'It was something in your face. I thought I'd take a chance. I'm good at spotting people who don't belong. As soon as I saw you I knew you were against them.'- Julia. The novel 1984 by George Orwell discusses many different topics. Winston Smith the main character deals with oppression in Oceania, a place where the Party inspects human action with Big Brother. Winston dared to express his thoughts and write them down in a diary and pursue a new forbidden relationship with Julia. Winston Smith and his partner Julia both contribute to the theme of rebellion in the novel. In 1984, Winston Smith is a very interesting and different character compared to the rest. Unlike the others, he chose to think about things rather than just agree with what he was told. Two very important symbols that represent rebellion are the diary that Winston kept hidden, along with the paperweight that he and Julia kept in the room they rented above Mr.Charrington’s shop.
To us keeping a diary is considered a normal thing to do and isn’t a big deal. In fact, we are usually even encouraged to express our thoughts and keep a journal or a diary. In the novel 1984, Winston kept a diary and it was considered defying the government and committing a crime since such a diary was illegal at the time and situation where Winston lived in. Winston’s diary strongly represents rebellion in the novel. While he wrote in it he knew that it constitutes an act of rebellion and that he was committing a “thought crime” against the party. Winston had many rebellious thoughts and beliefs, and he kept track of them in his diary. He describes the films he watched, the thoughts about his lust for Julia and his admiration for an important Inner Party member named O’Brien, a man he was sure was an enemy of the Party. “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” Winston wrote this in his diary when he remembered the picture he found, which proved that the Party was lying about where they were on a certain date and that means they must have been lying about their involvement in treason. George Orwell authorizes logic and access to historical facts as the cure to the Party’s psychological control. Another thing Winston wrote down in his diary, though unconsciously was: “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER over and over again, filling half a page.” This shows the commitment to thought crime, which is considered the worst crime in Oceania. Winston is rebellious and keeps on writing even though he is sure the Thought Police will catch him and eventually kill him.
The coral paperweight is another important symbol of rebellion. It symbolizes Winston's desire to escape from reality and go back to the time before the Party took over Oceania. Winston uses the coral to bring back memories of the past. He dreams to return to a normal life like the olden days, where people were free to express themselves and to be who they want to be. The beautiful coral is enclosed in glass and represents the private and secure room in Mr. Harrington’s shop where most of their rebellion took place. In the room, Winston and Julia tried new things from the black market and had their affair, both of which show rebellion against the party.