"We are the dead… you are the dead.’ An examination of sexuality as a weapon of revolt in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four "
By: Blu Tirohl
Summarized by: Ashton Lawrence
In “We are the dead… you are the dead.’ An examination of sexuality as a weapon of revolt in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four”, Blu Tirohl argues that George Orwell, author of Nineteen Eighty-Four, has unintentionally included contradictions in his characters Winston and Julia’s sexual relationship due to his own lack of personal knowledge and experience. Tirolh analyzes the roles of women in general in the novel, and effect on all of the people of living under constant surveillance.
The Party’s goal is to take all pleasure out of sex and to convert it into something that is merely a duty. They view the desire to have sex, the enjoyment sex induces, and the energy sex consumes as dangerous and unhealthy to their government. They encourage abstinence in their children and youth through the Youth Movement and Anti-Sex League to slowly work to psychologically alter people’s natural sexual instinct. However, many, whether they are in agreement with The Party or not, do not dare to rebel due to the extreme surveillance conducted on them.
In Oceania, citizens live every moment under the watchful eye of the government’s telescreens and micro-phones. Tirohl compares this type of living to that of Bentham’s Panopticon, an architectural design that promotes the illusion of constant surveillance without having to actually continuously monitor everything. He then goes on to cite the famous French philosopher Michel Foucault’s analysis of the Panoptican, saying that this type of system is what defines what is normal. This is evident in Nineteen Eighty-Four by rebellion, such as Winston and Julia’s, to be redundant.
Tirohl argues that there are many references toward sex and women in the novel that do not make sense and indicates that Winston’s inconsistent behavior is a result of George Orwell’s own lack of experience. In his early life, Orwell attended three different boarding schools, all of which were boys only, severely limiting his interaction with the opposite sex. Later on, though it was common in his time period, he did not participate in the business of brothels or prostitution. According to those close to him, he always seemed rather uninterested and uncomfortable around women. Tirohl accredits these aspects of Orwell’s life with the discrepancies in his novel revolving around women and sex.
This is perhaps why Orwell mentally restricts his female characters in Nineteen Eighty-Four. According to Tirohl, Julia and Kathrine, Winston’s wife and sex partner, can be simplified into “the whore and the saint” (Tirohl, 58). Kathrine buys completely into the lies of the government, and therefore only submits to sex for the sake of performing her duty to the Party. Julia however possesses an obsession for sex and sustains Winston’s sexual desires and need for emotional intimacy, all the while remaining politically indifferent.
References:
Tirohl, Blu. "`We Are The Dead...You Are The Dead'. An Examination Of Sexuality As A Weapon Of Revolt In Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four." Journal Of Gender Studies 9.1 (2000): 55. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
In “We are the dead… you are the dead.’ An examination of sexuality as a weapon of revolt in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four”, Blu Tirohl argues that George Orwell, author of Nineteen Eighty-Four, has unintentionally included contradictions in his characters Winston and Julia’s sexual relationship due to his own lack of personal knowledge and experience. Tirolh analyzes the roles of women in general in the novel, and effect on all of the people of living under constant surveillance.
The Party’s goal is to take all pleasure out of sex and to convert it into something that is merely a duty. They view the desire to have sex, the enjoyment sex induces, and the energy sex consumes as dangerous and unhealthy to their government. They encourage abstinence in their children and youth through the Youth Movement and Anti-Sex League to slowly work to psychologically alter people’s natural sexual instinct. However, many, whether they are in agreement with The Party or not, do not dare to rebel due to the extreme surveillance conducted on them.
In Oceania, citizens live every moment under the watchful eye of the government’s telescreens and micro-phones. Tirohl compares this type of living to that of Bentham’s Panopticon, an architectural design that promotes the illusion of constant surveillance without having to actually continuously monitor everything. He then goes on to cite the famous French philosopher Michel Foucault’s analysis of the Panoptican, saying that this type of system is what defines what is normal. This is evident in Nineteen Eighty-Four by rebellion, such as Winston and Julia’s, to be redundant.
Tirohl argues that there are many references toward sex and women in the novel that do not make sense and indicates that Winston’s inconsistent behavior is a result of George Orwell’s own lack of experience. In his early life, Orwell attended three different boarding schools, all of which were boys only, severely limiting his interaction with the opposite sex. Later on, though it was common in his time period, he did not participate in the business of brothels or prostitution. According to those close to him, he always seemed rather uninterested and uncomfortable around women. Tirohl accredits these aspects of Orwell’s life with the discrepancies in his novel revolving around women and sex.
This is perhaps why Orwell mentally restricts his female characters in Nineteen Eighty-Four. According to Tirohl, Julia and Kathrine, Winston’s wife and sex partner, can be simplified into “the whore and the saint” (Tirohl, 58). Kathrine buys completely into the lies of the government, and therefore only submits to sex for the sake of performing her duty to the Party. Julia however possesses an obsession for sex and sustains Winston’s sexual desires and need for emotional intimacy, all the while remaining politically indifferent.
References:
Tirohl, Blu. "`We Are The Dead...You Are The Dead'. An Examination Of Sexuality As A Weapon Of Revolt In Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four." Journal Of Gender Studies 9.1 (2000): 55. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.