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Adam Quigley

Misogyny, 1984 Style

by Adam Quigley - April 3, 2008

The fictional state of Oceania in Orwell's 1984 is a male-dominated society. Figures such as Big Brother and O'Brien are prominent forces behind the Party that runs the country, and women are never mentioned in a role of high status. From the point of view of today's readers, the females of Oceania are actually second-class citizens but are brainwashed to believe that gender is not an important issue and led to believe they are valuable contributors to the Party. Winston, the protagonist of the novel, does not treat women as equals or even as human beings; instead, his thoughts and actions about and toward women are merely an extension of his hatred of the Party.

In the opening pages of the novel, our narrator tells us the story through Winston's eyes. It is in this light that we are shown for the first time Winston's views on women: "He disliked nearly all women, and especially the young and pretty ones. It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of the slogans, the amateur spies and nosers-out of unorthodoxy" (Orwell 10). In this context, we can sense Winston harbors at least some ill-feelings toward the opposite sex. These thoughts were brought about in Winston's mind by the sight of a woman, whom we later find out is named Julia. Winston dislikes everything about Julia, and even suspects she may be an agent of the evil Thought Police. However, we soon find out Julia is quite the opposite. She is actually in love with Winston and soon makes that fact known to him through a note passed to him at the Ministry of Truth (Orwell 108). Thus begins their sexual affair, an event that continues until the last few pages of the novel and allows us a further glimpse into Winston's attitude toward women.

Winston's anti-feminist views may be a byproduct of the few memories he has of his mother. While many of the memories circulate around unhappy events, his overall view of her in his adult life was that ". . . she had possessed a kind of nobility, a kind of purity, simply because the standards that she obeyed were private ones" (Orwell 164). His mother had managed to hold onto her human emotions that the Party was attempting to stamp out, and this was a trait Winston admired. We can say Winston shows remorse and some positive feelings toward women when he laments his relationship with his mother: "His mother's memory tore at his heart because she had died loving him, when he was too young and selfish to love her in return. . ." (Orwell 30). This statement appears to proclaim that Winston is mildly appreciative of women, if only it is appreciation of his mother and her memory. Therefore, it seems to be Winston does not hate all women, but rather those women who are staunch Party members and represent everything he loathes about the society he lives in.

A female character that never actually enters the story, but is spoken of, is Winston's wife Katherine. Katherine is the perfect Party member, showing complete and total devotion to Big Brother and no one else. Winston's feelings toward her were full of animosity: "So utterly brainwashed by party teachings, Katherine is such a human automaton that Winston has seriously considered murdering her" (Overview). The one aspect of their relationship Winston despised most of all was their sexual activity. Katherine was so indoctrinated with Party ideology that she saw sex as "our duty to the Party" (Orwell 67). There was no emotion behind their intercourse, and Winston views experiencing emotion as the ultimate weapon of rebellion. Engaging in sexual activity where his partner's lack of passion and interest cause him to feel the same is viewed by Winston as another victory for Big Brother.

After his failure to invoke passion and emotion toward something other than the Party failed -- and since the couple did not bear a child -- Katherine and Winston are separated. So great was his desire to for sexual gratification that he was willing to sleep with what turned out to be a middle-aged prole prostitute. Even when the woman's aged body was revealed, Winston "went ahead and did it [sex] just the same" (Orwell 69). All the pent up sexual energy and frustration inside him was not converted into passion and love for Big Brother as the Party had hoped; instead, Winston used it up on prostitutes, and, as in the case of the old woman, any one of them would do. This encounter is an extreme example of Winston objectifying women for his own rebellious ends.

Winston has mixed feelings with regard to the prole women of Oceania. He witnesses several prole women fighting over flimsy saucepans; he is disappointed almost to a point of anger that the dispute is over something so meaningless. However, the loud noises arising from the quarrel give him a thought: "And yet, just for a moment, what almost frightening power had sounded in that cry from only a few hundred throats!" (Orwell 70). In this particular instance, he is upset with a select few proles, but also recognizes their awesome potential. When Winston sees the singing prole woman outside the room he and Julia have rented, he is struck by her beauty, both in her physical appearance and in her voice. Though she is a woman of girth, Winston sees in her the strength that subtly could be possessed by numerous proles. This strength, which lies in the emotion and feeling left untainted by the Party, would be a formidable force should their awakening come and revolt against the Party. The thought of such an action incites within Winston a sense of hope that the proles will one day realize their potential to better their lives and rebel. According to Harold Harris, the sight and sound of this woman also causes, "Winston . . . to think regretfully . . . of the children he and Julia can never have." It is possible Winston fears there is no one to carry on his rebellious nature toward the Party. Another thought that arises from this quote is perhaps sorrow, as this woman has obviously bore many offspring, adding to the potential power of the prole community should the revolt come, whereas Winston can never contribute in such a way.

