George Orwell's 1984, Symbol of the Diary

In George Orwell's novel 1984, the diary is a symbol of hope that runs through the entire book. It is Winston's past and future and his first revolt. "Its creamy paper, a little yellowed by age, was of a kind that had not been manufactured for at least forty years" (Part I). This quote shows that the diary is a relic from the past. When he questions why he writes in the diary, his answer is "For the future, for the unborn" (Part I). Jackie Jura, an independent researcher from the website orwelltoday.com claims that Orwell is giving us a future warning through Winston writing the diary, just as Orwell is writing the book. This seems very likely because Winston's hope is so evident. "To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone-to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethink-greetings!" (Part I). The diary also leads him to another symbol of hope because it leads him to the paperweight.

In Part II, Winston doesn't do much writing. As he says himself, "He had moved from thoughts to words, and now from words to actions." He says this because his first sign of hope was a secret he kept and the second was starting his diary. Now he is having an affair with Julia and meeting with O'Brien, both in the world of actions.

In Part III, the diary itself is used against Winston. His sign of hope, his link with the past so that history cannot be re-written for him is demolished. O'Brien tries to convince him that together they have written in the diary. Winston tries to convince O'Brien that he has submitted. Winston does write in his diary that "Freedom is Slavery" and "God is Power" (Part III), but while writing he has a hallucination about Julia and cries out. He knows now that he cannot submit. His symbol of hope has led him to hope again, and now he must face Room 101.