Julia's Rebellion In 1984

Over the past seven centuries, there has been a change of power triggering the change in values, culture and politics. These changes benefited some people while it isolated, alienated others. This feeling of alienation sparked the flame to various rebellions. In this essay, I am going to argue how alienation, caused by shifts in value, culture and political, caused specific rebellions during the colonial era, the antebellum era, post antebellum and the civil rights movement.

Rebelling is an inevitable action of any free society with access to information. Each rebellion will come on a much different scale, ranging from simple boycotts, all the way to complete revolutions. The size of each rebellion greatly effects its influence over a population, as there is power in numbers. Without a clear purpose and strong following, a rebellion will struggle. Examples can be found in the Rococo time period, both of successful and struggling revolutions. These revolutions displayed a few characteristics of social and political movements which are still common today. These characteristics include a push for equality and justice, a wide spread of support for the topics, and successful movements spark more movements to take a stand.

Rebellion, in its various different forms, has laid the groundwork for much of the modern world. From unsuccessful ones like Nat Turner’s Rebellion or massively fruitful ones such as the American Civil Rights Movement, each has left its mark on the world. From dissent, we learn more about the reason for human behavior and about the power structures that human societies rest upon. George Orwell’s 1984 details an example of a fictional rebellion along with its intentions and consequences. The story’s two main characters, Winston and Julia, take a stance against the harshly oppressive government in their nation. From their behavior, it is clear that there are many different reasons and methods to rebellion and that these very principles can dictate

In the book 1984, Julia is a significant character, an ally of Winston, that opposes Big Brother. Julia often goes around town to find people who can satisfy her own sexual needs privately from Big Brother, thus committing offenses. When she is in a relationship with Winston, she implies throughout the book that the reason why she is committing offenses to Big Brother is to satisfy her own needs, and not because she wants to make a change or dismantle the Party. This leads Julia to speak crudely, rebel against, and hate the Inner Party only when it is interfering with her own desires, and this will apply to non-Communist/Totalitarian governments as well if their actions interfere with her own desires.

Many philosophers and theorists have spoken on the value, or lack thereof, of revolution. In Second Treatise of Government, John Locke builds the concept of a “social contract,” which outlines responsibilities of the government and what can be done if the state fails to uphold its duties.  Edmund Burke views political rebellion in a different light. He writes in Reflections on the Revolution in France that upheaval does excessive harm to the state, and, by extension, the people. While both Locke and Burke agree that rebellion is useful to the growth of a state, they differ on a few main points. First, they disagree in terms of what circumstances warrant revolution. Second, they each believe it should take different forms and work to different extents. Finally, Locke and Burke believe revolution tends to have positive or negative effects, respectively. Their views on each of these points will be discussed in turn.

The book 1984 written by George Orwell is an interesting novel that discusses the extreme effects of a totalitarian state. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is an outer Party member who despises the oppressive control of the Big Brother administration and harbours revolutionary dreams for the future. Julia, his lover, also works for the Party and has the same hatred for Oceana’s undemocratic government. Despite their identical hatred and rebellious manners against the Party, Winston and Julia are foils to one another. They are both complementary characters to each other through their differences on morality and ethical views, feelings on history and political values.

Julia’s complete acceptance of what the Party says is due to her own laziness and lack of interest concerning anything about the Party. She doesn’t believe there should be any protest to the Party because it is all a lie anyways, and it shouldn’t matter. That is where she is incredibly wrong, and just as much lazy. It is easy to agree, to just accept anything that is told to you without any thought or consideration, and it is difficult to challenge an opposing idea. The only way a person can protest is if they know how to create their own idea, and, personally speaking, she is lazy. Others are unaware, and it’s the Party’s actions that make other unaware; however, Julia has the ability and knowledge to be aware of the lies that the Party control,

It was not until she fell asleep while reading Emmanuel Goldstein’s book that Julia and Winston realized the differences in their motives for rebelling. Julia lost interest in the book and fell asleep, and Winston declared her as “a rebel from the waist downwards” (156). This was an extremely accurate description, as Julia’s reasons for rebellion were rather selfish. She went against the Party to please herself. She hated Big Brother, but showed no interest in future

However, upon analysis, the self serving manner of her rebellion is revealed. Her defiance is not even directly against the Party at all, as she willingly accepts Ingsoc ideals. Julia rebels against the Party in scanty ways through sex, but her nonconformity is very egocentric and pleasure seeking, as is her approach on life. In the words of the omniscient narrator, “[Julia] only [questions] the teachings of the Party when they in some way [touch] her own life. Often she [is] ready to accept the official mythology, simply because the difference between truth and falsehood [does] not seem important to her” (Orwell

Julia states that “I’m corrupt to the bones” (Orwell 126). This is a clear statement of her standing as a devil in disguise. Most of the time Julia seems to conform to her society yet with the societal angel attitude she carries about her creates a shield in which she hides herself from danger when she takes a risk, unveiling the devil within

Very few people in 1984’s society committed completely to rebellion, although Julia had specific subtle tactics and Winston was more extreme and did not care about the sacrifices he knew were to come. Julia maintains a perfect status in society in order to avert from getting caught and dealing with these costs. “She had been a troop leader in the Spies and a branch secretary in the Youth League...” (130). This shows how Julia tries her best to conceal her acts of rebellion with a perfect profile that no person would look twice at. Winston on the other hand, wanted change as soon as possible so he didn’t care as much about the sacrifices that had to be made. “You are prepared to give your lives?... commit murder?... betray your country?... commit

In the novel 1984 written by George Orwell, the main character Winston, and his lover Julia possess many similar aspects, but at the same time share totally different views. As we advance through the novel, we can see their audacious acts against the Party together and the unexpected heartbreaking split at the end. The multiple characteristics of these two characters range from their courageous acts against the Party and their need for freedom, to the reasons behind their actions and their hopes for the future. Although Winston and Julia are similar in some areas, they are very different in others. To begin with, Winston and Julia both daringly perform taboo acts against the Party’s standards.

Men in our age make revolution a name for their impious acts and speak of the popular will; however, they forget the groups, which foster this inciting game. And the writer calls to mind an olden dictatorial time: Caesar fell, his words stirred his viewing public. Hence, his army split; and separated sides joined each other in the vows they made to their defrauded fate!

In Anatomy of a Revolt, Peter H. Wood provides a classic interpretation of the revolt. He argues that

My key takes away from my interview with Julia is her love for traveling. She talked about her study abroad trip that she took last semester to Rome, Italy. She told me stories about how she would spend her days in Italy, which consisted of enjoying her favorite Italian dishes like pizza and pasta and sightseeing the historical sites such as the Trevi Fountain and the Coliseum. Since she spent three months in Italy, I asked her if sightseeing ever got repetitive, to which she responded that she was mesmerized during her time in Rome and that it felt surreal that she was even there so she would even come back to the same site just to make sure it was a reality. I also found it interesting that she would walk around Rome alone. She told me that she liked roaming the streets of Rome to seek an adventure, gain new