Literary Analysis of 1984

1. Symbol: 

The chessboard is presented throughout 1984 and symbolizes the type of game Big Brother is playing with the people of Oceania. Winston, the outer party, and the proles, represent the black chess pieces, because, “In no chess problem since the beginning of the world has black ever won” (Orwell 289). Big Brother represents the white chess pieces, as Winston notices that a, “huge face gazed back at him, full of calm power. White always mates” (Orwell 289). However, the situational irony is that Winston himself is using a “white knight” to win the chess game against the “black horde” even though he is strongly against the party(Orwell 291). He is aiding Big Brother in oppressing the outer party and the proles. He is permitting the existence and immortality of Big Brother by allowing his mind to be constantly consumed by him. The chessboard shows that Big Brother is only able to win if he is given the power and strength from those who are lower than him. If no one is there to move the chess pieces in his stead, then his existence will be forgotten and he will be stripped away from his throne of power. In other words, Big Brother only lives through those who remember him. 

2. Motif:

The recurring symbol of the Victory gin represents the party’s control over how the people of the party perceive Big Brother’s society. The simile regarding the Victory gin explains that it is “like nitric acid” and has “the sensation of being hit on the back of the head with a rubber club… the world began to look more cheerful”(Orwell 5). The physical aspect of draining one’s view of a dark society is similar to the mental deterioration of one’s determination to uphold a belief different from the party. After Winston eventually gives into Big Brother’s principles, he forces himself to drink gin despite the terrible taste because it, “was his life, his death, and his resurrection” (Orwell 294). The party forces him to be dependent on the gin, which indirectly allows the party to control his life because he cannot live without it. The frequent appearance of the Victory gin shows that they are always in control regardless of the situation.