1984 Symbolism Essay

In his dystopian novel, 1984, George Orwell makes use of various symbols and motifs to further reinforce the core themes. Although these symbols vary, most of them are directly tied to the protagonist Winston Smith and more importantly, to his emotions, feelings, and needs. Furthermore, the main symbols used to portray these elements are the rats, the coral paperweight, the songs, and the “discolored patch over Smith’s ankle.”

As the plot unravels, rats are used to evoke notions of fear and punishment. With that, it is understood that rats are Winston’s worst fear, which holds significant symbolical importance. When in the rented room above Mr. Charrington’s junk shop, Winston screamed at the sight of a rat from the hole, marking his growing fear of rats. It reminded him of a recurring nightmare he experienced from time to time throughout his life. In his dream, Winston stood in front of a wall of darkness and on the other side, something too frightening lay that he could not confront as he constantly woke up before he could do so. In addition, rats were used in Room 101 as the primary form of punishment against Winston by O’Brean in order to betray his love for Julia and ultimately, completely succumb to him and Big Brother. By doing so, they forced him to forget all of what he strongly believes in,
Even though the lyrics of the songs were of Party members songs, Winston deeply enjoyed the tone of her voice and found it very natural and pleasant. The simplicity and unusualness of the situation filled him with content and aspiration. In fact, Winston notes that if there is a hope for a revolution, “it lies with the proles.” (99) At different instances, Winston even notes and admires their strong physical build that allows them to reproduce frequently, and to perhaps raise a future generation of rebels willing to overthrow the