Consider and discuss Orwell's representation of women and
Julia in particular. Is this a progressive or conservative view overall?
In 1984, the society of The Party presents women as equal,
with little to no distinction between the sexes. Both men and women work
similar jobs, everyone wears the uniform of the Party (the blue overalls), and in
general, there is fairness in how women are treated. Everyone is just a
comrade.
This representation is fairy progressive (as opposed to
Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale), but as Orwell is writing mostly
against the Party, we must consider the portrayal in light of the negative
connotations associated with the Party. Julia in particular is a representation
of an individual’s rebellion against the society of general equality. She is
quite trampy, she tries wearing makeup, scent and feminine clothing. It is a
shift from what we normally see as women’s liberation: instead of tossing aside
feminine affairs, she embraces them as a way of rebelling. Even so, she is a
symbol of progressive thinking. She is in control of her body, her actions and
her passions, she revels in her femininity and she is a powerful force in the
novel, essentially catalyzing Winston’s actions against the Party.
Julia, the progressive, rebellious woman, is portrayed as a
positive thing in the novel. In all her progressive, alternative actions,
Winston seems aroused by her strength, her passion, her feminine nature.
Orwell, through his writing, has written a woman completely contradicting the
stereotype of the 40’s women, and he seems to enjoy every minute of it, to
relish her dirty nature.
The women in the novel as a general populace are seen as
sheep, to be controlled and subjugated by the party, but no more so than the men.
The young girls are in the same organizations as the boys, the women work
similar jobs, and everyone is just as likely to be vaporized as the next.
