The Use Of Imagery In 1984 By George Orwell

1000 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Themes in 1984 by George Orwell

The narrator of a story often plays a crucial role in literature; it is important to note their ability to alter the truth with memory, or emotion. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the story of Winston is revealed by a third- person limited narrator. Imagery is superlative within the narrative, particularly on the physical contrast between Winston and the Big Brother, the urban destructions, and the torture at the ministry of love. The narrator selectively reveals Winston’s tone of voice as hesitant; whether it is upon meeting new people, going into a store, or talking about the future. The narrator repetitively mentions the slogans, ministries, and the Big Brother. These stylistic choices in the narrative voice are created by Orwell to …show more content…

In the beginning of the book, the narrator establishes a physical contrast between Winston and the Big Brother. Winston is described to have “a varicose ulcer... [and to be walking] slowly, resting several times” (Orwell, 3), while the Big Brother is described as having “ruggedly handsome features” (Orwell, 3). The narrator successfully depicts an image of Winston as someone who is weak and frail, while the Big Brother is described as appealing and strong. With this distinction that WInston is less appealing and feeble compared to the mascot, Orwell emphasizes that indoctrination cannot be broken as long as the party remains its strength. The narrator again uses visual imagery to describe the destroyed city. Winston’s hometown, London, is described to have houses with “their windows patched with cardboard and their roofs with corrugated iron” (Orwell, 5). By allowing the narrator to vividly describe the …show more content…

Throughout the text, the official slogan of the party, WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH, is often repeated. The party wants "a nation…….. all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans….. three hundred million people all with the same face." (Orwell, 77) With the repetition of the slogans, Orwell shows just how often the people of Oceania are indoctrinated in a day. He emphasizes the forceful indoctrination Winston cannot escape from. Similarly, the narrator constantly refers to the poster of Big Brother Winston encounters every day. He explains that “the dark eyes looked deep into Winston 's own” (Orwell, 2). The repetitive mention of the posters is Orwell’s indication of the forced indoctrination Winston faces; Orwell is showing the readers that it is impossible to escape from the party’s propaganda materials. The narrator also repetitively brings up the four ministries within Oceana. The Ministries “dwarf the surrounding architecture” (Orwell, 6), and is a prevalent method used by the party in order to keep their power. By using the narrator to constantly mention these existing ministries, Orwell notifies the readers about the various methods Winston gets indoctrinated- the truth is altered, love is now violent, and more . The narrator’s repetitive nature reflects Orwell’s emphasis on the indoctrination of Winston. Winston is constantly being indoctrinated by

Show More
Related

  • Comparing 1984, The Long Watch and The Ones Walk Away from Omelas

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “1984,” Orwell uses Winston to portray a single individual’s attempt to take action against a powerful government, culminating in his failure and subjugation. His individual efforts failed tremendously due to the overarching power of the Party to control every aspect of social life in Oceania. Orwell uses Winston’s deeply seated hatred of the Party to portray his views on power and social change. Winston’s actions show that even in the direst of situations ...

    Read More

  • Winston’s Struggle in 1984

    1726 Words  | 4 Pages

    George Orwell creates a dark, depressing and pessimistic world where the government has full control over the masses in the novel 1984. The protagonist, Winston, is low-level Party member who has grown to resent the society that he lives in. Orwell portrays him as a individual that begins to lose his sanity due to the constrictions of society. There are only two possible outcomes, either he becomes more effectively assimilated or he brings about the change he desires. Winston starts a journey towards his own self-destruction. His first defiant act is the diary where he writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER.” But he goes further by having an affair with Julia, another party member, renting a room over Mr. Carrington’s antique shop where Winston conducts this affair with Julia, and by following O’Brien who claims to have connections with the Brotherhood, the anti-Party movement led my Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston and Julia are both eventually arrested by the Thought Police when Mr. Carrington turns out to be a undercover officer. They both eventually betray each other when O’Brien conducts torture upon them at the Ministry of Love. Orwell conveys the limitations of the individual when it comes to doing something monumental like overthrowing the established hierarchy which is seen through the futility of Winston Smith’s actions that end with his failure instead of the end of Big Brother. Winston’s goal of liberating himself turns out to be hopeless when the people he trusted end up betraying him and how he was arbitrarily manipulated. It can be perceived that Winston was in fact concerned more about his own sanity and physical well-being because he gives into Big Brother after he is tortured and becomes content to live in the society he hated so much. Winston witnesses the weakness within the prole community because of their inability to understand the Party’s workings but he himself embodies weakness by sabotaging himself by associating with all the wrong people and by simply falling into the arms of Big Brother. Orwell created a world where there is no use but to assimilate from Winston’s perspective making his struggle utterly hopeless.

