A Symphony of Despair The Novel 1984, by George Orwell is about a dystopian society where everything, including one’s own thoughts, is controlled by Big Brother. Big Brother represents the head of the government’s totalitarian control. Inhabitants of this society live under constant fear, or pure ignorance, caused by propaganda supplied by the government. Big Brother uses many approaches to mislead the ill-fated citizens. Music plays a key role in the development of the leading protagonist, Winston Smith. Throughout the novel songs appear, usually when Winston is pondering the state of his life. Once he realizes the music in the natural world, he begins to become inspired. The majestic melodies gives Winston the hope he longs for. …show more content…
Mesmerized, the two watch the bird sing it’s heart out for what seemed to them as an eternity. They had never seen anything like it before, it was their first encounter with music not produced by the party. Winston puzzled over why the bird continued singing when no mate was watching it. He wondered why the bird poured “its music into nothingness.” Winston realizes why he is taken in by the bird. It represents happiness and assurance. This pulls Winston’s mind further away from the party and closer to the security of …show more content…
Charrington. He hears Charrington singing an unfamiliar rhyme beginning with “Oranges and lemons say the bells of St. Clement’s.” Charrington shares the rhyme with Winston, but cannot remember all of the lines. This rhyme follows Winston’s mind through the entire novel, and leads him to connect with two influential people. The connection between Julia and Winston is strengthened when Julia reveals she remembers the poem when she was younger, and sings more lines to the song. The poem is not complete until Winson officially meets O’Brien. While Julia and Winston are staying in Mr. Charrington’s apartment, Winston once again hears the prole woman singing outside while doing her laundry. For the first time he realizes that she is beautiful. He reflects how someone living such a difficult life can be happy from the freedom of music. At this moment a voice echoed that the house was surrounded, and they were as good as dead. The same “iron voice” mocked Winston by repeating the last line of the poem that had got stuck in his head, “here comes a chopper to chop off your