Charles' impressions, interpretations and analysis of a quote from George Orwell's "1984" :D

Quote: "I wonder what a lemon was,' she added inconsequently. 'I've seen oranges. They're a kind of round yellow fruit with a thick skin" (Orwell 153)

Speaker: Julia
Receiver: Winston
Context: Julia and Winston discuss the lyrics of a song and ponder the meaning/essence of certain words

Impressions and analysis: Upon reading these phrases, I was immediately puzzled. In the passage, Julia displays her ignorance to what a lemon is, although, she presents a rather accurate physical description of a lemon in the following line. Yet, she claims that this description is that of an orange, not of a lemon. It is bizarre that the colour of a lemon should be used to describe that of an orange if one claims to be ignorant of what is a lemon. This raises impossible questions: does Julia have the two citrus fruits mistaken for one another? Or perhaps is it Orwell who has mistaken the two, and that mistake is thereby manifested in the speech of his character? As stated, these questions are impossible. One cannot venture into the mind of a fictional sex-craved insurgent, neither into the mind of a cynical Englishmen who died over sixty years ago. That being said, one can hypothesize what may have been the intention of the author in this passage. I am of the belief that rather than being a literary blunder of great magnitude, Orwell intentionally included this factually incorrect statement by Julia to demonstrate the sheer power of the party.

Julia is convinced that what is in reality a lemon, is an orange, because she grew up learning this fabricated lie. This underlines the fact that the party in the novel has the ability to alter language and have its subordinates adhere the modifications. A group that can alter language and then proceed to have these alterations adhered to, is, without question, a force of soaring influence and authority. The notion that Orwell possibly advertently included a subtle example that underlines the dominance of the party, goes to show to what ends he went to to stress the party's sheer power.

In summary, in this seeming mix-up of fruit names, Orwell may have subtly displayed the supremacy of the totalitarian regime in his novel.

I hope you enjoyed my impressions and analysis, and I pray that I communicated my thoughts in a direct, yet elegant, manner. God bless

This event, as you have mentioned, underlines the magnitude of the dominance of the totalitarian power in Oceania. The purpose of this interaction between Winston and Julia can be paralleled to that of the notion that 2+2 makes 5. The Party understands that this mathematical notion is false, yet systematically reinforces it in the children’s lives through their education. I’d refer this back to the idea of doublethink, which is the idea that one can hold two contradictory ideas simultaneously. Julia believes that the citrus is an orange, while its colouring, as she describes it is yellow. An orange is orange and a lemon is yellow. She holds the belief that an orange is yellow because of this is what she is told by the party. Good job Charles, keep up the good work! hehe XD