1984 Blog 4

The concepts of love, affection, and sincerity are all incredibly distorted in George Orwell’s 1984. For this reason, it is nearly impossible to interpret Winston’s feelings towards Julia as true love thus far.

Although it is apparent to the reader that Winston feels quite strongly towards Julia the distinction has to be made whether the affection is towards Julia herself, or rather towards the idea of Party betrayal through adultery, sex, and above all enjoyment of sex. Every aspect of the “couple’s” relationship is strictly businesslike, which quite obviously lacks true love. The majority of the acts they partook in were simply the exercising of temporary sense of freedom and rebellion. Whether finding a hiding place, communicating, or even sex itself, the couple runs the relationship like a machine: systematic, regular, consistent.

As individuals, Winston and Julia are very different. Both have very unique pasts which influence their relationship with each other. In Winston’s case, his past marriage and regret from childhood make him weary around women. Those memories also make him fear a relationship with a woman, at risk of either being used and abused like he was with his wife, or at risk of accidentally killing them like he was with his mother. For some reason though, possibly love, Winston overcomes these apparent fears and discomforts for Julia. For Julia, though, she was raised during a more modern time, and therefore isn’t discomforted by many aspects of the Party. Where Winston may still crave a traditional, loving relationship, Julia expects and is comfortable with a superficial, purely physical relationship. Although there is a possibility of his feelings being considered “love,” that possibility is thrown out the window. On page 229, for example, “he felt no love for her [Julia], he hardly even wondered what was happening to her.” In this dystopian society, the welling being of oneself outweighs the need of others, even if there is apparent affection between the people. So even though Winston feels attraction and maybe even vague affection, love is absent. 

Overall, Winston and Julia’s relationship is characterized solely on Party rebellion, lust, and personal pleasure. Love is absent and as a result selfishness reigns. 

1984 Blog 2

The antique shop in 1984 holds and has held incredible symbolic significance in George Orwell’s 1984 since the very mention of it in the beginning of the book. As Winston desperately strives to understand a factual past, he clings to whatever glimpses of that past he can possibly find, no matter how illegal or rebellious.

First of all, the location of the shop adds to the implied rarity of the antiques, “…in a narrow street, with a few dark little shops interspersed among dwelling houses.”(pg 93) A shop dedicated to black market rubbish equates to Winston’s never ending attempts to seek reality in the meek world of lies and deception. “An empty shop…” (pg 94) can be related to the world “empty” so to say of any truth of history.  

Winston’s attraction to the coral within the shop also displays significance. In a society so easily broken up by the government, a fragile, nearly glass object that is still intact would be worth a fortune, or so one would think. It is very ironic that Winston paid a mere 4 dollars for it. The pure, “beautiful thing” (pg 95) could possibly represent Winston’s current life: perfectly intact, but lacking substance; “apparent uselessness” (pg 96); currently solid, but any wrong move and either would be destroyed beyond repair.

The final symbols are displayed when the shopkeeper takes curious Winston to the upper floor of the antique store. Within the upstairs room, Orwell draws the readers’ attention to numerous certain details: “an old-fashioned glass clock…ticking away,” a bed that “occupies nearly a quarter of the room.” The utter size of the bed along with the contradiction of a “beautiful” bed being infested with bugs, hints towards its significance.  The importance of the painting on the wall of the upper room is slightly confusing. The writer takes careful consideration in how and when to introduce the painting, but then also has the characters spend an immense amount of time studying it and discussing the subject matter. Even after Winston and the shopkeeper establish the subject matter of the painting, they continue to discuss it. The curious thing about the painting is twofold. First of all, it’s screwed into the wall. Most paintings aren’t adhered to the wall in this matter. Also, the Church of St. Clemens, which is the subject of the painting, is current day a place for the government to display propaganda. So there must be some connection between those, although I’m not sure what.

Overall the antique shop scene is rife with symbolism and foreshadowing. 

