Betrayal or Love?
– an interview with Julia in 1984<\/p>\n
In the world-famous political novel 1984 written by George Orwell, Julia
betrayed her underground lover, Winston, in order to free herself from torture. She was then given the notorious title, ‘woman of betrayal’. <\/p>\n
But did she really want to betray Winston?<\/p>\n
‘Not at all,’ said Julia in a firm tone, ‘If I were given a choice, I would definitely save Winston.’<\/p>\n
She then hesitantly added, ‘but not when you were in the Ministry of Love.’<\/p>\n
She has a point. Prisoners jailed in the Ministry often shared a horrible nightmare due to the torture like poor meals and beatings, which was so life-threatening.<\/p>\n
However, is love less important than her own life? She nodded her head.<\/p>\n
‘Maybe it’s due to the Big Brother’s teaching. When I worked in the publication unit, they (the bosses) would always remind us that there is no love by others but only love by Big Brother. I still partly believe this.’<\/p>\n
This teaching has influenced Julia a lot.<\/p>\n
After separating from Winston, Julia now remains single as she no long believes in pure love.<\/p>\n
‘What is love? Big Brother has taught us that lovers are in love only because of their own benefits. After the incident, it’s difficult for me to recover in term of faith and genuine courtship… it’s really hard to get these off my mind…’ She began to cry. Certainly, psychological damage requires a plenty of time to get healed.<\/p>\n
What does she want to do then?<\/p>\n
‘To turn a new leaf. I’ve started to forget Winston as his image starts to fade in my mind. I’ll try to find a job in the Ministry of Love again. I’ve been jobless for three months.’<\/p>\n
Fortunately, she did not wait for so long. Three days after the interview, Julia told me that she got an offer in the Ministry of Love. Maybe she can really start a new life. <\/p>\n
Love and betrayal always have no clear cut.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Betrayal or Love-an interview with Julia in 198<\/p>
In the world-famous political novel 1984 written by George Orwell, Julibetrayed her underground lover, Winston, in order to free herself from torture. She was then given the notorious title, ‘woman of betrayal’.<\/p>