What do you think about Winston and Julia's relationship? Do they love each other? Do you think love is possible in Oceania?

What do you think about Winston and Julia's relationship? Does Winston really love Julia? Does she love him? Do you think love is possible in Oceania?

Love in such a distopian community would be almost impossible. No, there was no love, just companionship.

Historically, in works of fiction, great love affairs almost never end well....the greatest example is probably Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Given the horrid culture in this dystopian narrative, any love is basically a flower trying to grow in a concrete jungle. Winston and Julia loved each other as much as they were capable of. True romantic love the way we envision it in our own lives just was not possible in Oceania-basically it was just a never ending struggle to survive every day. And since real love is contingent upon self-love, these couple was doomed to failure since they were incapable of loving themselves.

I think Winston does love Julia. When the bomb hit Winston was worried about her while Julia had no human sympathy. Julia does not love him. Once she works for the thought police and meets with him in Weeks room she gets him to tell her about all the hatred he has for the party. She enjoys their time together knowing they are being watched. She knew Winston would be tortured and killed. In rereading 1984 I am sure the Winston loved Julia and in this book perhaps Julia loved him.

No and no. I don’t believe Winston and Julia loved each other because love wasn’t possible under existing conditions in Oceania. Normal relationships were a romantic notion of times long ago. They were two drowning people trying to hang onto a common life raft for a period of time.

I don't think what we call "love" was possible. All memories of true love had been wiped away by mind manipulation. Perhaps in "real" life it would have been possible.

I don’t think they loved each other, because they were not free to be completely open with each other. They each used the other for different reasons, needing a human connection in a society organized to destroy natural, normal human connections—even the bonds between parents and children. Newman makes this as clear as Orwell did, but in fleshing out the characters she makes it more tragic. I don’t think love is possible in Oceania, though the impulse and need for it can’t be suppressed.

I don’t believe either Winston or Julia were capable of love. I agree with JLPen77 that they used each other for different reasons, the pull or need of human interaction, physical connection.

I think they may fantasize about love, but in the end, they both are all for themselves.

I don’t think Julia and Winston loved each other. It seemed Julia used Winston to alleviate her own needs and her boredom. Winston simply lusted over Julia. Even in this dystopian country, I feel love is potentially possible. However, the state does everything to prevent love and appeared successful at doing so.

I believe a limited love can exist in their world. Winston certainly had concern for Julia when the bomb hit. His marriage does not contain love, but his affair does. And he was willing to confess in front of Julia. On the other hand, Julia does not love him. She did not even think of him when the bomb hit. He was only an after thought. In a world filled with fear, how can you love anyone? Winston was ready to die, therefore his fear was diminished allowing him to think beyond himself. The depth of his love is the only thing in question.

I saw their relationship more as an "escape" from the environment they lived in and in some ways living out the "fantasy" on what love is. Or perhaps it is as close to what love is in that environment.

I don't think they really loved each other. Winston was living in his own little fantasy world and having a beautiful woman take an interest in him fed into that. Julia was more detached from the relationship because she was just putting on an act for the most part.