In the novel, “1984” written by George Orwell, there are several examples of setting and the different ways that he incorporates it into each chapter. The setting of a story is the emotional and physical attributes that give the book a meaning and make it worth the read. The emotional setting is the mood and atmosphere and the various words that go along with the feel of the story, such as, gloomy or joyful. Whereas the physical setting is more to do with where this takes place and the location, the weather, any adjectives or physical features. An example from the novel for physical setting would be in chapter 5 when the author is describing Winston’s place of work and what it’s like, “the weather was baking hot. In the labyrinthine Ministry the windowless, air-conditioned rooms kept their normal temperature, but outside the pavements scorched one’s feet and the stench of the Tubes at the rush hours was a horror” (Orwell 158). This quotation provides us with great detail on the room that Winston is standing in and uses different adjectives like “baking” and “horror” to help us understand and fully grasp the setting and situation. It gives us the physical features, weather components and the location of where this is taking place. An example of emotional setting would be, “in a way she realized that she herself was doomed, that sooner or later the Thought Police would catch her and kill her, but with another part of her mind she believed that it was somehow possible to construct a secret world in which you could live as you chose” (Orwell 144). This shows what Julia is thinking and how she is a bold individual who doesn’t give in to the beliefs of the party, but understands that she will eventually be caught and found out if she shares these thoughts publicly. These are just a few of the numerous ways you can use setting and mood to establish a specific part or chapter of a story and “1984” does a great job of showing this.
Setting Chapter 5 Practice – “1984”
Reply