Symbols in 1984

Symbolism means the representation of an idea, person, or thing by something else which recalls it by some similarity or association. Symbols are used in order to produce certain effects by means of suggestion instead of by a direct statement. The use of symbols produces intensity, concentrated richness, evocativeness, etc. Objects, situations, episodes, and even characters may serve as symbols to suit an authors purpose. Even words, phrases, and lines may be used for a symbolic purpose

The symbols in Orwell’s novel

In 1984, Orwell has used a number of symbols which include the album which Winston buys from the junkshop in order to maintain a dairy, the paperweight which also is bought by Winston from the same shop, the nursery-rhyme beginning with the line :

Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clements,

Room 101 and the rats, and the image of a boot. Among the situations which serve a symbolic purpose, we have Winstons memory of an experience with a prostitute, the saving of Winstons life from a rocket-bomb by a prole, and a gesture of love which Winstons mother makes a dream seen by Winston. Then there are a number of characters who serve as symbols. Finally, there is the symbolist technique which Orwell employs in his narrative.

The paperweight as a symbol

The major symbol of the novel is the paperweight which Winston buys from Mr. Charrington. This paperweight is a large lump of glass, shaped like a hemisphere with a piece of pink coral at its centre. There is a peculiar softness in both the colour and the texture of this glass. When Winston first sees this object. it is not only its beauty that interests and attracts him but also the air it seems to possess of belonging to an age quite different from the present one. Thus the paperweight becomes in Winstons eyes a symbol of the past which Winston values greatly but which the Party wishes to obliterate. Winstons purchase of this paperweight constitutes a further act of rebellion against the State. This paperweight is a dangerous thing for a Party member to have in his possession. Anything old, and for that matter anything beautiful, is always suspect in Oceania. But the paperweight does not symbolize the past only. It acquires a whole complex of meaning for Winston.

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