Symbolism In 1984 By George Orwell

“Under the spreading chestnut tree; I sold you and you sold me; There lie they, and here lie we; Under the spreading chestnut tree” (77). This quote seems meaningless, until one knows the meaning behind its perplexing symbolism. The novel 1984, written by George Orwell, is a novel that is based on a strict government rule. Yet, the way that the novel is written is what makes it a political warning and a timeless treasure at the same time. George Orwell has such a writing style that his irony and symbolism may easily go unnoticed until the end of the novel when everything is being pieced together. 1984 is about a man, Winston Smith, in which he lives in a strict government rule in which he is not free to think how he wants to. He commits a series of crimes against the rule, also known as big brother, including having relations with a woman named Julia. The two eventually get caught and sell each other out to stop their horrendous torment. The quote above was said to be a nursery rhyme, yet, it turned out to be a gruesome truth to how they denounced each other to the party that enforces the rule under Big Brother. 1984 is a perplexing novel because of its constant use of symbolism, irony, and imagery.

1984 is a mind boggling novel mostly in part by his abundant use of symbolism. Throughout the novel George Orwell puts meanings into small and delicate items that, until the end of the novel, one may not quite catch. The easiest example of a use of symbolism in 1984 was the glass paper weight. Winston purchased the paperweight from a parole shop owned by a man named Mr. Charrington. During this time Winston was led to believe that Mr. Charrington was a parole, a parole is person that has free thought because they are considered not t...

... middle of paper ...

...t the war is peace, yet there always at war and nothing is ever peaceful. The party lies to cover up acts of war that are not peaceful anyhow. Freedom is not slavery. Freedom is the ability to think and act freely, yet the characters of 1984 are slaves to their governments rule. And ignorance is strength, because those who know the truth, like Winston, cannot act without going against the party. Yet, those who know nothing, like the paroles, have all of the power if only they’d recognize it. The paroles are the only ones who could have the freedom enough to say that “two plus two equals four” (81).

Furthermore, there are four parts to the government. Ministry of Truth, Ministry of Love, Ministry of Peace, and Ministry of Plenty. The Ministry of Truth houses the members of the party who actually edit the past to include whatever the government want it to say (39).