What is the greater meaning of the thrush?

Question

In *1984*, Orwell devotes a few lines to a singing thrush that lands several feet away from Julia and Winston during their first secret meeting. > A thrush had alighted on a bough not five metres away, almost at the level of their faces. Perhaps it had not seen them. It was in the sun, they in the shade. It spread out its wings, fitted them carefully into place again, ducked its head for a moment, as though making a sort of obeisance to the sun, and then began to pour forth a torrent of song. In the afternoon hush the volume of sound was startling. Winston and Julia clung together, fascinated. The music went on and on, minute after minute, with astonishing variations, never once repeating itself, almost as though the bird were deliberately showing off its virtuosity. Sometimes it stopped for a few seconds, spread out and resettled its wings, then swelled its speckled breast and again burst into song. Winston watched it with a sort of vague reverence. For whom, for what, was that bird singing? No mate, no rival was watching it. What made it sit at the edge of the lonely wood and pour its music into nothingness? ... > But by degrees the flood of music drove all speculations out of his mind. It was as though it were a kind of liquid stuff that poured all over him and got mixed up with the sunlight that filtered through the leaves. He stopped thinking and merely felt. What's the purpose of such a detailed description? Personally, I've always thought that the thrush has had a greater symbolic meaning in the novel because its beautiful singing serves as a sharp contrast to the harshness of Oceanian society. Is there greater meaning in this passage that I'm missing?

Answer 1

Any interpretation supported by textual examples can be considered a valid reading. My reading of the thrush, in addition to the contrast it serves, would be that of a messenger. Omens can be both good and bad and this bird is seemingly preaching loudly of an omen that will later be revealed as the novel progresses. Winston and Julia are perplexed by the thrush’s song, but we as readers can take clues from the setting to better understand its message. The thrush sings in the light while Julia and Winston cling together in the shade. One must remember that this is their first secret meeting, and rather than something ominous happening in this moment, beautiful song pours out incessantly. One might infer that this thrush is declaring new found love, or good fortune to come. Of course, any change in this status would be denoted by another symbol that contrasts that of the thrush. This is only one interpretation of this scene, however and multiple readings serve us well to better understand additional perspectives.