George Orwell wrote the famous book, 1984, that centers around the dystopian society of Oceania. Orwell wrote the novel in 1948 as a warning against the totalitarian effects on society (BBC). He was inspired because he was worried about how the on-going World War II would affect the government (The Odyssey). The key characteristics of Oceania is the constant monitoring of the government on its people and limits of freedom. There are countless numbers of covers for the book, but I chose two that portray the same overall message in very different ways, that an overbearing government can ruin society.
The cover on the right popped out to me more, as it shows citizens of Oceania surrounded by the party's most famous slogans and images. The first noticeable aspect of the book was the sign reading "Big Brother is Watching You!" Big Brother is a motif brought up throughout the book that draws attention to the lack of privacy in Oceania. More slogans are brought into the cover, "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength." These slogans symbolize another key feature of the book, the governments alteration of facts and extreme propaganda. The men are wearing blue overalls, which is what all members of the party are required to wear. The women are also dressed in denim, alluding to the support of the blue overall dress code. The relationship between the man and the woman in this cover also symbolize the party's discouragement of sex. This is so because they are facing away from each other, appearing to ignore the other's presence. The discouragement of sex is also visualized because button on the woman's shirt read "Anti-Sex League," which is what the government put into place to halt the act itself, unless if it was for the purpose of making a baby. If this is a button, as it appears to be, that would aid the idea that the government was actually using propaganda-like techniques to promote sexual restrictions. I also noticed the broken bricks at the bottom, that the man with a "Big Brother" face appears to be knocking at with a tool. Throughout Winston's adventures in 1984, he discusses how society was disheveled and the cities were not provided with basic essentials, or always in lack of a good. The broken bricks then could symbolize how society is shattered by the government since "Big Brother" is actually the government, and he is hitting at the bricks with a tool.
The book cover on the left shows an over sized, odd looking pair of eyes, accompanied by a man standing in front of the skyline of a city with his back to the audience. The placement of the eyes above the city, along with their massive size, communicate that that the citizens are constantly being watched because the eyes are a symbol of the government. The man is meant to represent the people of Oceania because we are not shown his face, only the characteristics that all party members share, like the blue overalls of the party members. This plays into the idea that the people of Oceania are not unique, merely just tools for the government.
Overall, both book covers contain immense amounts of symbolism. The main idea both share is that the citizens are constantly being watched and observed, shown with the Big Brother poster, then the massive eyes. The symbolism of surveillance shows the main aspect of the book which is the extreme security and restrictions in Oceania. Although the covers differ in the way that one communicates its theme with words and one with images, they both portray the same idea that the lives of the citizens will be restricted by the overbearing rules of the government.
