Brave New World

Overall, I had a positive reaction to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. I thought it was different from other futuristic society novels I had read, such as The Giver or even the popular Hungar Games. The most interesting aspect of Brave New World was the complete lack of an enemy to really hate. There was no supreme power to hate, as it truly seemed that those in the higher government were trying to bring true happiness. I truly respected the Controller, as he gave up what could have been true happiness on the island to take his place among society to try and ensure its happiness for all. He admits, "That's how I paid. By choosing to serve happiness." (229). Sure this may not be complete happiness, but who is to say it does not work for them? If they are ignorant of the joys that human feelings and attachment can bring, then is it really hurting them to not subject them to the misery that sometimes accompanies this feeling? Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and found its message though-provoking.

Brave New Word

Aldous Huxley's novel, Brave New World, is full of symbolism and representation of a possible future society. However, the novel has a bit of irony in it too. This stems mainly from John's ultimate reaction to society, his escape and ultimate suicide. When John is found by Bernard on the Reservation, he sees society as a huge gift. There, he believes he will be accepted and find other like-minded people. It is here that the irony lies. For in the society, everyone is like-minded, but not in the way John is. John's "brave new world" is not like the one from his Shakespeare stories, and therefore he cannot tolerate it. When he can no longer live with the guilt from his actions, he goes back to his roots, punishing and cleansing himself as the Indians taught him to do. The biggest irony is, during his misery in his exile to atone, the Savage is often visited by the people of the city, who are fascinated by his unpredictability. The would yell "we want whip", (256) ironically crying out for the instrument of his torture. This irony ultimately leads to his decision to end his life.

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley's savage character John in Brave New World is unhappy almost from his first moment in civilization. It is clear he cannot belong in this world, despite always yearning for it. It may not come as a big shock to readers that his final action is suicide. is suicide is often foreshadowed by the writer in small ways through the novel. John's misery and obsession with atonement are clear from his first day after leaving London He admits he left to "...escape further contamination by the filth of civilized life; it was to be purified and made good; it was actively to make amends" (247). John saw his act of leaving society as a punishment for his sinful actions. It cannot be surprising then, that he felt the only way to make up for his sexual depravity at the orgy was to hang himself. His obsession with the works of Shakespeare, particularly with tragedies like Othello and Romeo and Juliet also foreshadow his death. Both these works end with the suicide of the main characters.

Brave New World

In Section 4 of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Bernard continues to be characterized as a more selfish man than the rebellious outcast portrayed in Section 1. As his popularity grows due to his friendship with John, Bernard becomes addicted to the society that previously rejected him. Even the soma, which he had previously rejected in preference of real thought, is taken often by him. This seems to bring out the worst in the character. When John creates a scene at the soma distribution, Bernard is so reluctant to help, even when he thinks his friends lives may be in danger. His ultimate betrayal, however, occurs when the three friends are taken in to custody. When talk of exile comes up, Bernard immediately throws his friends under the bus. He yells, "I haven't done anything. It was the others, I swear it was the others" (226). Later he feels ashamed at his selfish actions of betrayal and apologizes. However, this does not change that it occurred and drives the final name in his characterization. He is a pathetic, desperate character who is unable to grasp the reality of true happiness, despite his potential for rebellion at the beginning.

Brave New World

Although section two of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World introduces and characterizes John, it also highlights the struggles he will face later on in the book. This struggle is mainly between the two worlds he is a part of, but of which he really fits into neither. He grew up in the world of the savages, yet they refused to include him in their society at all. On the other hand, his childhood was also filled with his mother's stories of civilization. Because of these conflicting views, John himself is a happy median between the two. However, this civilization is not one to accept compromises. John first shows  his differences in thinking when it comes to Linda. When it comes to the conflict between self desire and control, in the modern civilization, desire always wins. In fact, there really is no conflict, as they see nothing wrong with desire. However, John shows his ability to use control when confronted with a sleeping Linda. His carnal desires make him want her, but his self-control overrides any action he may have taken. He even detests his desires saying "he was ashamed of himself" (145). This is contradictory to the practices of the civilized society, where one takes whatever they want.

Brave New World

Section two of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World reveals a surprising plot twist. Before embarking on his journey to see the savages, Bernard is told by the Director of the man's own trip there, where his companion went missing. At first, I believed this story's purpose was to reveal a more human side of the Director, a form of characterization. However, after Bernard meets Linda on the trip, it is clear the Director's story was a different literary technique, foreshadowing. Huxley has the Director tell Bernard this story, predicting that it would in the future mean more to Bernard than a possible connection to the man. When Bernard stumbles upon a woman who used to live in civilization and her son, it is immediately clear he believes her to be the Director's former companion, and her son his son. He admits to having a plan "he had been secretly elaborating ever since, in the little house, he had realized who the 'father' of this young savage must be" (138). It is not until the end of this section that the author explicitly states the Director as the father publicly.

Brave New World

In the second section of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the reader is introduced to a new primary character, John. Huxley utilizes a literary technique of a flashback to introduce the reader to John. This allows the reader to view the experiences and events from the past that have shaped John into the character when meet in the middle of the book. This gives the reader some idea of his feelings and motivations throughout the novel. The flashbacks consist mainly of events from his childhood, centering around his mother's downward spirals and neglect, as well as his harassment from the natives. The biggest event for John we see in his flashback is him learning to read, which open the door for him to learn of other cultures and saved him from the biggest pains of isolation. The reading enticed him "it talked to him; talked wonderfully and only half-understandably, a terrible beautiful magic..." (132). This wonderful feeling we see him have about reading explains his current love of poetry and words. Without the flashback, John would not be such a sympathetic character.

A Brave New World

In Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World, the main protagonist for the first section seems to be Bernard Marx, an unpopular Alpha who had the unfortune to be different in a society that values conformity more than anything else. However, in this section, a new potential protagonist emerges, John, the Savage. While, Bernard and John initially seem incredibly similar, they have major differences that soon work to tear them apart. The biggest commonality between their to in their forced solitude from societies that did not accept them. John is an outcast among the Indians, who do not accept his mother's modern, promiscuous ways. Bernard is also unaccepted in civilization, mostly due to his physical deficiency and defiant attitude. However, the way they deal with this isolation is what makes them different. The solitude makes Bernard bitter, he protests against society not because he disagrees with its principles, but because he hates the society that does not accept him. He works hard to show he is different from his society, as he admits "he went out of his way to show himself strong and unorthodox" (111).  John on the other hand, is isolated through no fault of his own, and instead of brewing in anger about it, chooses to better himself. He seeks experiences and knowledge in order to better his life, unlike Bernard who merely stews in his anger. I believe this difference will be huge when they return to civilization.