Role Swap

[Forgottenname]

As I commence reading this book I am coming to a conclusion that the roles of men and women have become opposites. For example, when Winston and Julia are at the apartment. Above the antique shop Julia presents to Winston some "black marketed" luxuries. She presents to him some coffee (not the disgusting victory coffee but real coffee) and some tea among other things. She is more rebellious which would be common for men. Also as I was reading further Winston is scared of a small rat. In modern society this is not the case. Stereotypically a woman would be scared and tell the male figure to do something about it. But this is not the case. Julia throws a shoe at it like it is nothing. She is barely phased by it while Winston states that he is scared of it.

[The Atheist]

As I commence reading this book I am coming to a conclusion that the roles of men and women have become opposites. For example, when Winston and Julia are at the apartment. Above the antique shop Julia presents to Winston some "black marketed" luxuries. She presents to him some coffee (not the disgusting victory coffee but real coffee) and some tea among other things. She is more rebellious which would be common for men. Also as I was reading further Winston is scared of a small rat. In modern society this is not the case. Stereotypically a woman would be scared and tell the male figure to do something about it. But this is not the case. Julia throws a shoe at it like it is nothing. She is barely phased by it while Winston states that he is scared of it.

You're giving general qualities on the basis of one example of each, plus irrational fear of rats is just as common in men. The only two people I know with that particular phobia are males.

[Teacher]

I do see that Orwell is portraying a reversal of stereotypical roles of men and women. And it's surely one more area where he was most accurate in his depiction of what the future holds.

One good example of this is seen in the fact that Julia is more adept at fixing things in the apartment. Another would be the fact that she is more sophisticated sexually - for lack of a better way of saying it.

I would also point to the simple fact that she's carrying a tool bag. I have to believe that Orwell saw and understood that women were going to continue to take their rightful place in society. During World War II for example, women played a crucial role in factories in the US and Allied Europe on production lines.

[The Atheist]

I agree that Orwell empowers Julia, but that's more of a counterpoint to Winston's weaknesses. When he wrote 1984, he was a sick man who was unable to do manual tasks himself for much of the time.

O'Brien is a man, BB is a man, Charrington's a man, even Goldstein's a bloke - and all of the power is held by men. Every single authority figure in the entire book is a man.

I don't believe Orwell was making any kind of general statement in the roles played by W & J.