A novel
I love books that tell well-known stories through the eyes of another character. Wicked, The Red Tent, and Stone Blind (the story of Medusa) to name a few. I was still amazed when I discovered Julia, a Retelling of George Orwell’s 1984. I could barely wait to get my hands on it and was not disappointed.
I read 1984 in the 9th grade, some 60 years ago, and used discipline to reread it before I allowed myself Julia. I also kept wondering what it would have been like if I hadn’t read 1984 first. It’s up to you, reader. The book has become such a reference in our culture that there are probably people who think they read it and haven’t. I knew all the references such as Double Speak and calling things Orwellian, but the only things I remembered on my own were the rats and the iconic moment when a leader gave a Hate Week Speech denouncing Eurasia and in mid-sentence, the enemy was changed to Eastasia (or was it the other way around?) All the posters were removed and replaced. No one noticed.
I barely remembered Julia at all. She disappeared into 1984 much as Eileen became invisible In Wifedom, Mrs. Orwell’s Invisible Life. The two books shared a lot.
Winston Smith, the male protagonist of the original is miserable. He works in the Ministry of Truth where his job is to rewrite history as enemies change and people disappear. He is obsessed with finding what is real. Towards this end, he begins to take dangerous chances. He also has his eye on Julia, a mechanic at his ministry. She is much younger, attractive, and wears the red sash of the Anti-Sex League. He wants her and hates her. He fantasizes about taking her sexually and smashing in her head as he knows she is unavailable. He sees her as the symbol of all that is wrong in their society. Of course, he only knows her in his imagination.
In Julia, we meet her as she is. In juxtaposition to Winston’s dour serious obsessions, Julia has found a way to live; It’s very difficult but she does it. As a woman she has made the best life she could under the circumstances.
In 1984, Julia suddenly and surreptitiously hands Winston a note. “I love you”. In my reread 1984 I was held up. Why on earth would she do that? Other than the importance of advancing the story, it made no sense. In Orwell’s world what women do didn’t have to make sense, it wasn’t that important. In Julia, we learn much more about that and it becomes plausible. Julia is actually the moving force behind the entire story, just like Eileen. While Winston was off in fantasy about what is real, Julia had them both living a life. He did not bring them to their end. It was her.
In Wifedom, Eileen is what enables Orwell to do what he did. She typed and edited his manuscripts, tended his goats, and fixed his heating system and toilets. It is possible that she was the genius behind Animal Farm. It became clear that Julia was really Eileen. Orwell and his 7 biographers made Eileen invisible in life. Julia was invisible in Winston’s story, but we also see that in both the novel and the reality he had no life without her.
STUDY QUESTIONS
These questions are generally for book clubs, however, can be used for contemplation or talking to a friend. Spoiler Alert: These questions are designed for people who have read the entire book. If surprises matter, do not read these now.
- Why, do you think, that Julia, a woman was able to have a much more colorful life than Winston’s black-and-white misery?
- The movie, 1984 was made in black and white. This was as it should be. Even though Julia was set in the same place and time, I see the movie in color. Do you agree and why or why not?
- Julia saves herself in the end, mostly by not giving up. She finds a hopeful world, but then sees the seeds of more problems, similar to what she left. How do you see her using that? Does she try to prevent it, or just go back to living as best she could?
Related
1984. By George Orwell
As I said I first read 1984 in the 9th grade, however, I remembered very little clearly. Reading it before Julia helped me put that novel into perspective, however, I do not believe it is necessary for the enjoyment or understanding of Julia. Both Julia and 1984
This book is a dystopian work that sheds light on how a population is controlled terrifyingly. Even if you have never heard of the book it is hard to get through a life without references to it, which may be the reason to read it. Orwellian is often a phrase opponents throw at each other, sometimes with justification. Reading it is more about understanding your culture and a lot of what is going on today as our media becomes controlled by a few oligarchs and billionaires. In Orwell’s creation information was controlled and manipulated by the government. Today’s information is being manipulated by corporations. Questions for discussion would be
- What are the differences between governmental and private money control of information?
- And more importantly, what can or must we do about it?
Animal Farm. By George Orwell
Animal Farm is a parody of the Russian Revolution. The Tsarist governments had a firm control of Russian society to the detriment of most of the population. It is difficult for us to conceive that initially there was a lot of hope for the revolution. We cannot understand this because we all know how it ended with as much or more repression as people suffered under the Tsars.
Animal Farm takes place when the animals revolt against the farmer and as the animals quickly become more and more like the humans we see a parody of what happened in Russia
It is almost as much a part of our culture as 1984, with many references to it that we may not even connect to the novel. It is also known that Eileen had a very important part in putting this book together and may have written it herself
The point of discussion would be:
- Is it possible for human beings to have a more equitable society and keep it that way?
- What must we do to make that happen?