Look, Ma, a simile!

"Accepting the Party as something unalterable, like the sky, not rebelling against its authority but simply evading it, as a rabbit dodges a dog" (131). The simile comapres the Party and its rules to a dog, and those like Winston that are trying to work around the rules to rabbits. Just as a dog tries to capture a rabbit, the Party will do anything necessary to weed out any nonconformers. Those who want to avoid this have the ability to hide from the dog, but it is tricky. This simile sums up the first half of the novel. Winston's goal is to live as normal of a life as possible without being caught by the thought police. He knows how to get around their rules, but he feels that it is only a matter of time until he is caught and killed. He lives his life hiding his true self from those who do not approve. He soon learns that he is not the only one of his type. This makes his run from the dog easier.

This simile creates a comparison that is constant throughout the novel. I could make some cheesy connections to add on to this connection to a dog and rabbit, but I won't. In all, this simile is one that creates the image of Winston's constant running from the Party. He can never feel completely safe....unless he is with Julia.