    Read More

  • Conspiracy Theories of 9/11 & 1984

    1970 Words  | 4 Pages

    In London, There is a party also known as “The Party” in the book. Winston is a low ranking member of the ruling party which is in the nation of Oceania. Everywhere Winston goes the party watches him. Can you imagine what its like to have everyone watching you? Trained kids, coworkers, neighbors? You can never have any privacy or be to yourself. Everywhere he looks he sees the face of the knowledgeable leader known to everyone as Big Brother. The Thought Police have telescreens in every household and public area to watch your every move, also they have hidden microphones and spies. The Party controls everything in Oceania even the peoples language and history. They implicated, forced and invented there own language called Newspeak. Which attempts to prevent rebellion against the politics and the government. It ties into why they control everything...

    Read More

  • The Dystopian Society In The Novel 1984, By George Orwell

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tired of his constricted life, Winston decides to take part in rebellious acts against the Party and attempts to overthrow the government that rules over him. As one could imagine, Winston’s personality does not conform to the rest of the population, because he possesses original characteristics that make him different. For example, within the first few pages of the novel, Winston wrote down the words “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” several times in his journal (Orwell 16). “Big Brother” stands for the leader of the Party who supposedly watches over everybody.

    Read More

  • Struggle is Imminent

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Winston is confronted with struggle throughout the entirety of George Orwell`s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Living within a totalitarian regime subsequently causes Winston to seek approaches for dealing with such abundant oppression; he finds liberation through self-awareness, understanding and ultimately rebellion. First, Winston realizes that “if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself”, alluding to the notion of thoughtcrime (162). This recognition exemplifies the complete cognizance that Winston has regarding the oppressive society displayed throughout the novel. Next, Syme states “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words”, alluding to the idea of Newspeak (28). This statement directly correlates to Winston speaking with other party members to gain knowledge about how others feels about policies deployed by the government. This information-seeking also connects with Winston`s rebellion, as he actively searched for others to join his uprising, which is shown when Winston tells O’Brien “We want to join [The Brotherhood]” (171). Winston’s attempt to join a rebellious organization exhibits his evident desire to release his suppressed emotions. Winston devises a very methodical approach to deal with the problematic society he resides in.

    Read More

  • George Orwell's 1984 and Today

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    When George Orwell’s epic novel 1984 was published in 1949 it opened the public’s imagination to a future world where privacy and freedom had no meaning. The year 1984 has come and gone and we generally believe ourselves to still live in “The Land of the Free;” however, as we now move into the 21st Century changes brought about by recent advances in technology have changed the way we live forever. Although these new developments have seamed to make everyday life more enjoyable, we must be cautious of the dangers that lie behind them for it is very possible that we are in fact living in a world more similar to that of 1984 than we would like to imagine.

    Read More

  • Individuality In By George Orwell

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    Winston writes, “Down with the Big Brother” (Orwell 19). From the beginning of the novel readers see Winston’s extreme disgust with the government. He expresses the views that no few in the society will. Winston rebels against the government to find meaning in his life. His journey into finding individuality shows his expression of freedom which no one else expressed. As Alex McGuinnis, a professional academic writer part of the Professional Development Collection, discusses the “Allness” language used by Big Brother to control a populous and perpetuate conformity within a society. As McGuinnis states, “Allness thinking is especially dangerous because those who influence our minds most in frequently are the people who are constantly groups using allness” (108). This quotes shows how Big Brother used “Allness” language to control the people in the society. Many times Winston is critical when talking about Big Brother and to show lack of conformity and resistance towards the regime. Tyner continues to show how Winton’s small actions show resistance towards a tyrannical regime. Winston challenges all societal behavior, such as expressing his thoughts in his journal and deciding to have an affair with Julia even though facing punishment by the government. In addition, readers see that “Allness” language is used and taught to younger generations to influence them from early in development. Winston’s change and expressions were miniscule resistance towards the whole society, but it still provides an example of an individual who choices not to conform to societies standards. Orwell express how even though with miniscule resistance towards conformity cannot get rid of it without the help of an entire

    Read More

  • Betrayal In George Orwell's 1984

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    The constant theme of betrayal in 1984 is being used by George Orwell to show how hopeless Winston’s struggle against the Totalitarian system is, giving the reader an idea of how bad this type of government is. The reader is introduced to this dark time and given hope in the form of the rebellious protagonist, Winston. However, the reader soon realises how hopelessly alone Winston is in his silent battle when they see that the government is against him, he has no support or allies, and that even his own mind can be turned against him. The message is clear and makes readers who live in a democracy happier with what they have.

