1984- Blog 4

Does Winston Love Julia?

In Winston’s own mind he truly does love Julia with all of his heart. The same goes with Julia- in her mind she loves Winston to no end. But it is obvious that each of them loves in a different way. Julia, for example, loves that Winston is there to break the rules by having sex and sneaking around, whereas Winston longs for Julia to want to find the brotherhood and rebel against Big Brother. Winston is not completely happy with the way Julia loves him. He says, “Don’t just rebel from the waist down!” From this he is saying that she should be rebelling in a different way than just having sex.

Winston and Julia are in a committed and loving relationship now, but how did they get there? Winston was desperately searching for a person who shared his common interest- hatred for Big Brother. In the process he met Julia. At the time he met her he did not know whether she could be trusted or whether she should be killed. This shows how paranoid and cut off the Party made citizens. Neither Winston nor Julia had any emotions. When Julia confessed to Winston her true feelings, Winston wasn't sure she was real enough. He was still paranoid. Winston second guessed himself and became weary of the subject. He decided to go along with it anyway. By their third meeting they had sex. It was not just something they could do (pleasurably anyway). They actually had to work at it.

The relationship between Julia and Winston started out to be more work than actual dates. When the times came that they had dates it seemed as though they were so brainwashed and emotionally deprived that they didn't know what they were doing. By the time they actually had secured a “safe place” where they could meet they were bombarded with police and taken away. By condoning, having, and participating, in acts where they are together is reason enough to be killed and Winston and Julia were doing them anyway. This alone is enough to say that these two people care enough about each other to put their lives at risk.  Their relationship resembles a roller coaster more than it does a loving commitment, but in this case it looks to be more like love than anything else around.