restorative love Flashcards
(15 cards)
how is love presented
as a powerful yet paradoxical force, capable of restoring humanity in totalitarian societies, yet ultimately exploited to reinforce control
how does orwell symbolise winstons psychological deterioration
through the varicose ulcer, which reflects the party’s physical invasion of the individual “it was always sore and inflamed”
Orwell’s physical descriptions often “externalise ideological repression” [Williams]
winstons body becomes a site of political suffering, worn down by repression and fear
“the ulcer subsided, leaving only a brown stain on the skin”
Winstons emotional and sexual connection with Julia represents a temporary reclamation of vitality
“the desire to stay alive welled up inside of him”
love becomes a forbidden, life giving force that humanises Winston
what does the ultimate absence of the ulcer and Winston’s rebellion reflect
that healing through love is tragically short lived
orwell’s bleak vision that totalitarian regimes are unbreakable cycles with little room for optimism
how does Orwell’s biographical context deepen this reading
writing 1984 on the remote Scottish island of Jura, dying of tuberculosis, widowed, Orwell’s personal suffering permeates the novel with an awareness of the futility of love
“the world i see coming frightens me”
fears of the rising atomic age following world war 2, resonating with Winston’s attempts to “remember what it means to be fully human” [Atwood]
how is love presented in HMT
restorative, but can just as easily immobilise as it can resist
“I went back to Nick. Time after time…for myself entirely”
O’s relationship becomes a psychological sanctuary from a regime that views her solely as a reproductive vessel
“i ought to have done something but…i didnt even try
sources of comfort under tyranny can lead to passivity
he attachment to Nick anchors her in place, illustrating how roles traditionally associated with women - lover, mother, carer - become mechanisms of containment
feminist ready - Offred’s emotional life “becomes the very mechanism by which she is binded” [Howells]
patriarchal regimes exploit feminine emotional labour as a form of control
how does the rise of right wing christian fundamentalism and pre reagan conservatism influence atwood
she critiques a cultural climate that sought to reimpose domestic ideals and restrict women’s freedoms
how are atwood and orwell’s presentations different
where orwell’s winston is physically healed but emotionally destroyed, Atwood’s Offred find emotional relief but at the cost of political inertia
what does Atwood’s more complex, gendered understanding of love demonstrate
even the most intimate human connections can be shaped, and weaponised, by the systems that seek to dominate the self.
