Saturday 23 July 2011

In 1984, what do Winston's dreams about his mother, the golden country, and the dark-haired girl reveal about him?

I see 's dreams
about his mother and his betrayal of her a bit differently.  His grabbing the chocolate for
himself suggests that there are certain drives that are almost out of his/our control.  Stealing
food from your mother/sister is a horrible act, but it suggests a kind of malleability that
foreshadows what is going to happen at the end of the story.  Winston's betrayal ofis horrible;
"Do it to Julia" may be the saddest words in modern literature, but they are, in the
world of , unavoidable.  In the long run, the state "breaks"
everyone.  

I think that Winston's dreams of the golden country and the
dark-haired girl represent his "romantic" side, his belief that things can be better;
it is akin to his belief that if there is going to be "salvation," it will come from
the Proles.  These dreams show how little Winston is aware of the present reality and are tied
to his belief (which is contrary to his expressed knowledge) that he can keep the diary without
any consequences.  Perhaps it is these ideas that make his final undoing so
painful.

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