1984 George Orwell Theme Essay

1. Theme: Throughout the novel, Orwell made it plain that the major theme of the novel was the power of the Party, however, in Part 3, Orwell used torture as a minor theme, and that minor theme was used to convey the major theme. Evidence of that is found on page 266 when characters Winston and O’Brien discussed the fact that one proclaims his power over another by making the other suffer. For example, once in captivity, Winton and other prisoners were starved, as witnessed on pages 225 and 235. Also, Winton was savagely beaten repeatedly (240-241), subjected to harsh electrical shock (256-257), and mentally tormented “...to the edge of lunacy” (252).

2. Imagery: On page 225, Orwell touched on the visual, feeling, and auditory senses of the reader. He used a spatial description of the jail cell when he noted that the cell had “high-ceilings”, no windows, and “walls of glittering white porcelain”. He went further to state that the lighting was cold, so to use a word like cold to describe lighting appealed to the reader’s temperature sensations. Lastly, as it relates to the auditory senses, the writer mentioned the background droning noise of what could have been the
heating/cooling system.

3. Setting: In chapter 6, the final chapter of the novel, the author used a dusty corner table in a café as a backdrop setting. Backdrop settings aren’t particularly significant in literature, but Orwell made the corner table of the Chestnut Tree Café very significant in that, on pages 297-298, it was the place where the protagonist conceded to the antagonist, and it is where the author chose to end the story. Lastly, the café was specifically mentioned on pages 287 and 293.

4.
Characterization: The character O’Brien reemerged in part 3 of the novel through Orwell’s usage of indirect characterization. Ultimately, O’Brien was an evil and calculated character, but because the author depicted O’Brien with such a mild demeanor, the character was, at times, mistaken by Winston, the main character, as one to be appreciated in spite of the fact that O’Brien had betrayed him. Take a look at page 245 where the author notes O’Brien’s “gentle” and “patient” voice as he inflicts pain upon Winston, and again on page 257 when Orwell wrote that O’Brien kindly reassured Winston by placing his hand on Winston’s hand while torturing him. Orwell continued the kind charade of the O’Brien character up to the very end, yet making it very clear that O’Brien was
ruthless.

5. Mood: The mood of indifference was written, by Orwell, all over Winton and Julia’s first encounter after their release from capture. The two characters who once had a certain degree of love and affection for one another was abandoned by the author at that point. Pages 290-293 communicated the mood of indifference used by the novelist. Distinguished on page 292, the characters had no words for each other, and on page 293, the author explained that it was “pointless” and “unbearable” for Julia and Winston to be in one another’s company.
6. Symbol: Broadly, on page 289, Orwell used the game of chess to symbolize white versus black, and good versus evil. It was suggested by the writer that white always prevailed over black. Narrowly, the chess game piece the White Knight, symbolized Big Brother.

Reference
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1949. Print