PART II

CHAPTERS 1 - 4

Summary

These chapters describe the love that blossoms between Julia and Winston. It happens quite suddenly. One day while walking in the corridor of the Ministry of Truth, Winston meets the dark-haired girl of his dreams. The girl stumbles, and as Winston tries to help her, she thrusts a note in his hand and walks away without a word. When he returns to his cubicle, Winston hides the note between some other papers so it will not be seen by prying eyes or screens. He then cautiously reads the contents of the note. In large handwriting, he finds three words, "I love you." Winston can hardly believe his eyes.

After several failed attempts, Winston finally meets the girl in a crowded street, where she asks him to meet her at Paddington. To avoid suspicion, they travel by separate routes to the countryside. When they meet in Paddington, the girl leads Winston to a sheltered spot in the forest, where Winston learns more about her. Her name is Julia, and she is twenty-six years old. She has had several secret liaisons with other men, both young and old. Like Winston, she hates the party and its strict regulations.

Julia and Winston make love in the secret hideout. When they part, they leave separately. They continue to meet again, always at a different place, so as not to arouse suspicion. Each time, Julia does the planning and decides the location. After the intimacy of each meeting, Winston feels like a real human. The presence of Julia in his life has suddenly given Winston a reason to live; ironically, it also brings him closer to death.

Both Winston and Julia believe that they will soon be caught by the Thought Police, in spite of their extreme caution. In the meantime, they enjoy each other's company, relish the freedom they have stolen, and grow to care for each other.

Notes

Winston has considered the possibility in an earlier chapter that Julia is a member of the Thought Police. When she passes him the note, however, he accepts it at face value and does not even think it could be a possible trap. His sexual frustration is so high that he throws caution to the wind. Although Julia's advances are not instigated by the Party, the fact that Winston responds to her is his undoing. Because of his involvement with Julia, he is certain to be viewed as an enemy of the party and to be appropriately punished. The irony is that Winston, because of his involvement with Julia, feels hope again, but he has put himself into a hopeless situation.

It is important to realize the significance of the lovemaking scene in the woods. Everything in Part I of the book leads up to it, and everything in the rest of the book stems from it. The act of lovemaking between Winston and Julia becomes more that an emotional release for the two of them; it is a form of rebellion for them against the Party's limits on individual freedom.

Much is learned about the character of Julia in these chapters. The fact that she always takes the initiative to plan and decide a safe hiding place for both of them to meet reveals her practical mind. But she seems to exist only for the moment and the next sexual event in her life. She is portrayed as a physical woman who enjoys the pure animalistic side of living. She does not have the intellect or depth of thought that Winston possesses, but she definitely influences her lover. Though diametrically opposite by nature, both Julia and Winston enjoy each other's company.

Winston has been deprived of sex for many years, and even in his marriage, he found no sexual satisfaction. As a result, he is very immature about male-female relationships. He falls totally in love with Julia and begins to have an unrealistic view of his world because of his feelings for her. He looks into the glass paperweight and imagines it is a world where he and Julia can be safe and free from Party constraints. In the past, he has been very concerned about living cautiously, so he can stay alive. Now he is living in a dream world that is sure to bring his death.

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