Goldstein as a Symbol in Orwell's "1984"
Matias Gleason
November 19th 2013
English A
“1984” Part II Essay
Goldstein as a symbol in “1984”
If there’s one person that has evaded the party and survived, then that’s Goldstein. He is one of the Party’s most feared enemies, precisely because he managed to escape him. Or did he? Did the Party just give the people somebody to hate because they needed them to hate someone that wasn’t the Party itself. Nonetheless, in Winston’s eyes, Goldstein is the founder of the Brotherhood, the person who kindles hope inside of the rebels. Goldstein is the symbol of the rebellion, and the symbol of hope, but in the end, he is the symbol of false hope, and the representative of a fake rebellion, since he has never existed.
Emmanuel Goldstein is first introduced in Winston’s job, during the “Two Minutes Hate”, a ceremony dedicated to letting go of the hate the people have gathered thus far. During this ceremony, all of Winston’s coworkers congregate in front of a screen, where the reader sees for the first time the image of Goldstein, a former Party leader “turned evil”, who abandoned the Party and now conspires against the Party, whom everyone loves. Goldstein is used here as a symbol of hate. Goldstein is first presented to us as a personification of hate, of someone who goes against all the ideals, and that is why he must be terminated. However, later on in the novel, we find out that Winston himself strongly disagrees with the party, making him an ally of Goldstein’s. Here, our view of Goldstein changes radically, as he now become another symbol entirely, a symbol of hope, a figure representing a victory against the Party. Goldstein has also supposedly created a group of people like him (the Brotherhood), like Winston, to go against the Party and all it stands for. Goldstein has become the symbol of the rebellion. In Part II, Winston finally discovers that O’Brien is on his side, and that there’s a rebellion forming against the Party. O’Brien then goes on to give
November 19th 2013
English A
“1984” Part II Essay
Goldstein as a symbol in “1984”
If there’s one person that has evaded the party and survived, then that’s Goldstein. He is one of the Party’s most feared enemies, precisely because he managed to escape him. Or did he? Did the Party just give the people somebody to hate because they needed them to hate someone that wasn’t the Party itself. Nonetheless, in Winston’s eyes, Goldstein is the founder of the Brotherhood, the person who kindles hope inside of the rebels. Goldstein is the symbol of the rebellion, and the symbol of hope, but in the end, he is the symbol of false hope, and the representative of a fake rebellion, since he has never existed.
Emmanuel Goldstein is first introduced in Winston’s job, during the “Two Minutes Hate”, a ceremony dedicated to letting go of the hate the people have gathered thus far. During this ceremony, all of Winston’s coworkers congregate in front of a screen, where the reader sees for the first time the image of Goldstein, a former Party leader “turned evil”, who abandoned the Party and now conspires against the Party, whom everyone loves. Goldstein is used here as a symbol of hate. Goldstein is first presented to us as a personification of hate, of someone who goes against all the ideals, and that is why he must be terminated. However, later on in the novel, we find out that Winston himself strongly disagrees with the party, making him an ally of Goldstein’s. Here, our view of Goldstein changes radically, as he now become another symbol entirely, a symbol of hope, a figure representing a victory against the Party. Goldstein has also supposedly created a group of people like him (the Brotherhood), like Winston, to go against the Party and all it stands for. Goldstein has become the symbol of the rebellion. In Part II, Winston finally discovers that O’Brien is on his side, and that there’s a rebellion forming against the Party. O’Brien then goes on to give