien said that, Winston notes that he says it as “a statement, not a command” (pg 25). A statement is something that someone believes to be true, and that shows that O’Brien already knows that Winston’s disobedience will occur- whether it’s subconsciously writing down anti-Big Brother words down or thinking something “wrong”– and knows how this will end, no matter how he acts. The fact that O’Brien knew what would happen to Winston, what the room actually was, and how everything –including how and when Winston would break, finally an adoring subject placidly awaiting death– the entire time highlights the fact that in this society you have no actual freedom. Winston may have thought he got away with something, anything, but in reality the repeated use of the phrase “place with no darkness” just displays how every step he takes is just another one closer to that

As scary as he is mysterious, it is clear from the start that only enough is known about him to get what is needed: exact obedience. Whether or not he is an actual person is never specifically revealed and is instead an almost maddening riddle revealed in a conversation between Winston and O’Brien – “‘Does Big Brother exist?’ ‘Of course he exists.’... “Does he exist in the same way that I exist?” ‘You do not exist’”-- but for the level to which he is referred to in this book he feels as real as anyone else. Not only is he himself symbolic of the power that a name holds, his presence highlights the ridiculous extent to which this government can get away with sudden and unexplained change. For instance, when the war changes from being against Eurasia and then quickly changes to being against Eastasia, everything is changing (“there was a riotous interlude.. Posters were ripped from the walls, banners torn to shreds…” pg 181) buy posters and banners of one thing will never change: Big Brother. Through it all, he is always there and always highlighting the fact that while everything is a mess of doublethink and impermanence, he is always