Thursday, September 8, 2011

1984 Ten

"'You're only a rebel from the waist downwards,' he told her. She thought this brilliantly witty and flung her arms around him in delight." (156)

Being a rebel from the waist downward is obviously Orwell's way of alluding to the fact that Julia's way of rebelling is by committing sexual acts. Much like the chastity rings parents give their daughters these days, the sash that she wears for the anti-sex league protects her waist, and appears to restrain her. Thoughtcrime is the biggest crime in Oceania, yet Julia is not as extreme with her thoughts as Winston is. As before, Winston believes that society is already forgetting the old ways, and Julia is quite a bit younger than he. This connects to the theme that the younger generation is buying into the ways of the Party much easier, but there is still hope, as Julia proves.

1 comment:

  1. Careful with "obvious" -- that's a judgment call rather than a careful analysis; Think about ways you can tighten your language here -- say the same thing in fewer words; the thinking is is strong -- I like that you bring it around to the theme

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