Characters in the First Half of 1984

Hi and welcome back to my blog on 1984! Last week I responded to the first six chapters of the book, and this week I’ll be focusing on chapters seven through twelve. This reading focused largely on the budding relationship between two characters, Winston and Julia. 

Winston Smith is the main character of 1984. Winston is “thirty-nine years old... [He’s] got varicose veins. [He’s] got false teeth.” (120). He’s introduced as an out of shape, “frail figure” (2) with fair hair and ruddy uneven skin. Orwell describes him in a completely unattractive and almost gross way, making Winston appear weak and unheroic.

Winston works for the Ministry of Truth, editing already published media from the past so that it accurately represents the present and making it impossible to fact check Big Brother’s propaganda. Winston’s job gives him a unique perspective on the Party’s propaganda; he can be certain that the news given by the Party is fake because he made it up himself. However, even knowing that all of the Party’s history is made up by people like him, Winston still struggles with what the truth is. Although he is aware that the “truth” of the party isn’t accurate, Winston believes that “if all records [tell] the same tale-- then the lie [passes] into history and [becomes] truth” (34). Although doubtful, Winston still falls into the trap of propaganda even though he knows it’s not true, showing a mentally weak character that matches his physical appearance. 

While he is directly described by Orwell as a weak person, Orwell develops Winston’s strength not through description but through his actions. Although he is constantly in fear of getting caught by the “thought police,” Winston consistently rebels and intentionally goes against party rules. He starts by buying a journal (which is strictly forbidden) and hiding in an unobservable corner of his apartment. Not only is the sheer act of writing forbidden, but the content of his journal is also anti-Party-- “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (18) repeated over and over. He is incredibly nervous, assuming every knock on the door is the thought police and every person is spying on him, and yet he continues to do it, showing that Winston is truly brave. He is willing to risk his life for his principles. 

Winston also rebels by visiting the “proles,” the working class, non-Party members of society. Although not prohibited, the Party does not approve of Party members mixing with non-Party members, which Winston does frequently. Prior to the story, Winston sleeps with a prole prostitute which is not supported by the Party (he also writes about this in his journal, further incriminating himself). Winston visits a prole pub to question a near eighty-year-old man about the “vanished world of capitalism” (86). He asks for the truth about the days before the Revolution, questioning the authenticity of Big Brother’s claims of “terrible oppression, injustice, [and] poverty” (89). Even doubting the validity of the Party’s ideology would be considered heresy, and Winston has the courage to incriminate himself simply to discover the truth. 

I discussed the role of sex in the society of 1984 in my last blog post, but the general conclusion was that the Party did not allow or approve of sex unless it was for the purpose of reproduction. Winston also breaks this rule in his relationship with Julia. Julia and Winston quickly develop a passionate romance, which is strictly forbidden among Party members.

Julia is nearly the opposite of Winston, appearing strong but lacking the desire for change that Winston has. First introduced as the girl with dark hair, Orwell begins to characterize her through Winston’s first impression. Winston first views her as a “bigoted [adherent] of the Party, the [swallower] of slogans, the amateur [spy] and noser-out of unorthodoxy” (10). Julia wears the scarlet chastity sash of the Junior Anti-Sex League, and she actively participates in The Hate (a two-minute video attacking Party enemies). Only when Winston receives her note saying “I love you” does he realize that she is against the Party. Julia has well adapted to hide feelings and present the perfect orthodox image; she is well guarded. 

Julia is also very methodical and practical which is shown by her well thought out plans to get away with her affair with Winston. Julia plans their meetings in incredible detail, knowing exactly how to meet up unobserved. Before their first excursion Julia details the plan to Winston, giving him a mental map of “a half-hour railway journey; turn left outside the station; two kilometers along the road; a gate with the top bar missing; a path across a field; a grass-grown lane; a track between bushes; a dead tree with moss on it” (115). Orwell uses her precision and attention to detail to characterize her as a logical and systematic character. 

Julia’s practicality is a trait she developed to satisfy her own selfishness. Julia is able to plan so methodically because she wants to appease her own desires. Julia is attracted to Winston, so she creates an elaborate plan to enable her to sleep with him. She has rebelled against the Party in this way “scores of times” (125), sleeping with Party members often. Julia believes that the Party simply wants “to rob you of your pleasures” (131), and she doesn’t really care about her lack of freedom in regards to anything else. All she wants is to be content. She doesn’t see the point of revolting against the Party when she can get what she wants by breaking a few rules and evading the law. Both Julia and Winston rebel against the Party, but Julia does it for pleasure while Winston does it because he disagrees with the principles of the party.

Although I’ve been given no reason to distrust her (especially since she is putting her own life at risk), I’m incredibly wary of Julia; in my mind, she’s going to get Winston killed, whether it’s because she’s a member of the thought police or because she’s an irresponsible 26-year-old. I wish the best for Winston (but not necessarily Julia) in the coming chapters.

~ Georgia