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Traits of Winston and Julia from 1984

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Traits of Winston and Julia from 1984
The Traits of Winston and Julia from Orwell’s 1984 Throughout one’s life, there are people whose similar and contrasting personalities help one to learn more about themselves. In George Orwell’s 1984, Orwell demonstrates a character foil between the protagonist Winston and his love-interest Julia. Although Winston and Julia’s views on life, and the Party are different, they are similar in their hopes to rebel against the Party, leading to their overall downfall and doomed relationship. Throughout 1984, Orwell contrasts Winston and Julia’s views on life. Winston is concerned with the future of Oceania. He analyzes all hope for the future and finds that it lies in the Proles. He begins to see beauty in everything free, for he longs to be free himself. This is shown when he finds beauty in the old Prole woman. “It had never occurred to him that the body of a woman of fifty […] could be beautiful.” Although her appearance may have not been completely attractive, Winston sees that her beauty within was great. He has an appreciation for her and the freedom that she signifies. Winston saw the true beauty within the woman, as opposed to Julia. Julia could find nothing beautiful about the woman. This is shown when in sight of the woman Julia says, “She’s a metre across the hips, easily.” Julia only sees things as they appear and cannot find a deeper meaning for the important things in life. As well, Julia is young, as opposed to Winston, therefore she has less experience about how the world works. This is thought of by Winston after a conversation about Winston’s wife, Katharine. “She was very young, he thought, she still expected something from life, she did not understand that to push an inconvenient person over a cliff solves nothing.” Julia is naïve and believes that when there is a problem it is best to be fixed the easiest way possible. Julia and Winston both recognize their different views on life. As the conflict rises in the novel, one


Cited: Orwell, George. 1984. London: Penguin Books, 1990. Print.

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