I would push
back against the question and argue that the female characters are not weak but most often show
strength and resilience. However,was a product of his time, and he adheres fairly firmly to
stereotypes about women's roles.
can be seen in terms of stereotypes of
women as representing "nature," whileis the male figure representing
"culture." Julia pursues the sensual and practical creature comforts, ranging from sex
to real coffee, while Winston is more concerned with working out the intellectual knots of the
culture he is trapped in. Nevertheless, Julia is consistently depicted by Orwell as a strong,
assertive, capable, and practical woman. She is the one who initiates the relationship with
Winston and, especially at first, masterminds all the practical details. She is as determined as
Winston is that they will not betray each other if arrested. Throughout the novel, she reveals
her intelligence, courage, and practical wisdom.
We can't underestimate the
washer woman, either, who (though a minor character) is of central importance to Winston as he
rehumanizes through love for Julia. As he watches this large older woman in the courtyard,
singing and hanging laundry, he comes to admire her as the humane face of the futureand even to
find her beautiful. She seems a pillar of strength to him, in her family ties and continuity
with the past.
Weak women would be those ground down by the social order,
like poor Mrs. Parsons, who has to cope with the endless problems of life in Oceania, along with
children who spy on her and frighten her. Katherine might also be seen as weak, in her brittle
adherence to Party orthodoxy.
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