What is that? A light in the darkness?

The room above Mr. Charrington's shop is a paradise, The act of rebellion is committed without fear of being observed, but what is the secret that the room appears to be holding? The room above Mr.Charrington's shop is a heaven for Julia and Winston. The room proves to be a sign of freedom and rebellion in a world of uniform marching and absolute control by the government. The importance of the room is the fact that they can do anything there, there are no visible telescreens, and slowly after a time Julia and Winston feel as if the room is a fort and no one can destroy or ruin what they have there. Winston expresses his ideas of the rarity and secrecy of the room by stating "The room was a world, a pocket of the past where extinct animals could walk." The meaning of "a pocket" represents how in the whole are a of airstrip one, that this lone secluded area provides the perfect setting to perform the act of rebellion. Which according to Winston "The act of sex, if performed correctly is rebellion". Julia, Who is much like Winston shows the same ideas about rebellion and sex. In our modern day we find that innocence and Virginity are good things. However for Winston innocence is negative, Winston finds that the more men Julia has been with the better. The concept of innocence is not liked here because innocence is orthodoxy, and as we know orthodoxy is not really living at all. The couple clearly show us their intentions with the room. However, the room, though it is extremely rare to find such a secluded place, it begins to make one wonder, if like the piece of coral Winston bought, if that too is a trap. Winston and Julia are becoming too reckless, the impression of how Winston talks about the room like a "safe heaven" seems to be polluting the secrecy of it.

The piece of coral that Winston bought, appears to be a rash act, as if someone has deliberately placed it there. The coral that was found in Mr. Charrington's shop was what appeared to be a former paperweight. However Winston sees the coral as himself, small and bright with ideas, and the glass that it is encased in it the world around him, ever squeezing the life and morale out of him. The world is closing in on Winston, faster than he ever expected, and now he is lost in a world of glass, where people reflect the party, rather than shining bright with their own ideas. When Winston first comes upon the coral he says "As Winston wandered toward the table, his eye was caught by a round, smooth thing that gleamed softly in the lamplight". I believe that this has a double meaning, that the people, proles and the city are the pile of trash on the table, and Winston is the coral, gleaming with his ideas and concepts, all of this in the eye of the party. Julia appears to be the coral as well, she seems to be a lot like Winston, in his beliefs and rebellious ideas. Is Winston being noticed by the party? It is clear that the purchase of the coral is an indirect rebellion but to what avail?