1984 Blog 3

   Prior to the section assigned for this blog, the reader has been familiarizing themselves solely on the character Winston. However, in pages 112-114, through the use of dialogue, setting, and specific details, character Julia and her relationship with Winston are revealed and developed.

   Firstly, the secretive and strategic manner that Julia and Winston interact adds both plot development and foreshadowing.. On page 112 both Winston and Julia are individually using their intuition and knowledge of telescreens and the Thought Police to develop a strategy to interact. In the instance where Winston hopes “that (Julia) would take the hint” in the lunchroom, he relies on her knowledge of being able to comprehend his nonverbal communication and, “sure enough” she used her gut feeling to demonstrate that their careful and subtle communication (thus far) pays off. Every aspect of their interaction has to be carefully considered, planned, and carried out which adds to the development of their seemingly machinelike relationship.  When Winston and Julia risk talking in the lunch room, they have to be especially cautious to escape being discovered by the Thought Police. So cautious actually, that “he didn’t look at her.”  Being limited on time, with “perhaps a minute in which to act” they spoke, “neither looking up (from their meal).” Caution and strategy are both ubiquitous with their relationship.

    The places that Winston and Julia choose to interact enhance the way the reader perceives their relationship. Within the section, the two places of communication are the lunch room and “Victory Square.” The two settings are both similar and dissimilar. Although both of the locations are public and contain telescreens, it is best for the pair to meet in the lunch room when they are remotely alone, whereas in Victory Square, interaction necessitates, “a lot of people.” The locations need to be public enough to escape suspicion of attempting to be alone, but also far enough away or loud enough to escape the hearing range of any and all telescreens. Although they have avoided getting noticed up to this point, the abundance of telescreens and other Party listening devices foreshadows the inevitable: getting caught and being vaporized.

   In conclusion the manner in which Winston and Julia communicate in conjunction with the locations they choose to communicate develop the storyline and demonstrate foreshadowing. 

1984 Blog 1

The book 1984 by George Orwell is replete with displays of a dystopia. Displayed through the strong willed protagonist, propaganda usage to control citizens, and exaggerated fear of technology, Orwell accurately heightens the reader’s awareness to government tyranny both fictional and present day.

    Main character, Winston, reveals the majority of the dystopian characteristics making him the obvious dystopian protagonist. His role is displayed through his level headed viewpoint of society. Winston not only realizes some faults in the government system, but he also has the courage to rebel. By purchasing a journal and inkwell in the black market and actually writing in it, whilst escaping view of the telescreen, Winston willingly puts a target on his back for vaporization for “he was already dead.” (pg. 28) To betray the government, “…does not entail death, …but IS death.” (pg. 28)

   Propaganda grossly controls the citizens of 1984.  The government power requires its civilians to participate in a daily watching the Two Minutes Hate, although “…The Hate varies from day to day,” (pg. 12) it is always essentially a composition of political hogwash that Big Brother (the ultimate government power) wants its people believe without questioning.  The distorted truths that the authorities present are so intense that they create physical manifestations in its viewers.  For example when Emmanuel Goldstein the supposed “…Enemy of the People…” (pg. 11) flashed on the telescreen, even the protagonist Winston experienced a “painful mixture of emotions.” (pg. 12)   All viewers of the Two Minutes Hate basically accept the presentation and all of its gibberish as doctrine simply because they are given no other choice.

   The abuse of technology is depicted as a particular evil within 1984. Creating fear of futuristic developments such as telescreens, the Thought Police, and vaporization all attribute to the dystopian society. The “oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror,” (pg. 2) , a telescreen, are the government’s single way to watch its citizen at all times, “Big Brother is Watching You” (pg. 2) the citizens are told. The surveillance is so tough that, “any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by [the telescreen].” (pg. 3) Telescreens are manipulated fully by The Thought Police; “they watched everyone all the time.”(pg. 3)  Everyone “lived in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard.” (pg. 3)

  

   Orwell effectively illustrates the antithesis of a utopia in his novel thus far. Although written in the 1950s the author accurately depicts multiple concepts that happen today.