1984 #8 - The Wine of 1984

In George Orwell's novel 1984, wine represents the past and the dream of a future that is like the past. Wine is said to have "belonged to the vanished, romantic past" meaning it is no longer viewed as a needed item in Winston's society, but it was nice while it was around (173). Winston has "read and dreamed about" wine just as he has read and dreamed about the past (173). Just like he believed that wine would have "an intensely sweet taste [...] and an immediate intoxicating effect", Winston believes that the past was probably better than the present and had easier living (173). This thought connects with the fact that Winston may believe the future will be bright and an intense change, but then it will easy to live in. However, wine turns out to be "distinctly disappointing", which could be foreshadowing that either the plan for the future fails or that it turns out to not be what anyone expected (173). The idea that "after years of gin drinking" Winston "could barely taste" the wine relates to the fact that, after living in an oppressive, emotion-stripping society (the gin), the new society could be hard to adjust to (the wine) (173). The "sour-sweet smell" alludes that the plan to make the future happen is both good and bad: bad things must be done for a good cause (173).