Symbolism in 1984 Essay Example
Symbols are used in a book because they can make the book more interesting and entertaining to read. In 1984 by George Orwell, symbolism is used to make a tangible item have a deeper meaning. Such symbols include the clothes the people wear, the red sash, the telescreens, Big Brother, Victory Gin, Victory Cigarettes, and the paperweight. The people in 1984 wear the same clothes. They are all uniform and are old, worn down, and raggedy. There is virtually no individualism. The people are like robots because they all wear the same thing and do what the government tells them to do. The red sash is something the girls can wear. The red sash is a chastity belt. Is shows the people that a woman is committing herself to chastity. Julia wears one. Julia does not practice chastity; she just lies about it (Orwell 1-10). The telescreens are big boards that the government can play videos on. These telescreens could also see the people, they were like hidden cameras. They spied on the people. This gave the people no freedom or privacy. They were always being watched. It was a way of using technology to make sure the people are doing exactly what the government wants them to do. A poster in the novel read, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 2). This is referring to the telescreens watching the people at all times. It also shows that the government is making sure that the people know this (Orwell 1-5). Big Brother is the ruler of the people. He is the absolute ruler who makes the people do what he says. He is very mean. He is the combination of Stalin and Hitler. He is a Communist leader. He is the Man who is the Government. He is the one who is brainwashing the people with lies such as, “War is Peace” (Orwell 4). This is a lie because they are too opposites. He just wants the people to think that the world is peaceful and their society is perfect the way it is (Orwell 3-5). Victory Gin and Victory Cigarettes were given to the people to keep them happy. They were not