You can determine whether the love that Winston and Julia share is actually true love or is it just the ideas that one loves about another. “His heart leapt. Scores of times she had done it; he wished it had been hundreds-thousands. Anything that hinted at corruption always filled him with a wild hope.” (p. 125). This quote proves that Winston loves the fact that she has had sexual intercourses with scores of Party members, proving the corruption in the Party itself. But nowhere in the novel does it mention Winston loving Julia, but it mentions what Winston loves about her: her hair, eyes, characteristics, sexual intercourses, etc. This idea also intertwines with the concept of love and physical attraction.
Physical attraction is one of the ideas and human characteristics that the Party is trying to eliminate. Any signs of physical attraction to another member or Prole can result in becoming an “unperson”. “He thought of her naked, youthful body, as he had seen in his dream. He had imagined her a fool like all the rest of them, her head stuffed with lies and hatred, her belly full of ice. A kind of fever seized him at the thought that he might lose her, the white youthful body might slip away from him!” (p. 109-110). This quote proves that Winston indeed has a physical attraction to Julia, but not because he loves her, but because he wants to prove a point against the Party without them actually knowing. By stating that she is “a fool like all the rest of them, her head stuffed with lies and hatred, her bell full of ice”, Winston attempts to mock the Party by presenting a case where he has attracted a devoted Party member and therefore broken their stronghold. But as later seen in the novel, physical attraction may not only be the main idea behind the ‘love’ Winston has for Julia.
Emotional attraction is one of the major connections between Winston and Julia and it affects the overall purpose of the novel. “He had never before seen or imagined a woman of the Party with cosmetics on her face. The improvements in her appearance were startling.” (p. 142). Although this quote does not directly portray an emotional connection between the two Party members, the physical changes are the ones that attract Winston more emotionally to Julia. He is already connected to Julia in a manner which involves her body, her ideas and her methods of rebellion. Emotionally though, Winston sees that she is more than just an idea outside Party views, but a person with emotions and feelings. Winston is able to see this clearly during this scene.
All of these different connections allow readers to analyze whether the there is a true love between Winston and Julia or is it just a love about being an individual in a society which commands all inhabitants to be the same? The idea of love, the physical attraction and emotional connection assist readers in deciding whether or not Winston and Julia are truly in love. Each and all have arguments for and against the point but whether there is truly a love attraction between the two has, and always will, stay as a thought in the readers’ mind. The true answer to this question will always remain with the author of the award-winning novel.
