1984 Essay, Research Paper

Ever looked outside the window and seen a dove? A white dove in particular? The

white dove in the dictionary is defined as a small wild pegion, however, the symbolic

view of a white dove, is the opposite of the dictionary. A white dove symbolizes

innocence purity, hope, and peace. Authors use symbolism in books in order to draw the

reader deeper in to the meaning. In 1984,George Orwell uses symbols to create a larger

more universal experience of life. In the novel, the coral paperweight places emphasis

that Winston and Julia are as one, the “Golden Country” symbolizes the perfect place, a

type of fairy land, and the nursery rhymes symbolically represent freedom.

The first symbol that is presented in 1984 is the coral paperweight. Winston buys

the paperweight in an old junk shop. The paperweight represents the fragile world that

Winston and Julia have created for each other. The coral inside the paperweight is

Winston and Julia. On page 154 it states “The coral was Julia’s life and his own, fixed in

a sort of eternity in the heart of the crystal” Julia was someone who Winston could share

his private emotions with. When they were together it created a small world of feeling for

themselves for a short period of time before they are betrayed. On page 152, its states “It

is a little chunk of history that they have forgotten to alter.” This line expresses that their

love can never be altered no matter how much they try to change it because in their minds

it will exist.

The second symbol presented was the “Golden Country.” The “Golden Country”

stands for the old European pastoral landscape. The place where Winston and Julia meet

for the first time to make love to each other, is exactly like the “Golden Country” in

Winston’s dreams. It represents a place where Winston can never be hurt. It is his place

where he is truly free and he relates that to the place where Julia and himself first meet.

The last symbol that is introduced is the nursery rhymes. The nursery rhymes have

a romantic value to them. They have become distorted and manipulated by the Party. For

example one rhyme ends with “I sold you and you sold me,” expressing things that will

happen in the end of the novel. The only people allowed to sing these rhymes were the

proles. It was uncommon for a Party member to sing alound to themselves. This signifies,

in a small way, that the proles have more freedom then the outer Party members.

Freedom, which Julia and Winston search for, is given to the proles.

Just like the white dove has a dictionary meaning and a symbolic meaning, so do

many terms in 1984 . In todays real life a paperweight is defined as an object that is heavy

and holds papers, but in the novel the paperweight symbolically represents the fragile life

that Winston and Julia have created. The “Golden Country” is a type of peaceful place

where Winston and Julia can get away from Big Brother, however, today it would be a

country. When you hear nursery rhymes, instantly a baby pops in to your mind. Although

in the novel the nursery rhymes say things like “here comes a candle to light you to bed,

here comes a chopper to chop of your head” page 183.

Bibliography

1984