Mr. Fisher
AP. Literature
27 May 2013 1. Analytical Reading Log # 3 2. 1984 George Orwell 3. Page 145, “what is it, do you think?” …..pg147 “Heart of the crystal.” The passage is taken from the scene where Winston tells Julia that the paperweight is a link to the past and sings a song about Clement’s Church. Orwell’s application of symbol, imagery, and foreshadowing represent that theme of lost past and Winston’s attempt to reconnect with the past. The recurrence of the symbols of glass paperweight and St. Clement’s Church song in Mr.Charrington’s room represents Winston’s attempt to reconnect with the past. Julia’s describes the paperweight as “a little chunk of history that they’ve forgotten to alter.” As the visions of the glass paperweight inspired Winston to rent the room, making the room available for himself and Julia represents Winston’s desire to make his relationship resemble one from an earlier and freer time of the past. The old picture of St. Clement’s Church in the room is another representations of the lost past, as Julia tries to tell the age of the painting and concludes that it is “impossible to discover the age of anything nowadays.” Julia cannot tell the age of anything since the government has an absolute control over the past and history. Winston then associates a song with the picture that ends with the words “Here comes the chopper to chop off your head.” This line foreshadows Winston’s tragic ending as it is the telescreen behind the painting that leads the Thought Police to Winston.
Towards the end of the passage, the imagery of the ideal world as Winston gazes into the paperweight suggests the recurring motif of Winston’s attempt to reconnect with the past. Winston describes that the paperweight as that it is “almost as transparent as air” and that it “encloses a tiny world with its atmosphere.” Additionally, Winston mentions that he had the feeling that he could “get inside [glass paperweight].” His ethereal imagery conveys his desire to be part of the ideal world where Winston and Julia could live free from the party. Overall, the recurring symbols and imagery portrayed in the passage suggests his desire to reconnect with the lost past as he struggles to recover his own memories and formulate a larger picture of what has happened to the world.
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