1984 10

"'The rat,' said O'Brien, still addressing his invisible audience, "although rodent, is carnivorous. You are aware of that. You will have heard of the things that happen in the poor quarters of this town. In some streets a woman dare not leave her baby alone in the house, even for five minutes. The rats are certain to attack it. Within quite a small time they will strip it to the bones. They also attack sick or dying people. They show astonishing intelligence in knowing when a human being is helpless.'" (285)

Orwell uses the rat - Winston's biggest fear - as a symbol for fear and weakness multiple times in the book. Perhaps the most symbolic use of the rat was when Winston and Julia were in their "secret" room, and a rat appeared in the corner. At the time of reading that, a reader will simply dismiss it as a fear of Winston's. Everyone has a fear, right? But upon finishing the book, a reader will look back upon that moment of weakness and think that the use of the rat at that moment shows the first sign of dishevelment in Winston and Julia's relationship. The fact that the rat appears in that room, too, is foreshadowing for the horrible demise of their relationship.