1984 Love Essay

Love is many things. Love is respect. Love is vulnerability. Love is commitment. However, In 1984 by George Orwell, love is rebellion. The dystopian society in which Winston Smith lives is dominated by an all-seeing overlord known as “Big Brother.” In this society, the idea of love has been diluted into an unappealing and disinteresting fantasy by The Party, an organization which works to maintain the rule and control held by Big Brother. The idea that love may threaten the party, however, is what drives Winston to begin an affair with Julia, a woman with whom he works. By entering this relationship Winston is able to rebel against the societal restrictions around relationships which have been set in place by The Party. His romantic involvement

In Winston’s society, “love” no longer exists as more than a fanatical concept, something hardly worth thinking about. The displeasure which The Party has come to associate with relationships and love is exemplified when Winston states that “sexual intercourse was to be looked on as a slightly disgusting minor operation, like having an enema.”[Orwell 65] In this quote, we can see that The Party has successfully removed any connection to love, joy, and pleasure from individual relationships. In addition to removing these feelings which typically accompany relationships, The Party has put in place many policies in the hope of preventing pleasure being derived from sexual acts. This is because, as explained by Winston, “sexual privation induced hysteria, which was desirable because it could be transformed into war fever and leader worship.” [Orwell, 133] By ensuring that people are unable to enjoy an emotional or sexual connection with their spouse, The Party is able to generate a violent suppression of emotion which can be easily weaponized for their

It’s for this reason that, upon entering into a relationship with Julia, Winston tells her, “the more men you’ve had, the more I love you.” [Orwell, 125] These sex acts which Julia has committed are seen by Winston as a direct stab to the party and as a direct contradiction to their views and values. It’s this rebellion against the party which is the true object of Winston’s affections, however he chooses to believe his feelings are for Julia, because that would mean a second, albeit smaller rebellion was being committed throughout their relationship. However, despite his vision being clouded by the excitement of being able to rebel against the party, Winston recognizes that there was still an impurity to the things they believed they felt about each other. “No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred. Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act.” [Orwell 126] By admitting this, Winston acknowledges that what he and Julia feel for each other is in no way a pure form of love. Any feelings the couple may have had for each other have been undeniably influenced by their desperation to rebel against Big Brother. For this reason, their feelings toward each other are more