"And then a voice from the telescreen was singing:
'Under the spreading chestnut tree
I sold you and you sold me:
There lie they, and here lie we
Under the spreading chestnut tree' (66)."
-This song is Orwell's take on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called The Village Blacksmith. Chestnut trees can symbolize happiness and prosperity, which is why Orwell chose this particular poem. This quote foreshadows the end of the novel when Winston is sitting in the Chestnut Tree Cafe. It is right after his last meeting with Julia when they both admit to betraying one another which goes along with the line "I sold you and you sold me". Now that they have let each other go and do not have any feelings for each other anymore and have both chosen to be oblivious to all the lies around them, they are free and as happy as anyone can be living in Oceana. Winston is, metaphorically speaking, safe "Under the chestnut tree" in the Chestnut Tree Cafe.
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1452
http://www.symbolic-meanings.com/2007/10/23/symbolic-meaning-of-chestnut/
nice
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