Misogyny In 1984 By George Orwell

A Man’s Portrayal of Women

Throughout the novel 1984 by George Orwell, misogynistic thoughts and actions are a recurring motif.Whether it be due to time period or thoughtfully written as a part of the character, misogyny is prevalent in Winston's mind. Orwell makes Winston selfish and arrogant. He turns sex into a symbol and Julia into a toy. She is not given any sort of respect or a brain. Orwell does not let Julia’s character develop, into her own person. Through Winston’s thoughts and actions, it is shown that there is an underlying feeling of hatred that stems from misogyny.
Considering 1984 was published in 1949 it is expected that sexism and misogyny would play a role throughout the book. Yet it is unclear if Orwell believed in the

degrading ideals or if he believed that it was necessary to the plot. Some claim that considering the time period he would not have been able to write it any other way, however, “the idea that racism and sexism were ubiquitous before we came along is a slander on our own parents, grandparents, and ancestors. Yes, there was virulent racism and sexism in the past (as there is today). But that doesn't mean everyone, everywhere in the past was equally racist and sexist. Charles Dickens's female protagonists are treacly and vapid, but George Eliot's aren't—just as Eliot's working class characters tend to be condescending sentimental portraits, while Dickens's are human beings”(Berlatsky). It can be reasoned that misogyny through the book ties in with complete control, including control over women and the body.
The hatred of women is displayed in different ways, such as violence, or selfishness. Winston from a very early age, begins to treat his mother and little sister as less important than him. He starves them so he is able to eat, knowing that what he is doing is wrong but he did not care. “He knew that he was starving the other two, but he could not help it; he even felt that he had a right to do it. The clamorous hunger in his belly seemed to justify him”(Orwell 162), Winston was old enough to have a conscience and determine right from wrong. However he deemed himself more important than his female family members, thus beginning the life of hatred and misogyny. His selfishness goes beyond just women. A lot of times misogynistic people do not only hate women, but they hate everyone that is not them. It is evident in Winston’s actions and ideals that he only cares for himself. He is willing to do anything for his own personal gain, even though he masks it as wanting to make a difference in the world, “Thus Winston has no moral grounds for differentiating himself from the Party, as O'Brien reminds him when Winston later expresses outrage at the Party's single-minded pur- suit of power for its own sake… But what is clear is that he cannot be seen merely as O'Brien's innocent victim. Winston has agreed to use others as means to his own ends, causing unspeakable pain and harm if necessary”(Patai 8).He hates the way the world works, so he wants to change it and apparently has the capacity to do anything to get what he wants. Yet somehow the Party does the same thing and he is absolutely disgusted by their ability to control everybody. His hypocrisy is not an uncommon way of thinking. People should not hate or control him, but he should be able to hate and control others.
Some believe that they have the right to a woman’s body and that she as a whole is a possession.The reason women change their names once married is because that signified that they were now the husband’s property.

Names are not used to identify a woman as an individual, “Julia has only a first name; she is an insignificant female, and Orwell in this respect follows his society's convention of considering a woman's last name a disposable, because changeable, element in an uncertain social identity. O'Brien, at the opposite pole, has only a last name, in typical masculine style. And Winston Smith, halfway between the powerless personal feminine and the powerful impersonal masculine, has a complete name, albeit an ironic one in that it combines the legendary with the commonplace”(Patai 12). Julia’s last name was not given because she was not the property of someone. Just as Mrs.Parsons was not given a first name because she was identifiable as Tom Parsons’ wife. It is abusive and controlling for someone to believe that because they slept with someone before, they now could do whatever with their bodies. “She had become a physical necessity, something that he not only wanted but felt that he had a right to. When she said that she could not come, he had the feeling that she was cheating him”(Orwell 139), Winston was angry because she had a life to live and was not there to have sex with him whenever he wanted. He thought of Julia as a toy that he could play with whenever he wanted. Orwell wrote with the idea that women were only meant for a man’s pleasure. The only use for a woman is to be there for a

man.
Winston believed that for some time he had loved Julia. However what he really loved was what she symbolized, an act of rebellion. He did not care about her at all and did not take her feelings into account. All he wanted to do was have sex. While he did believe that sex was an animalistic instinct, he still only saw it as a defiance to the Party, rather than something intimate between two people, “But Orwell's rhetoric is not in fact borne out by the actual representations of sexuality in the text; the liberatory power of the erotic seems largely as an abstract notion for Orwell.Indeed, Winston’s initial fantasies about sex have very little of the instinctive or natural about them. Upon first seeing Julia, believing that she is a proponent of the Party's puritanism and that he could never have her, he imagines beating and killing her in much more detail than he imagines making love to her”(Jacobs 8-9).Winston does not like Julia, and on multiple occasions he wants to rape and beat her. The only reason they have a relationship is because it goes against the Party. Winston dreams of Julia and instead of focusing on her he focuses on how it would be liberating and easy to overthrow the government. “This, like the movements of the dying Jew ess and of his mother, is a "gesture belonging to the ancient time" and fore shadows Julia's flinging off her Junior Anti-Sex League sash before they make love the first time”(Weatherly 9). She flings off her clothes, which Winston sees as flinging away the government. It also shows who Julia really is before properly revealing it Winston is supposed to be the rebel and not conform to the standards, which is why sex is written in as an important factor. However Julia is not trying to overthrow the government, she just likes sex. she is not given the capability to be Winston’s partner due to being presented as a mindless character.
Women have generally been treated as if they are not intelligent or capable of having their own thoughts.They are deprived of educations and the ability to experience life, without the guidance and control of men. When meeting with O’Brien, Winston is the only one speaking or being spoken to. Julia is ignored and left aside,“O’Brien had turned himself a little in his chair so that he was facing Winston. He almost ignored Julia, seeming to take it for granted that Winston could speak for her”(Orwell 172). Orwell does not give Julia the capacity to think or be her own person, even though before he clearly shows that she is incredibly clever in planning how to meet Winston. As soon as there was a man who was known to be intelligent, she was cast aside. Julia had wanted to be a part of the rebellion, she had been the one to push Winston to take action. However once it came to it she believed what the party told her. She was too young to realize the differences and did not care about it,“Talking to her, he realized how easy it was to present an appearance of orthodoxy while having no grasp whatever of what orthodoxy meant. In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it”(Orwell 156). She seemed like she understood the differences but not quite. It is also shown that once they get Goldstein’s book she is still completely uninterested. Orwell does not give Julia any intellectual depth. She is ignored and made to seem stupid or too young to care.
The sexism throughout the book is prevalent and a main part of Winston as a character. A lot of emphasis on control was towards the body, specifically Julia’s body. Winston tries to claim it as a prize. He wanted to be awarded for rebelling. Julia is portrayed the way some like to think of women. She is thoughtless and her only desire is men. She was thrown around in the book for the pleasure of a man. If the female character is hated, it makes the average man look heroic. Misogyny is the act of putting women down and that is what makes men feel as if they have power and control.

Works Cited
Berlatsky, Noah. "The 'Product of Its Time' Defense: No Excuse for Sexism and Racism." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 May 2017.
Jacobs, Naomi. "Dissent, Assent and the Body in Nineteen Eighty-Four."jstor.org Penn State University Press, Web. 17 May 2017.
Orwell, George. 1984. London: Harvill Secker, 1949. Print.
Patai, Daphne. "Gamesmanship and Androcentrism in Orwell's 1984."jstor.org Modern Language Association, Web. 17 May 2017.
Weatherly, Joan. "The Death of Big Sister: Orwell's Tragic Message."jstor.org The Johns Hopkins University Press, Web. 16 May 2017.