My Second Reading

Welcome back readers!

In this section of George Orwell's 1984, I read from Part 1: Chapter 8 to Part 2: Chapter 9. This section contained a lot more plot than my previous reading, which was a relief! It focused mainly on developing the illegal relationship between Winston and Julia, so I think it is only appropriate to fully introduce their characters in this post.

The romance between Winston and Julia begins when Winston notices Julia following him. He initially thinks that she is a spy, and is wary of her presence. However, he soon realizes that this is not the case when she slips a note into his hand that says "I love you". They gradually increase their communication in secret, as Winston has a wife and therefore can not legally have a relationship with Julia. They agree to meet in a secret place away from the city, where they have sex for the first time and bond with one another. From that point on, they meet in secret to spend time together, typically meeting in the rented-out room above Mr. Charrington's antique shop. At the end of the section, they consult with Inner Party member O'Brien about becoming members of the Brotherhood, an underground organization that is determined to overthrow the government.

Winston, the main character, is one who I find not to be particularly likable. He tends to have very violent initial thoughts and reactions, such as when a man prevents him from sitting with Julia and he "[has] a hallucination of himself smashing a pickax right into the middle of [the man's face]" (93). He also admits to Julia that, upon first noticing her following him, he "wanted to rape [her] and then murder [her] afterwards" (101). These all portray Winston as being tended towards violence, something that I do not find very appealing in a main character. He also began to obsess over Julia, and feels that "She [has] become a physical necessity, something that he not only [wants] but [feels] that he [has] a right to" (115). This portrays him as objectifying Julia, which makes his love of her seem less sweet than it did initially. I think that Orwell chose to make Winston unpleasant so that he has room to grow as a character, but I do think that his temper and obsessive behavior towards Julia could cause issues later in the book.

Julia, on the other hand, is quite different from Winston. She is very intelligent and aware of her surroundings, as she knows exactly how to avoid being spied on by the government. She is also portrayed as being very rebellious and against the government, referring to the Inner Party members as "swine" on many occasions. She tells Winston that "during the Two Minutes Hate her great difficulty [is] to avoid bursting out laughing" (127), and revels in the "excellence of her disguise" (101) when Winston tells her that he had thought that she was a member of the Thought Police. Julia's rebellious spirit seems to be the push that Winston needs to further his treasonous thoughts towards the government into actions, which I think is Julia's main role in the novel. While Winston is just beginning to formulate his opinions towards the government's deceit, Julia actively defies them without fear, and brings out a similar side in Winston.

Although it is expected of Winston, Julia is also shown to have a darker side to her personality as well. This is exemplified when O'Brien is discussing the Brotherhood with Winston and Julia, and asking various questions about how far they would be willing to go to overthrow the government. These actions may include "[committing] acts of sabotage [that] may cause the death of hundreds of innocent people" (142) and "[throwing] sulphuric acid in a child's face" (142). Both Winston and Julia say that they would be willing to perform these actions if needed. While some may see this as standing up for their beliefs, I personally see this as showing how desensitized to violence they are, and how they both have aggressive tendencies.

I am very interested to see what happens to Winston and Julia's relationship, and whether or not they will actively become members of the Brotherhood! Their blatant risk taking is beginning to make me nervous...

Until next time,

Katie