Sex in 1984 In our modern world, sex is very prominent topic. We see it mentioned in advertisements, the media we consume, as well as in daily conversation. Therefore, it is not a surprise that the main character of 1984, Winston Smith, mentions it quite a great deal, and partakes in the activity quite often. While the central rulers of Oceania, the Party, try to eliminate the concept and action of sex, it goes on. In Winston’s life and among others, it is prevalent almost everywhere throughout the novel. Sex plays a significant role in 1984 as it is in the process of being eradicated amongst Party members, symbolizes rebellion in certain scenarios, and plays a different role among married couples compared to today. The Party has one …show more content…
Despite being a member of the Junior Anti-Sex League and thirteen years his junior, Julia approaches Winston via a note, confessing her love for him. They then begin a relationship that involves lots of sneaking around the Party and meeting up in strange places. Winston wants Julia to be as impure as possible and to have had many relations with other men. Their relationship is mainly based on them meeting up and having sex, not so much on talking. Especially since when Winston begins to speak about something she deems boring, Julia falls asleep. This shows that Julia may not even care about what Winston has to say, and perhaps does not even care for him. In fact, quite a few times when they actually speak to each other, they disagree on a great deal of things. Showing that possibly, Julia is only being with Winston to defy the Party, and not because she actually loves him. Which brings up the point that even though Winston and Julia’s affair symbolizes many things, above all, it symbolizes rebellion. Against the Party, specifically. Julia is part of an organization that forbids sexual relations, yet she goes out a does it anyways, and after he asks if she has had sex before, she is bold enough to tell him, “‘Of course. Hundreds of times - well, scores of times, anyways’” (Orwell 205). She sees it as an act of defiance against the Party, and even had a past relationship with an about 60-year-old Party member that ended up killing
Julia instructs Winston how to return to London. The two arranged meetings where and when they would meet again. Julia reveals that she is not interested in the revolt. Although, she is a personal rebel. Winston reveals information to Julia about his wife Katherine which he decided weather to not killer her or not. Winston returned to Mr. Charrington’s offer: he had rented the room above his shop in order to spend some private time with Julia. Winston reveals his fear of rats.
Winston’s and Julia’s meeting in the woods signifies breaking the totalitarian ways of the party. Here Winston feels free from observation, and gets a glimpse of the freedom that the party opposes. It is a place for lovemaking, a utter horrendous crime in their state. Here there are only Winston’s and Julia’s eyes,
Winston expresses his feelings towards Julia in such an extraordinary way, “He would flog her to death with a rubber truncheon. He would tie her naked to a stake and shoot her full of arrows.”(Orwell 15). When he is expressing these thoughts, he is actually talking about someone he was actrate to, Winston just had no way of expressing it besides anger. He sees this beautiful young girl, who has made this vow its remain pure and chaste and he just wants to kill her because of how frustrated about it. Although late in the book, who these same two people are alone in a place without worry, everything is different, for example “You are prepared, the two of you to separate and never see one another again. ‘No!’ broke in Julia….’No,’ he said finally.” (Orwell 173) This second moment gives us a definite second opinion about how he may actually feel towards Julia. When they are both in a safe place, and can freely state and do they things they wish to do, Winston does show that he cares for Julia, enough that he does not want to leave her. I believe that these two different feelings show us that even with the body trying to control how people feel, what they do, along with what they think they never get to have complete control of
1984 is a dystopian novel set inn Airstrip One, which used to be Britian. Oceania is always at war with another superpower, and their main goal is to achieve the most power throughout their world. The main character is Winston Smith, a man who works for the party and is supposed to change history to match what the party has told him. Winston lives in a society where he is constantly listened to and watched by telescreens and microphones to make sure he is enthusiastic about hate, and to make sure he doesn’t commit any crimes. Everywhere Winston goes he always sees posters that say, “Big Brother is Watching You.” Big Brother is the party leader that may or may not be real. The official language of Oceania, the country where Airstrip one is located, is Newspeak. Newspeak is the only language in Oceania that lessens it’s words each year so that it is harder for people to commit thoughtcrime. Winston is a dedicated worker, but often thinks about rebellion against Big Brother. Winston idolizes a man named O'Brien that he thinks is part of the Brotherhood, a terrorist group who constantly sabotages the party. Winston begins to like a woman named Juli...
