Do We Have Gender Roles In 1984 By George Orwell

How do you think society would function without gender roles? The novel 1984 by George Orwell depicts a dark dystopian society in which a manipulative, totalitarian government creates the nation of ‘Oceania’ where gender is irrelevant to the government; citizens solely needed to support “Big Brother.” The story follows Winston Smith, a 39-year-old man, through a series of events that showcase just how twisted the beliefs and morals of the dystopia are. Regardless of both sexes’ shared goal, the gender roles are still clearly defined. In the book 1984, gender roles are defined through the government, sex, and family.

First off, gender roles in 1984 are plainly defined through the government. To begin with, the face of the government is “Big

Brother,” a figure who is obviously male, defined as a “black-mustachio’d face… [With] dark eyes…” (Orwell 2). The most blatant piece of propaganda the government uses to influence its citizens is a simple poster portraying this figurehead with the phrase “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” posted on just about every corner (Orwell 2). The fact that the symbol is male, rather than female, works to show that men were still viewed as more intimidating and powerful in their society. Similarly, the vast majority of antagonists in 1984 are male. People like O’Brien, Mr. Charrington, and all of the guards in the Ministry of Love who tortured Winston were male. “Always there were five or six men in black uniforms at him simultaneously” (Orwell 240). This again helps support the fact that men were the more powerful and repressive gender. In addition, women were always depicted in a submissive way throughout the novel. Mrs. Parsons was very submissive towards her children in the novel, Julia was always submissive towards Winston during their romantic encounters, and Katherine was always very submissive towards the government, unlike what Winston wanted. In other words, men are depicted and powerful and repressive the majority of the time throughout the novel while women are depicted as submissive.
Secondly, gender roles are defined evidently through the topic of sex throughout the book. To start, The Party planned on literally utilizing females as a machine for procreation. “Children will be taken from their mothers, as one takes eggs from a hen” (Orwell 267). They planned to abolish the instinct for sex, and implant in females’ minds that one of their sole purposes was to procreate for the party. This materializes their role as a woman, and really adds to the horridness of their morals. On another note, Julia utilizes sex as her way of rebelling against the government. “Whereas it is commendable that Julia undermines the stereotype that a female is virtuous and celibate, she acquiesces to the patriarchal conceit that a woman is sexually objectified” (Yon). She chose to oppress the government with that illegal act regardless of her being a member of the Junior Anti-Sex League, but also chose to accept the role society told her to have a submissive woman. “Tactically, The Party was even inclined to encourage prostitution as an outlet for instincts which could not be altogether suppressed” (Orwell 65). Even though it was completely illegal, many of the poorer women partook in prostitution, which shows that even in this society, sometimes women were only valued for sex. To summarize, women are primarily valued for their sex in the eyes of the government, and many men, especially proles, throughout the book, which gives men more power over women.
Lastly, family had a lot of effect on gender roles throughout the book.

The government completely altered the entire idea of a family to change its citizens’ views on it. “No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer” (Orwell 267). Embedding this mindset into their brains changes the way they view the opposing sex especially; husbands couldn’t trust wives, mothers couldn’t trust sons, fathers couldn’t trust daughters, and vice versa. “His mother’s memory tore at his heart because she had died loving him, when he was too young and selfish to love her in return” (Orwell 30). Unlike many children in the book, Winston felt deep regret for not loving his mother when he was a child. Most children in the book were little spies; they’d watch their parents and report them to the Thought Police if need be. Regarding marriage, Winston’s relationship with his wife Katharine was a prime example of a marriage the government would set up. While Winston wanted sex, Katharine only felt the need to have a child for the Party. She even referred to it as “our duty to The Party” (Orwell 67). This put an unbearable strain on their relationship, and even brought Winston to have thoughts of murdering her before she disappeared. In synthesis, the fear that the government implanted in its citizens regarding trust in their families put serious strains on their opinions of and ability to trust the other

gender.
In conclusion, gender roles in 1984 are defined through the government, sex, and family. These differences emphasize the roles that each gender plays, regardless of the fact that the government treats them the same. Even though both sexes only serve the purpose of supporting the government and “Big Brother,” and both of them are controlled almost solely by fear, they play distinctly opposite roles. Men in the story were almost always portrayed as strong, substantial beings that Winston tended to admire, while women were commonly displayed as submissive, lesser beings who Winston tended to resent. It poses a question though: how would the book be different from a woman, say Julia’s, point of view? Would women be empowered in her eyes? Would it be the same?