“Under the spreading chestnut tree; I sold you and you sold me; They are there, and we are here; Under the spreading chestnut tree” (77). This quote seems meaningless, until one knows the meaning of its confusing symbolism. The novel 1984, written by George Orwell, is a novel based on a strict government rule. Yet the way the novel is written is what makes it both a political warning and a timeless treasure. George Orwell has such a writing style that his irony and symbolism can easily go unnoticed until the end of the novel when everything is pieced together. 1984 is about a man, Winston Smith, in which he lives under a strict government regime in which he is not free to think as he wishes. He commits a series of crimes against the Rule, also known as Big Brother, including having affairs with a woman named Julia. The two end up getting caught and selling themselves to end their horrible torment. The above quote was said to be a nursery rhyme, but it turned out to be a horrible truth about how they denounced themselves to the rule-enforcing party under Big Brother. 1984 is a confusing novel because of its constant use of symbolism, irony, and imagery. 1984 is a mind-boggling novel, mainly in part due to its copious use of symbolism. Throughout the novel, George Orwell gives meanings to small and delicate elements that, until the end of the novel, we may not really understand. The simplest example of the use of symbolism in 1984 was the glass paperweight. Winston purchased the paperweight from a parole store owned by a man named Mr. Charrington. During this time, Winston was led to believe that Mr. Charrington was a parolee, a parolee is a person who has free thought because they are not considered middle of paper.... .. war is peace, and yet there is always war and nothing is ever peaceful. The party lies to cover up acts of war that are not peaceful in any case. Freedom is not slavery. Freedom is the ability to think and act freely, but the characters in 1984 are slaves to the domination of their government. And ignorance is strength, because those who know the truth, like Winston, cannot act without going against the party. Yet those who know nothing, like words, have all the power if only they would recognize it. Words are the only ones that can have enough freedom to say that “two plus two makes four” (81). Additionally, there are four parties in the government. Ministry of Truth, Ministry of Love, Ministry of Peace and Ministry of Abundance. The Ministry of Truth houses party members who edit the past to include whatever the government wants it to say. (39).