How Does Julia Change Throughout The Novel 1984

It feels very “young adult fiction” to find love amidst a dystopian revolution. It feels even more so for said love to go horribly wrong. There is a certain nuance with which an author must develop their characters in order to stray away from painfully cliché plotlines. George Orwell does this very well. Through his story, 1984, Orwell weaves characters in and out of each other’s lives in such a way that, in the end, makes them all seem wholly more human. One such example is Julia, who is crafted and changed through the perspective of the book’s main character, Winston Smith. George Orwell developed Julia through the eyes of Winston to establish Winston’s own flaws, as well as subvert the expectations of the reader about the world around them.

1984 is, at its core, a tale of Winston’s inner turmoil. After all, he is the main character of the story. He is not without flaws, and those flaws become painfully evident when Julia is introduced to the reader. Julia is a seemingly inconsequential character in the beginning of the story, especially since her first appearance is through an event that Winston is remembering. The Dark-Haired Girl is all that she is. She serves no purpose other than to fuel Winston’s misdirected anger— and there is a lot of anger to go around. With thoughts of “...[tying] her naked to a stake and [shooting] her full of arrows like Saint Sebastian” (Orwell 20), Julia’s presence succeeds in proving Winston’s own flaws— and apparent instability. The dystopia in which he lives has successfully worn down his rationale, leaving him a spiteful and desperate

However, the only reason that he hates women is because of his own preconceived notions of them. It could actually be strongly argued that Julia was developed as a way to break societal stereotypes of women in general. In the world of Winston Smith, all women are ignorant, over-opinionated, and highly political. Julia subverts his expectations by revealing her true nature, thus creating a notion in the reader’s mind that perhaps all women— or people in general, for that matter— are not the same. Thinking historically, the sentiment continues to hold true. 1984 was written at the tail-end of WWII, in which there was a surge of independence in women around the globe. Julia can almost be considered a poster child for this uprising, helping readers entertain the idea that women can have just as much of an impact as men.

Julia’s existence through Winston’s eyes displays another one of her purposes as a character— to establish and develop Winstons own character. Once Winston realizes the true feelings behind his hatred— longing— he begins a new life. A life far more dangerous than simply keeping a journal. He begins a life of spontaneous