Though Winston and Julia engage in sexual relations, they have differing opinions about why they perform these acts. According to Louis Parascandola, the difference is important to our understanding of Winston's views: "While Winston sees their affair as an act of rebellion, Julia sees it largely in terms of physical pleasure." Winston seems to objectify Julia in this case; instead of seeing her as a fellow human being, he sees her as an object that he can use to fuel his personal rebellion against the Party. Winston had even thought of a scheme which involves putting Julia in a deadly situation: "If he could have infected the whole lot of them with leprosy or syphilis, how gladly he would have done so!" (Orwell 125). Using a woman as a carriage of biological warfare through venereal disease is a dastardly act and one that deepens our understanding of his morals regarding females. He sees their affair as merely an instrument of rebellion, a way to undermine the Party, rather than as the passionate and romantic premise one would think. Even when "[s]he gave the tips of his fingers a quick squeeze that seemed to invite not desire but affection. . .and a deep tenderness, such as he had not felt for her before, took hold of him," Winston merely sees this as a small victory against the Party, that both he and Julia feel for each other (Orwell 138).

We can question whether Winston actually loves Julia, or if it is what Julia represents that Winston is in love with. When Winston and Julia are discussing their inevitable capture and interrogation, Winston says: "Confession is not betrayal. What you say or do doesn't matter; only feelings matter. If they could make me stop loving you -- that would be the real betrayal" (emphasis added) (Orwell 166). To Winston, it is not his "love" for Julia that matters; it is only that it is a feeling, an emotion. Even though, "[h]e wished they were a married couple of ten years standing," this only means that the Party has been defeated if they are in love and married (Orwell 139). Julia represents everything Winston desires Oceania to become: "I hate purity, I hate goodness. I don't want virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones" (Orwell 126). With her countless sexual encounters with Winston and other Party members, shady dealings to obtain rare and illegal items, and other "rebelliousness," Julia certainly fits the characteristics Winston admires. We can also question the validity of Winston's love for Julia when he so easily denounces and betrays her when faced with the prospect of being eaten by rats: "Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!" (Orwell 286). These are not requests made by someone who truly loves the person they claim to. Winston realizes his game is up, and that includes his need for Julia as a weapon. Faced with the prospect of experiencing his worst fear, he gives up Julia, seemingly with no remorse.

Winston does not possess a consistent view of women that can be applied to all women. In the case of Julia and the prostitute, they are merely objects he uses to combat the policies of the Party. On the other hand, we see his views toward his mother and the singing prole woman seem to show some semblance of civility and compassion toward women. By combining his affection toward his mother -- which he did not realize until his adulthood -- and his affection toward prole women, we can conclude that Winston does not dislike these types of women. According to Erwin Hester, "[t]he prole woman and Winston's mother carry even more important thematic weight in representing the unconquerable vitality of life itself and the private loyalties that make life significant." We can even go so far as to say Winston admires these types of women, mothers and proles. The role of women greatly influences Winston's character, as well as contributing to the story; however, they do not play a role in the ruling of Oceania, which may in some way contribute to Winston's degrading view toward females. Women, as a thematic element, are invaluable to the story.

Works Cited
  • Harris, Harold J. "Orwell's Essays and 1984." Twentieth Century Literature, 4 (1959): 154- 161. JSTOR. Ferris Library for Information and Technology Education, Big Rapids, MI. 07 Nov 2007. http://www.jstor.org/.

  • Hester, Erwin. "Letter to the Editor, Women in 1984." Forum. PMLA 98.2 (1983): 256- 258.

  • Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classic, 1950.

  • "Overview: Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell." Characters in Young Adult Literature (1997). Literature Resource Center. Ferris Library for Information and Technology Education, Big Rapids, MI. 07 Nov 2007. http://galenet.galegroup.com/.

  • Parascandola, Louis J. "Love and Sex in a Totalitarian Society: An Exploration of Ha Jin and George Orwell." Studies in the Humanities 33 (2005): 38-50. Literature Resource Center. Ferris Library for Information and Technology Education, Big Rapids, MI. 07 Nov 2007 http://galenet.galegroup.com/.

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