Love in George Orwell's Novel '1984'

Love is a feeling everyone desires to have, but true love, in any case, it the one everyone hopes to possess and experience, it can define a person. Winston, the protagonist in George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’, didn’t know what love was, along with never believing he could ever experience love in the society he lived in. Winston always had a desire for love but didn’t know where and how to find it. Love, in general, is an ordinary feeling for humans to encounter, but romantic love is unlike any other feeling. In the society that Winston lives in, romantic love is infrequent and the party is strict about love being used as a method to satisfy others. Winston was in a dark place and felt lost until the power of love came into his life when he met a girl named Julia. When love between two people is strong, it’s the beginning of something special and unique but it comes at a price. Love can bring out the best of us, but it can show us our worst fears. Winston is put to the test of his loyalty to Julia when the party pressures him to reveal his true self. Human emotions can get the best of us when we are in a dark place in life, love is a way out of that dark place, but when put in tough situations it can reveal something that you could only imagine.

Love can be perceived in many different ways but love is what separates people that listen to society rather than listening to themselves. There are two types of love shown in the novel ‘1984’ by George Orwell: filial and romantic love. Filial love is love towards a child and in the society that Winston lives in, there are few people that express filial love. The children of Oceania are trained to be spies and report anything they think is thoughtcrime. Parson’s daughter reported a man who looked suspicious and Parson was thrilled about it (pg.57). He showed filial love toward his daughter since it was the right thing to do. The party wants to teach the younger generation how the governmental system works in Oceania since they are easier to teach than adults. In addition, the party is separating the love connection between parents and kids since they want to get rid of the weak people in society. People like Parson loves his kids despite what the party teaches them. Parson loves his kids even when he is denounced, he still is proud of his daughter (pg.233). However, romantic love is another type of love that is shown in ‘1984’. In Winston's first marriage with Katherine, they weren’t really in love. “All marriages had to be approved by the committee” (pg.65), so Winston’s and Katherine’s marriage was just a setup for the party. Katherine loved the party more than she loved Winston and Winston realize it when she was constantly watching Big Brother and listening to the telescreen (pg.85). Katherine wanted to have babies, not for the love or the pleasure of having a kid but she wanted to have kids for the duty of the party (pg.67). Winston wasn’t allowed to get divorced (pg.66) so the finest way to be separated was to not have kids. In addition, Winston knew that Katherine wasn’t the woman that would show any love interest towards him. Furthermore, Winston’s safe place was his job at the Ministry of Truth where he can let his mind go. Winston never thought he could ever find love anywhere until the day he got the note from Julia saying ‘I love you’. Although, Winston wasn’t sure how to observe it and feel about the note he knew he had to talk to this mystery girl. No one has told Winston that they loved him ever in his life so it was a new feeling for him. Julia who is a girl who also works at the fiction department was in love with Winston so when Julia and Winston went to the woods for their first meet up, they shared romantic love and Winston felt like a new man. Despite Julia’s and Winston’s hatred towards the party, they knew what they were doing was wrong. The party will do anything to get rid of love and have control over society.

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The party view of love is different from Winston and Julia’s view of love, the party is trying to make romantic love go extinct and they would do anything in their power to make sure it does. One of the first clues that the party didn’t want love to be for pleasure was when they didn’t permit divorces (pg.66). One of the party’s goals was to “kill sex instincts” (pg.66), the party only wanted society to have sex to have kids and train them to be spies nothing else. The party believed that love for pleasure would bring society down since sex instinct is the most difficult thing to control. The party created the junior anti-sex league which teaches young women to not have sex for pleasure (Orwell 68). The party would do anything to make sex look dreadful. In addition, the party is terrified of the power of love and it can bring them down if society doesn't love Big Brother. Furthermore, Winston when he was locked up, discovered that the only figure society was allowed to love was Big Brother (pg.282). The party needed everyone to believe Big Brother was their hero or god. Winston and Julia both hate Big Brother and their love for each other is much stronger than their love towards the party. The party wanted children to train them to be spies and denounce their own parents if they see thoughtcrime in their household. The party demanded society to have sex so the party can, later on, take their kids and train them to be spies and make sure that the way the government is running can last forever. The only way the party collapses is by the power of true love. The society that Winston lives in shows no true love and no emotions towards anyone or anything except Big Brother. Society's love towards Big Brother not only took away Winston’s love towards his marriage but the love of children towards their parents.

Winston had no love for Big Brother or his marriage when he was with Katherine since she only wanted kids to satisfy the party. Winston is married to Katherine and they are not the couple that we all thought they would be. Winston never communicated during his marriage with Katherine. In addition, Katherine would always watch the telescreen and was in love with Big Brother than being in love with Winston, the man she married (pg.64). Furthermore, the love Katherine showed towards the party was exceptionally big and she wanted Winston to give her kids since it was her “duty for the party” (pg.67). There was no romantic love between Winston and Katherine at all, it was all a nightmare that Winston wished never happened. In the society of ‘1984’ couples would have sex and their kids would be trained to be spies and learn how to denounce people that are committing thoughtcrime. The party wants their way of the government system to last forever and what better way to achieve that goal by teaching kids how to denounce people for thought crime at a young age, since kids are easier to teach than adults. In correlation, to Hitler’s youth program they would teach their children how things are supposed to be run in their society and Orwell used this idea in his novel to tell the reader what would happen if the government was corrupt. Some parents in ‘1984’ have shown love for their children despite being denounced by them. Parson’s daughter denounced him and for committing thoughtcrime, “Parson was proud of her daughter despite knowing he was going to get vaporized” (pg.233). Although the feeling of love is a threat to the party, they can control it by teaching kids at a young age what’s right from wrong. With the addition of the Junior Anti-Sex League, the party can teach young women how to not have sex for pleasure. In addition, the party wants society to know to only have sex for kids that will eventually become spies and keep a close eye on society and their own parents. There is a slight showing of filial love in the society of ‘1984’ let alone any love at all. Winston and Julia’s love between each other is strong, but love doesn’t always last.

Love is a strong affection but when put in tough situations to test your loyalty it doesn’t culminate well. Winston and Julia showed not only true love but romantic love throughout the novel. Love is a feeling that can change people in a good way but also in a bad way. Winston before encountering Julia was a normal man doing the same job and pretending to love everything around him. Julia changed his perspective of not only himself but the party as well. When Winston and Julia are caught for thoughtcrime they knew it was coming and thought it was going to be the last time they would see each other. While in the prison Winston is tortured and promises to stay loyal and not betray Julia no matter what, even if it kills him. Winston thought Julia would do the same but when Winston is sent to room 101 his loyalty and love for Julia are truly put to the test. The rats which represent Winston's biggest fear is close to his face and starts to panic which breaks him down and yells “do it to Julia” (pg.286). At that moment the party did their job by making Winston betray his once true love. As we later learned Julia did the same thing when she was put to the test. Love is a strong feeling that humans need to feel complete, but in the society of ‘1984’, the feelings for love is a sign of weakness. You can have so much love for someone or something, but when put in tough situations you reveal your true self and show everyone if your love is really true love.