Winston Hates his Ex-Wife

 In the early portions of Book 2, we see Winston's first interactions with Julia, his new girlfriend. They make love in the woods and he is aroused by her sexual freedom. Winston claims that he loves her even more for sleeping with so many men because it means more rebellion against the party. While this is odd in its nature, it isn't really surprising for Winston. As I read further, there was a moment I kept thinking about that I found sort of disturbing. 

As Winston talks more and more with Julia, he shares a memory of walking by a cliff with his ex-wife Katherine and getting the urge to push her off. He says it wouldn't have mattered either way because the party controls so much of everyone's life, and the oppression is inescapable. 

I found this disturbing and weird.

From the beginning of the book, Winston has had some (maybe not so) underlying misogynistic tones and overall disdain for women. His "love" for Julia seems to be more of an infatuation with rebellion than with her as a woman. This memory of his urge to push his ex-wife off a cliff is another example of those tones. I understand how he feels his life is so out of his control, and the party is inconquerable, but why kill his wife? 

If you ask me, his reaction seems like more of a pointer to his hatred of women than of his circumstances under the party's rule. This brought me to think about men today and misogyny in our world. By Winston bringing up his circumstances, essentially saying that because he can't control anything him committing crimes wouldn't matter, he gets to place the blame on the party as opposed to his own misogynistic thoughts. 

Though sort of a stretch, it made me think about other "explanations" for misogyny, or "excuses" for misogynistic comments, like the ones I see frequently on social media. A frequent feature is the "women be like don't objectify me and then do this [insert whatever random action said women are doing]" Though I could delve into TikTok and all the misogynistic comments and trends there, I think it would take too long and stray too far from Winston and his oddness so instead I want to ask what you think.  

Is Winston hiding his misogynistic tendencies behind the circumstances of the party's rule? Or is this idea far-fetched and too critical of our main character?









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Comments

  1. rakeMarch 12, 2021 at 7:38 AM

    I think it's folly to discount Winston's blatant misogyny. Whether that's a statement about Oceania or a reflection of the worse side of his character is less clear to me. On the one hand, this character trait could reflect the general lack of understanding of what love is in this loveless society. On the other hand, Winston isn't all that likable in general, and I'm tempted to just say he's a sexist POS.

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