Orwell’s “1984” --Response 2 of 4

Independent Reading #2

Orwell’s “1984” --Response 2 of 4

Pgs.70-129

Again, this section was a fabulous read. I literally ate this part in one sitting; that’s just how awesome it is. There are several parts in this section that have literally caught me off guard and have amazed me thus far. Some of these parts include Julia confessing her love for Winston, them condemning their lives when Winston allows himself to be slowly drawn towards the adventure, and Winston accepting Julia’s advances leaving him doomed.

The story is complex in a way because of Julia and Winston’s lovemaking. It’s ironic because Julia is just a means for Winston, even if Winston does not recognize it yet. The irony stems from Winston’s need to live and his involvement in life occurring exactly at the moment when his time is short because of the very nature of the act itself. Winston’s dual mind characterized him throughout the second part. He knew that what he and Julia are doing is wrong, but she has given him hope. Winston has learned to hope but he has learned to hope at the very moment when he has placed himself in a hopeless situation. This is where we need to realize that Julia is just the means, as I mentioned earlier.

Something else I realized is that even if Julia and Winston share the same dislike towards the Party and Big Brother, they have nothing else in common. Julia doesn’t care for anything that doesn’t touch her life; she deems it unimportant, even if Winston believes that it is important. Julia just wants to be able to live how she wants to but she believes that there is no way to change what’s happened to their world, even if Winston believes otherwise. During this part of the story, there are a lot of realizations that occur and I can’t help but think, “Why is he with this girl?” The only reason must be because he was initially attracted to her, like other males. She was full of youth and she was against the Party’s ways.