Chapter 6 contains the first real mention of sex in the 1984. Unlike the last major film version of this novel, where nudity is often gratuitous, Orwell’s descriptions of sexual intercourse are not graphic but integral to understanding how Big Brother and the collectivist state has sought to control the population by inextricably linking sexual activity to procreation and not to pleasure. The only pleasure is serving the state.
And that state is so controlling, so pervasive and so nosy that a visit to a prostitute represents not just a quick thrill but a repudiation of Big Brother’s power.
