The aspidistra is a houseplant, particularly popular among the middle class of Victorian England (1850-1900) due to its minimal requirements for thriving. It had such popularity that every self-respecting home had to have at least one aspidistra in the window.
However, Gordon Comstock hates aspidrinas precisely for what they symbolize, the middle-class respectability; he also hates money, which everyone adores like a god. He chooses a job with no particular rewards, resulting in a life full of misery and degradation, depriving him of creativity and inspiration from the poetic vein he believes he possesses.
The only one who tolerates him in this sinking and decay is the sweet, patient Rosemary, but she is also the only one who motivates him to escape all this. Orwell writes another novel of social critique drawing from his personal experiences. He portrays the interwar period, giving its economic, social, and political imprint, insightful and penetrating as always...
