1984 is a groovy book that offers a lot of dark and depressing imagery about how much everything suckS. So here is a grand post about just that!
Passage:
"He took down from the shelf a bottle of colourless liquid with a plain white label marked VICTORY GIN. It gave off a sickly, oily smell, as of Chinese rice-spirit. Winston poured out nearly a teacupful, nerved himself for a shock, and gulped it down like a dose of medicine. Instantly his face turned scarlet and the water ran out of his eyes. The stuff was like nitric acid, and moreover, in swallowing it one had the sensation of being hit on the back of the head with a rubber club" (Orwell 2).
Why:
This really sets up the tone for the next few hundred pages, even though its on page 2 of the text. It gives a feeling of despair and hopelessness, as the main character, Wilson, has resorted to using alcohol to prepare himself for the days ahead. Furthermore, the liquid is labeled as "victory gin," showing that all people of that age has that kind of a mindset.
Another important thing is the showcase of a totalitarian government that is emphasized through the whole quote, with the victory gin being a representation of the lies and propaganda put out.
The victory gin obviously tasted horrible and felt like 'nitric acid,' and this seems to describe the faux news put out pretty nicely.
After swallowing the gin, one has the 'sensation of being hit in the back of the head with a rubber club, similar to the government: if propaganda and rules are followed, betrayal and poverty are sure to follow. The rubber club also represents the simplicity of the mind control, almost dating back to neolithic times - fake promises will get people on board.
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