1984 Part One Chapters I-VIII Question 3

Winston remembers his wife Katharine, whom he separated from but never divorced, as per Party practice. Winston describes how the Party works continually to remove all pleasure from sexual acts, seeing eroticism as an enemy. Party marriages must be approved by a committee, and to gain such approval, the man and woman in question must not demonstrate any true physical affection for one another. The goal of a marriage is to produce offspring, not to seek personal pleasure or satisfaction. In fact, certain Party organizations, including the Junior Anti-Sex League (of which the dark-haired girl is a member, as demonstrated by the crimson band around her waist), advocate celibacy and procreation through artsem, Newspeak for artificial insemination, and even suggest that children should be raised in public institutions rather than by parents.