1984 (Passage & Analysis)

“Both of them knew – in a way, it was never out of their minds – that what was now happening could not last long. There were times when the fact of impending death seemed as palpable as the bed they lay on, and they would cling together with a sort of despairing sensuality, like a damned soul grasping at his last morsel of pleasure when the clock is within five minutes of striking. But there were also times when they had the illusion not only of safety but of permanence. So long as they were actually in this room, they both felt, no harm could come to them. Getting there was difficult and dangerous, but the room itself was sanctuary. It was as when Winston had gazed into the heart of the paperweight, with the feeling that it would be possible to get inside that glassy world, and that once inside it time could be arrested. Often they gave themselves up to day-dreams of escape. Their luck would hold indefinitely, and they would carry on their intrigue, just like this, for the remainder of their natural lives. Or Katharine would die, and by subtle manoeuvrings Winston and Julia would succeed in getting married. Or they would commit suicide together. Or they would disappear, alter themselves out in a factory and live out their lives undetected in a back-street. It was all nonsense, as they both knew. In reality there was no escape. Even the one plan that was practicable, suicide, they had no intention of carrying out. To hang on from day to day and from week to week, spinning out a present that had no future, seemed an unconquerable instinct, just as one’s lungs will always draw the next breath so long as there is air available. Sometimes, too, they talked of engaging in active rebellion against the Party, but with no notion of how to take the first step. Even if the fabulous Brotherhood was a reality, there still remained the difficulty of finding one’s way into it [. . .] Moreover she took it for granted that everyone, or nearly everyone secretly hated the party and would break the rules if he thought it safe to do so [. . .] But she refused to believe that widespread, organized opposition existed or could exist” (Orwell 174-175).

George Orwell utilizes formal diction, as well as a varied syntactical structure, in order to convey the complexity of Winston’s thoughts, as opposed to the limited vocabulary of the Party and Big Brother. He portrays the futility of resistance against a higher power. This particular author employs a tone of disillusionment and incredulity as Winston struggles to cope with a society keen on controlling every aspect of humanity.  His words are organized in the most efficient and effective way to draw out emotion in the reader. The novelist chronologically organizes Winston’s thought to depict his inner-intellectual being. The relationships between words are symbiotic; they work together to enhance the meaning of 1984. The overall text is extremely precise, formal and proper. George Orwell desired to warn the Western world of Communism, and how it should be displayed to the general public. It illustrates the effects of a totalitarianism regime that has drastically taken hold of society. He illustrates that, though rebellion may exist, authority retains control. By choosing to eliminate any excess or filler words, he is able to show his properness and efficiency as a writer to constantly put forth only the best words into his writing. The short fragments exhibits Winston’s thoughts and feelings, but also takes into account the mortality and impermanence of life for himself, as well as Julia. Every breath he takes is an assault to the honor of the Brotherhood and the Party because of the heinous crimes he has planned to commit with Julia. Orwell’s ability to bring every thought back to Winston’s own mortality conveys the futility of resistance in the eyes of a totalitarian government. Orwell draws out every word to lengthen the survival of Winston and Julia, though they know the end is soon to come. The characters are lost in a seemingly endless battle to destroy every last fragment of society. Taking everything at face value, Winston and Julia realize the complete uselessness of their actions. They are among the dead; Orwell shows this through the paperweight. The paperweight stands the test of time and remains forever still, while Julia and Winston are put through a living nightmare each and every day of their miserable lives.