Things to know: 1984 was a book written about life under a totalitarian regime from an average citizen’s point of view. This book envisions the theme of an all knowing government with strong control over its citizens. This book tells the story of Winston Smith, a worker of the Ministry of Truth, who is in charge of editing the truth to fit the government’s policies and claims. It shows the future of a government bleeding with brute force and propaganda. This story begins and ends in the continent of Oceania one of the three supercontinents of the world. Oceania has three classes the Inner Party, the Outer Party and the lowest of all, the Proles (proletarian). Oceania’s government is the Party or Ingsoc (English Socialism
She presents herself as a passionate Party follower, but underneath the surface she embodies the spirit of a bird; her desires are to be free and enjoy life. Winston is the complete opposite; he is consciously determined to differentiate fact and fiction. This is shown when Winston learns about Julia’s sexual history. His heart leapt out of his heart. Scores of times she had done; he wished it had been hundreds-thousands.
Prior to meeting Julia, Winston frets constantly about life and essentially has nothing to look forward to. Julia’s arrival into his life not only gives him
This is a form of resistance, although it does not hurt the party, it does defy what they stand for. The Party strictly restricts sex and only permits it when it is used to create children. These acts of resistance from Julia and Winston are one of the reasons that they fall in love with each other. They love each other because of the fact that they have a mutual hatred for the Party. Their resistance to the Party is very similar to each other’s in the beginning of the book, but is very different later
Winston will talk to Julia about things on his mind, but she will dismiss them by saying she is not interested or by completely ignoring him, but Winston doesn’t seem to mind. When thinking about the relationship between them, it seems that Winston has more feelings for Julia does. She’s only interested in the physical attraction and what that brings about. They speak of having a life together, but for Julia the feelings are stale and only
And although Winston cares for Julia more than he cares for Katharine, Katharine also bases her relationship with Winston completely on sex. When Winston reflects on their time together, he thinks, “he could have borne living with her if it had been agreed that they remain celibate. It was Katharine who refused this”(70).... ... middle of paper ...
1984 is a novel written by George Orwell, the main theme of the novel is about how totalitarian society can control every aspect of a person thought, sexuality and action. Totalitarianism can be define as a repressive one-party that has total control over people thoughts and actions. In 1984, people are being control totally by the Party through device such as the telescreen. People are stripped away from their freedom to do things that they want. The Party wants people to only focus on improving the Party and set everything else aside. Love is nonexistent in this government and the Party’s policy strictly forbids sex. The Party restrains people from falling in love with one another. Consequently, people cannot display their love for each other out in public. Furthermore, sex for pleasure can be considered a crime in 1984’s totalitarian government unless it is “celibacy”. Goodsex is any kind of sex that is allowable by the Party with the intention to reproduce. Goodsex will increase the total population. The more people the Party has the stronger the Party will be. Repression helps the party and hurts the people who have to tolerate the Party’s policy. The Party’s repression of sexuality helps them eliminate people who are trying to corrupt the Party, ensuring the Party that they have control over what people can and cannot do. By repressing people thoughts and actions the Party is psychologically manipulating people and physically restraining them.
the prediction that sex would be illegal in the year 1984. In the story Winston
In 1984, Winston felt like sex was a rebellion. He is drawn to his lover Julia because she is corrupt and she enjoys sex, although she hides it by being a member of the "anti sex rally". In Brave New World, sex isn't looked upon as a crime, nor is pleasure. In fact, sex is promoted. As long as everyone uses regulation birth control and no one gives birth to a child naturally, then sex is considered perfectly normal.
From the two examples given, it is obvious that the Party feels threatened enough by sexual intercourse in an intimate relationship that it declared that sexual intercourse for any other purpose except bearing children and without any pleasure is a crime. This is in contrast to today, where intimate relationships go beyond that of just bearing children; it is a strong intimate bond between a man and woman and an integral part of a relationship. The author of the article “So are we living in 1984?” even comments on how the government of Oceania tries to get rid of the concept of sexual intercourse, but is foiled by human nature, “The Party’s stamping out of sex is an essential mode of control. But love, it seems, may exist in a place beyond the government's reach: They could lay bare in the utmost detail everything that you had done or said or thought; but the inner heart, whose workings are mysterious even to yourself, remain impregnable.”
Winston then begins to love his new life and enjoys every minute of it. He is also now a good member of the party, doing everything he is suppose to, and not thinking for himself. He is thinking just like the party had taught him. He had found Julia at a restaurant, and they went to the park to talk. They both had turned against each other and decided it was best for them not to be involved anymore. It was mostly because they did not have the physical attraction to each other anymore as they used to. They both had changed because of being beaten in jail.