    Read More

  • George Orwell 1984 Analysis

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 follows the psychological journey of main character Winston. Winston lives in a utopian society called Oceania. There, the citizens are constantly monitored by their government coined “Big Brother” or “The Party”. In Oceania, there is no form of individuality or privacy. Citizens are also coerced to believe everything and anything the government tells them, even if it contradicts reality and memory. The goal of Big Brother is to destroy individual loyalties and make its citizenry only loyal to the government. In Orwell's novel 1984, he uses Winston's psychological journey to stress the dangers of individuality in a totalitarian regime because it can result in death. Winston’s overwhelming desire to rebel

    Read More

  • Major Themes Of The Setting In 1984 By George Orwell

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    The setting is important to the overall novel studied because it helps highlight major themes in the novel, it further characterizes the motivations of the characters, and helps explain the overall message of the novel. In 1984 by George Orwell, the overall setting of the novel is in London, which is called Airship 1 in Oceania.

    Read More

  • The Use Of Propaganda In 1984, By George Orwell

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    “"Propaganda is as powerful as heroin, it surreptitiously dissolves all capacity to think” by Gil Courtemanche connects to the sad fact of using propaganda as a deadly weapon to feed people with false information and stop them from thinking. George Orwell’s novel, 1984 describes a totalitarian dystopia society where the Party is constantly brainwashing its citizens with information that is beneficial to its own rights. On the opposite side people are working for the party just like dominated slaves for their masters without knowing of what’s going on. But, in order for the party to achieve this goal they have to use different techniques of propaganda in Oceania to create fear for people so that they can obey the rules. The use of propaganda

    Read More

  • A Dystopian Society in George Orwell´s 1984

    1485 Words  | 3 Pages

    He explains the “hallway smell of boiled cabbage and old rag mats” (Orwell 19) which immediately strikes the senses and repulses the reader. Upon deeper examination, this portion of the story is intended to generate feelings of distaste in the reader in order to get them pondering why Winston is in this situation rather than improving his condition. As the reader continues on in the novel, they find that Winston has no option to better the environment he lives in and the strict government he is controlled by is to blame. Winston’s deteriorating home is only one example of the degeneration of his surroundings. His home city of London is decaying, with “crazy garden walls sagging in all directions”

    Read More

  • Deconstruction through Symbolism in George Orwell's 1984

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everything is a symbol. Everything has a deeper being in which it represents once it is unlocked. The father of deconstruction, Jacques Derrida, was quoted in an interview saying that deconstruction is “to not naturalize what is not natural”. Therefore symbolism is deconstruction in its rawest form. Symbols beg to not be taken at their natural face-value, but rather dived into to reach their deep inner-core of true meaning. One must use every element of deconstruction to unlock the true meaning of a symbol. Symbolism in literature allows the author to express his thoughts and motives in a way that is engaging and entertaining to the reader. The reader must dissect every bit of knowledge presented in order to reach the full fountain of knowledge that can be expressed by a symbol. Symbols are a beautiful thing. It allows the reader to make his own connections to the author’s expressions. The reader can especially be engaged in George Orwell’s 1949 dystopian novel 1984. Symbolism is important in 1984 because the reader can find connections to today’s government in Orwell’s message of control, propaganda, and oppression within the symbols that Orwell creates.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Big Brother In George Orwell's 1984

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the world of 1984, the country of Oceania is run by a figure known as Big Brother, a dictator type leadership. A man that goes my Winston sees through all of the lies and tries to fight back against this Big Brother and the party. In Orwell’s novel 1984 a so called hero, ‘Winston’ is supposed to be the one person that fights back against the party and Big Brother and even defeat them. George Orwell tried to make us believe that Winston was the saviour, but like every good story there 's always a tragedy. I believe Winston does infact fit this role of hero 's being failures, that the important thing is to have uttered the cry of rebellion that confirms one’s humanity. I say this because of how he ended up loving Big brother, his trigger

    Read More

  • The Psychoanalysis of 1984

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the end of the novel, Orwell describes Winston as a cured patient who has over come his metal disease. “He had won the victory over himself: he loved Big Brother” (Part 3, Chapter 6). Both Freud and Orwell break down the components of a person’s mind in the same way. Orwell’s character, Winston, depicts the different parts of the human mind so described by Freud. In Orwell’s 1984, he uncovers the same components of a human mind as seen by Freud, the instinctual drive of the id, the perceptions and actions of the ego, and the censorship imposed by the morality of the superego.

    Read More

More about The Use Of Imagery In 1984 By George Orwell

Open Document