is the
lead character in these chapters. She takes the initiative in taking her illicit relationship
withto the next stage. She is the one who leaves him the little note which says "I love
you"; she is the one who takes Winston to the secret hideaway where she's had sex with
Party members before him. At every stage in Winston and Julia's relationship, it is Julia who
takes the lead role.
In Oceania, such a forthright display of sexuality is
strictly forbidden, especially for women, who are restricted to a subordinate role in society.
Winston understands this and draws a sharp distinction between Julia's behavior and that of his
first wife, Katherine. Unlike Julia, Katherine was always somewhat uncomfortable with physical
intimacy. However, that's precisely what the Party would've wanted and expected from her. Julia,
on the other hand, is an individual in the truest sense of the word, and that means defying the
many constraints put upon her by both the Party and society, with their sexist assumptions of
how a woman should behave.
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