Journal #2- 1984

Motifs: The motif of victory is not represented as much in the second third of the book as it was in the first third. Instead, many other motifs began to show. The motif of darkness was one that I constantly recognized in the second third of 1984. The Party seems to be represented in many ways through the idea of darkness, but indirectly. Mr Charrington's antique store is described as a "tiny, dark shop" and he seemed to lead a "ghostlike existence" because "the old man seemed seldom or never to go out of doors" (125). When I first read this, I would think that it is just a small dark store because the man running it is old, and nice, and had nothing to do with the party. But instead, Mr. Charrington was a Thought Police. This idea of darkness is represented through the Party as to show that they exist everywhere even in the least expected place. When Winston was talking with O'Brien, O'Brien said, "You understand that you will be fighting in the dark. You will always be in the dark" (144). Winston agreed to that without even knowing what the meaning behind it was. He just thought is was a way to hide from the Party since he will be part of the Brotherhood. But O'Brien used it as a way to represent the Party. When he says that Winston "will always be in the dark," it is showing that Winston will always be under the control of the Party no matter what he does, because they Party is everywhere, even in the dark when the people would think they would be hiding, they wouldn't be. They will always be watched by the Party wherever they are, and this way the Party can make sure they maintain their control the entire time. Even having O'Brien say that represents the darkness of the Party that they would play along with someone to get them to admit everything, but then they would not be with that person, like O'Brien with Winston. They would be against them and be disguised under a darkness that no one expects.
Setting: The setting of most of the second third of the novel in Mr. Charrington's shop. Winston and Julia rented out the room on the top of his shop, believing it to be as a hideout place. Since all the proles seem to live life to the fullest, without any concerns of telescreens, Winston and Julia thought that same thing about the room. It was small and no one has lived in it, therefore they believed that it is safe. Instead, it was set up in a way as to give the reader a feeling of freedom that the characters have, but later realize that no one can mess around with the Party. Seeing the proles with no telescreen, Winston and Julia easily fell into the trap of Mr. Charrington's room as a hideout place. Before realizing there was a telescreen, the setting of the room was used as a way to express all the thoughts of the characters that have been hidden from the Party. They expressed their freedom and talked about all the things they would never dream of talking about. This setting was used as to let the reader feel that here is a safety zone and a hideout place when a Party is in control, and gives the reader a sense of relief that they were able to find a place where the characters don't have to be oppressed by the Party's control. But it was used as a way to shock to the reader. When the telescreen suddenly spoke and the thought police walked in into the room, it created the climax of the story. And so this setting of the room was used as a way to give the reader something that they did not expect at all. It was used as a way to prove to the people living in that society that the Party is always in control, and even the least expected place that a person would think would not be under that control of the party, is actually under the Party's control.
Language: When Winston meets Julia, the language of the novel becomes somewhat nice and breezy, with descriptions of flowers, and love and the sun. Orwell changes the language from a dark kind of controlling language, to a smooth and happy language. "It was a vast, luminous dream in which his whole life seemed to stretch out before him life a landscape on a summer evening after rain" (132). Orwell uses descriptions of flowers and love and rain to give the reader a sense of calmness and freedom from the control of the Party. He plays with the readers minds by showing the freedom and happiness of the characters, but little do they know that everything would change again, and they would be caught under the Party's control again. Although he does not completely use this language in the entire third, it is enough to change the reader's thoughts and make them think that the Party is not that strong and that there are many ways in which people can escape that oppression, but it was used to lead the reader to the shock of the intelligence of the Party.