Editor's Choice

In 1984, what is Winston's dream about his mother and his feelings about it?

Quick answer:

Winston dreams about his mother twice in 1984, and the experiences fill him with remorse and shame. Winston recognizes that his mother sacrificed herself so that he could live, and he regrets being a selfish, cruel adolescent. The dreams also open Winston's eyes to the true nature of the proles, and he longs to return to a time when people were guided by private loyalties.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Winston has two tragic dreams about his mother that make him feel guilty and upset. In chapter 3, Winston dreams about his mother, who was sitting in an unspecified subterranean place holding onto his infant sister. Winston dreams of his mother looking up at him as she sinks lower and lower. Winston looks down from above as his mother and sister are "being sucked down to death" and realizes that they both sacrificed their lives for him in some way that he does not fully understand. When Winston awakens, he realizes that his mother's death was tragic and sorrowful. Orwell writes,

His mother's memory tore at his heart because she had died loving him, when he was too young and selfish to love her in return, and because somehow, he did not remember how, she had sacrificed herself to a conception of loyalty that was private and unalterable.

Winston experiences...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

guilt, remorse, and sadness from his dream, which is a manifestation of his suppressed emotions and memories. The dream also influences him to examine the concept of loyalty and sacrifice.

Winston's second dream about his mother is a childhood memory of the last time he saw her. In Winston's dream, he recalls a time in his youth when his mother received a chocolate ration and divided it into three equal parts. When Winston demanded to have more, his mother agreed to give him the biggest portion. Winston was still not satisfied and swiftly stole the entire chocolate ration before sprinting out of the house. He recalls the anxious look on his mother's face and his sister's feeble wail. When he returned home later that night, his mother disappeared and their house was empty. Although the unsettling dream fills Winston with guilt and shame, he recognizes that his mother was guided by private loyalties, and he views proles as genuine human beings for the first time. This dream transforms Winston's perception of the proles and enlightens him to the fact that they alone remain human.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In chapter 3, Winston has a dream about his mother, who is staring directly up at him from some mysterious, vague subterranean place that resembles a well. Winston recalls looking at his mother, who is holding his younger sister in her arms in the saloon of a sinking ship. In his dream, Winston watches helplessly as his mother and sister sink to their deaths. While he is watching them sink, Winston mentions that he experiences an overwhelming feeling that their lives were in some way sacrificed so that he could survive. Winston also recalls the look on his mother’s face as she sinks to the bottom of the sea. Winston’s mother shows no signs of reproach and stoically sinks out of sight. Winston is struck by the emotion he feels watching his mother and sister die. He feels that his mother’s death was tragic and sorrowful in a way that is no longer possible in the modern world. Winston feels emotionally disturbed and is heartbroken because his mother sacrificed her life for him, and he was too young and selfish to return her love. Winston poignantly realizes that the emotions and circumstances surrounding his mother’s tragic death would not be possible in modern-day Oceania, because the concepts of integrity, love, loyalty, and bravery no longer exist.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In 1984, what do Winston's dreams reveal about his character?

I see Winston's dreams about his mother and his betrayal of her a bit differently.  His grabbing the chocolate for himself suggests that there are certain drives that are almost out of his/our control.  Stealing food from your mother/sister is a horrible act, but it suggests a kind of malleability that foreshadows what is going to happen at the end of the story.  Winston's betrayal of Julia is horrible; "Do it to Julia" may be the saddest words in modern literature, but they are, in the world of 1984, unavoidable.  In the long run, the state "breaks" everyone.  

I think that Winston's dreams of the golden country and the dark-haired girl represent his "romantic" side, his belief that things can be better; it is akin to his belief that if there is going to be "salvation," it will come from the Proles.  These dreams show how little Winston is aware of the present reality and are tied to his belief (which is contrary to his expressed knowledge) that he can keep the diary without any consequences.  Perhaps it is these ideas that make his final undoing so painful.

Approved by eNotes Editorial