Chapter 3

Summary

They had arranged not to use this place in the countryside for quite a while as it would be unsafe, but Julia knew of another hiding place in the belfry of a ruinous church close to a barren area of ground where an atomic bomb had fallen thirty years earlier.

They met in crowded areas so as not to arouse suspicion.

It was noticeable that rocket bombs were bombarding London more heavily. One had fallen on a cinema killing most of the proles that occupied it.  They were even demonstrating along with Party members against the enemy, Eurasia.

Julia was 26 years old and lived in a hostel with 30 other girls.  She was employed in the Fiction Department as a mechanic for the printing machines.  She was not particularly clever. Her first love affair had been when she was 16 with a Party member aged 60. He was discovered, but before he could be tortured he committed suicide, which saved Julia.  Winston and Julia did not discuss marriage, as this would be out of the question.  Julia revealed that she was just as critical of the Big Brother regime as Winston. She said “If you are happy inside yourself, why should you get excited about Big Brother, Three-Year Plans and the Two-Minutes Hate, and all the rest of their bloody rot?”  Winston was quite surprised at Julia’s use of swear words, which was again another Thought Crime. Julia was interested about Katharine, commenting that she appeared to have been successfully brainwashed by the Anti-Sex League, something that she herself could never be.

Winston did tell her that once when he and Katharine were out walking with the Community Hikers, they had become separated and ended up on the edge of a quarry.  He had considered throwing her off the edge.

Julia said that she would have if she had been in Winston’s place.

The couple discussed the possibility of being discovered, and clearly Winston did not wish Julia to be in any danger, for she still had a long life in front of her. Julia encouraged Winston to be more positive about their future together. Their lovemaking has now become a physical necessity rather than a statement of rebellion.

Interpretation

Both these two characters are now developing a bond of love, and the more they enjoy these feelings, the closer they bring discovery upon themselves.  They are, in fact, living in a fool’s paradise. 

Julia has lived a life designed to escape detection, for she has been carrying out this dangerous existence on and off for 10 years, whereas Winston is new to this type of existence and if was not for Julia’s careful preparation, they would soon be discovered.

Winston is still apprehensive regarding the future, but Julia teaches him to be less pessimistic.  Winston is clearly a deeper person, in contrast to Julia who lives from day-to-day, and from affair-to-affair.  She is determined to obtain as much enjoyment as she can from life, and she risks obtaining luxury items from the black market. 

Winston has lived practically a celibate life for approximately the last 12 years, and is, therefore emotionally immature, and behaves almost like an adolescent experiencing his first romance.  This may be one of the reasons why Julia is attracted to him, because of his sexual naivety and his growing dependence on her.