"1984" post 5

“I hate purity, I hate goodness. I don’t want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones.”
George Orwell’s 1984 examines many controversial topics in the text, including that of the bible. Orwell uses specific references to such topics to further demonstrate his theme of questioning governmental leaders and their motives. The main character, Winston Smith, unearths an issue of biblical importance on present society and governmental rule. The statement also contributes greatly to the novel as a whole by using many other literary and rhetorical devices.
Winston Smith’s evident opinions on society and his statement of his ideal world distinguish many interesting topics. The quotation exposes an unusual reference to the bible and its importance on society. When Winston states that he “wants everyone to be corrupt to the bones” he wants the people to rebel against their government. In this novel, however, Orwell demonstrates how sometimes a governmental body can become treacherous and does not make logical decisions. Orwell emphasizes this event in the text by including an ironic motif that when reality seems like insanity and untruthfulness then, “insanity” is truthfulness and reality. This quotation is an example of this motif. When Winston believes that corruption is rebellious it is really rebellion which leads to purity and wholesomeness. This obvious example of irony is also referring to a biblical reference of original sin. According to the Bible, all humans are born with original sin so God may forgive them and therefore be let into Heaven when they die. Winston’s Utopia of humans being corrupt to the bone alludes to Orwell’s ironic motif of corruption leading to purity. If humans are born with original sin, they will find happiness and truth. Orwell includes these significant references and other devices to emphasize both the extortion of the government and the rebellious momentum of Winston.
Another important aspect of the quotation is the syntactical structure and tone of the statement. Winston spoke in short, simple sentence to emphasize his passion and need for change. The repetition of “I hate” in the beginning of each idea Winston describes in the first sentence not only reiterates the emotion he feels, but directly conveys to the reader Winston’s opinion and disregard for to essential qualities of the human race. This viewpoint is ironic since it is such a strong negative emotion with two necessary qualities. Each opinion in the quotation lengthens in structure as Winston drills deeper into his aspirations. George Orwell’s use of this apparent syntactical structure keeps the reader entertained and wanting to continue to learn about Winston’s convictions. Orwell includes these devices to both emphasize and entertain the reader when reading his novel and to keep them wanting to read on.
Therefore, George Orwell uses various literary and rhetorical devices in this short quotation. Orwell makes references to the Bible, extenuates his ironic motif, and includes interesting syntactical structure in this statement. He accommodates these devices into the text to give the reader a better understanding of the theme of the novel.