What did you think of the end of the novel? Where do you suppose Julia goes from here?

What did you think of the end of the novel? Where do you suppose Julia goes from here, and what is her lifestyle like?

At first I was a bit annoyed with it, since it looked like the ending was going to be a 100% happy one for Julia, which I thought was the easy way out. The author redeemed herself in the final pages, though, where she hinted Julia had just swapped one authoritarian regime for another. I thought it was exceptionally well done.

I feel like Julia's a survivor (the rat scene certainly showed that) and that somehow she'll find a way to thrive in the new world.

Endings are always difficult in fiction. As a reader, each of us has our own expectations and wishes for how the story will resolve. Of course, a happy ending for Julia would have been nice, but completely unrealistic given the fact that the new regime was going to swiftly become just as awful (or worse) as the old one. Julia now also had more than her own survival to care about; she had new relationships to protect and as she says "One had no choice."

When I realized that the questions being asked of Julia were the same ones that O'Brien had asked Winston Smith, I was shocked. When I thought back to the leadup to that, I saw that Newman had foreshadowed that ending quite well. And, it is in keeping with the ending of 1984. The difference is that Winston gave up, and I suspect that Julia will simply survive as she has always done.

I also think that Julia will survive, if not for herself for her child.

I thought Julia’s discovery that the people fighting Big Brother were just as bad as Big Brother was an important part of the author’s warning, in keeping with why Orwell wrote as well. But we were left with the question of what Julia will do next, now that her eyes are opened. How we answer that as readers is how we might answer it in our own lives. Do we just resign ourselves or do we find a way to challenge this situation (as individuals, as citizens) without adding to polarization, violence and greed, without becoming part of what we want to resist?

I don’t think she will survive

The end of the novel felt appropriate, as if events are all circular. But, I think Julia has learned survival skills and will be better prepared to navigate the rebels system.
Perhaps that is why I dislike political parties. Despite the polarization of the parties in America, the politicians are all the same. Each is seeking power, striving to keep power, and saying whatever they believe their constituents want to hear to remain part of the ruling class. I truly believe most politicians are corrupt, self-serving and care very little to not at all about the people they profess to represent.

I think the ending shows how much of a survivor Julia is.
It is not the utopia she thought it will be, but she will find a way to make the best of her situation and use her skills as best she can to secure her survival and for her child.

At end I think Julia realizes she cannot trust others, and she has to be/make herself into what others want her to be.

I also think that Julia will gain knowledge on what is out and when the opportunity arises take a chance to move on to another place.

Even though I fully expected the not-happy ending, this question made me realize how disappointed I was by it. It’s especially irrational as I generally don’t believe in “happy endings” or “happily ever afters”, but given all the grimness in the world (and in the book) I really wanted it to be different, despite how unlikely and out of step with the book it would have been to have a different, more hopeful ending.

I thought the ending mirrored the corruption and cyclical nature of political regimes. It left me wondering what would happen to Julia and her baby, but I honestly wasn't interested in finding out.

I think Julia adapted to the new regime because of her strong desire to survive and finding hope for her future - she found Vicky (Victory) and began connecting with her baby. Her childhood and the torture endured convinced her of her strength. The new regime will be no better than the prior (power corrupts). She will survive although not as happily as in her daydreams of her relationship with Vicky which are similar to her daydreams of Big Brother when she was younger but she has hope.

I think the end was a little too abrupt and I didn't really care for it. I felt Julia had more story to tell and I would at least liked to have seen how she dealt with completing her processing. Could she say things she didn't feel to get through the process? If she did, she would have Vicky as an ally.

As others mentioned, I thought the ending was definitely Orwell's version of the grass not necessarily being greener on the other side of the fence. I do take solace in Julia's ability to survive and overcome and would love to believe that she would continue to look for a place devoid of regimes and oaths, but I also wonder how much she has left. It might be easier to enjoy whatever life she could have with her baby and with Victory.