Have you ever known someone who you think is a good person, but then turns out to be two-faced? If so, you will recognize that Bernard Marx clearly displays those qualities. In Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World, Bernard Marx, in the beginning, shows heroic qualities by thinking against his conditioning, but then as people start to think highly of him, he shows anti-heroic qualities as he brags about his change in status, and goes against his original thinking. In the beginning Bernard is the protagonist of the novel. He thinks against his conditioning which makes him different and heroic. He displays heroic traits by telling Lenina that he wouldn't like to be enslaved by his conditioning, when he states, “ ‘No, the real problem is: How …show more content…
Even Lenina calls Bernard crazy for thinking this way. What makes Bernard so heroic in the beginning of the book, is the fact that he is so fearless when he is stating his opinion to other people. He doesn't care if they view him as crazy, and he doesn't care that he could be imprisoned for expressing his opinion. However, this quickly changes as he brings John the Savage off the reservation and along with him. Bernard goes from being heroic to anti-heroic, from being the protagonist to being the antagonist. Contrary to Mr. Marx’s heroic qualities, he starts to brag about his change of status. Since he brought John the Savage off the reservation and into the world state, John has been the focus of attention. The only way to schedule a meeting or talk to the savage was through Bernard. This made everyone change their opinion on Bernard. He wasn't seen as weird anymore, as evinced by his hypocritical statement, “ ‘And I had six girls last week,’ Bernard confided to Helmholtz …show more content…
At this point, one’s respect for Mr. Marx would be deteriorating. Lastly, another anti-heroic quality Bernard displays is the fact that he goes against his original thinking by being selfish instead of risking it all in the name of freedom. While John and Helmholtz are trying to wake people up to the poison soma and throwing it out of the window, Bernard should have instinctively joined in, instead he watched from a distance as he didn't want to risk getting into trouble. Bernard cowardly thinks, “…[Bernard], urged by sudden impulse, ran forward to help them; then thought better of it and halted; then, ashamed, stepping forward again; then again thought better of it, and was standing in agony of humility indecision—thinking that they might be killed if he didn't help them, and that he might be killed if he did” (Huxley 214). Bernard clearly does not display heroic qualities. He should have instinctively jumped in to help Helmholtz and John. However, he was being selfish and ultimately a hypocrite that is going against his original thinking, that he doesn't live in a truly free world. If Bernard truly believes that, he should have jumped in and helped Helmholtz and John and awakened the people of the World State, in the name of true
The outcome of what happened to Bernard forced him to see that mistakes were one reason a Utopian Society could not exist. The Character Bernard Marx is an example of human imperfection, not because he was referred to as deformed, but because the person who created him messed up. Individuals were decanted according to specification. Any deviation was evidently the result of some mistake, a mistake made by a human. These technological developments weren’t advanced enough to create such a perfect society. Bernard was an example of this undesired reality. He was deemed an outcast due to his imperfection. Being an outcast, however, allowed him to see the world differently. He was able to realize how everything was being manipulated and he was able to discern that it was wrong.
Bernard Marx was alienated in the Brave New World because of his general appearance. As an Alpha Plus, Bernard was unusually short and ugly. Suggested by Fanny, Bernard's condition resulted from an error when he was still in a bottle, the workers "thought he was a Gamma and put alcohol into his blood surrogate." Bernard did not fit in the structured order of the Brave New World and was therefore shunned by others. The error resulted in Bernard developing outside the barriers of his caste level. His ugliness and short stature led Bernard to become a perpetual outsider, alienated by society. As an outsider, Bernard was cynical of the order and structure of the Brave New World. He eschewed Electric Golf, and other social amusements in favor of loneliness and solidarity activities, such as, thinking. Bernard attempted to find a way "to be happy in some other way," in his own way, not the established way.
According to Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said quoted, "Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted." Bernard is the odd egg in the basket and feels alienated from a society that does not accept him. Bernard is an alpha although he was never completely accepted as one because people often made up rumors that alcohol was in his blood surrogate. Bernard is alienated from the World State in multilple ways starting from his conception something went wrong immediately deeming him as abnormal. Currently in today's society we still view those with birth defects as abnormal and do not consider them as part of society because they are not normal. As with Bernard the alphas view him inferiorly, because of this Bernard despises all those in the World State and critizies their motives and desires. Bernard is not similar to the citizens in the World State because he is lovesick for Lenina who sees nothing in him except social gain, he becomes very jealous of men around Lenina making him fiercely angry because he stil...
Bernard Marx, an Alpha, symbolizing individualization, a character in the action of becoming one who only wants to belong to the idolized society. During the beginning of the novel Bernard seemed to be very different from society itself, he acted like a complete rebel, battling against the order of establishment. In the first few chapters he seemed to be an “individual”. For example on his first date with Lenina,
Bernard Marx is a character that represents those that are different from the norm, a character still relevant in today’s culture. He is an archetype of those that are looked down upon as different. He signifies those that look and/or think uniquely. Bernard is the outcast who longs to belong.
Bernard was born as an alpha, the highest caste. Unfortunately, he was born with multiple birth defects. Bernard was short and slightly disfigured, making him stick out compared to everyone else's genetic perfection. Because of this, Bernard was made fun of a lot by other people in the community making him feel lonely, even though he was born
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World demonstrates key principles of Marxist literary theory by creating a world where mass happiness is the tool used by positions of power known as the Alphas to control the masses known as the Epsilons at the cost of the people's freedom to choose. The social castes of Brave New World, Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons, draw parallels to the castes applied in Marxist literary theory, the Aristocracy, the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat.
In the beginning of Brave New World, Bernard is very easily relatable for a high school reader. He doesn’t fit in with everyone else and for this he is insecure. One reason he doesn’t fit in is because of his size. Many people look down on Bernard because of his physical handicap of being just 8 centimeters shorter than the normal alpha. For this, he gets picked on by the others. Huxley said this when describing Bernard, “The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one, which increased the prejudice against him and intensified the contempt and hostility aroused by his physical defects. Which in turn increased his sense of being alien and alone.” Many people can relate to feeling inadequate or being a little different than everyone else so they feel like they can relate to Bernard. Therefore, they hope for the best for Bernard. Everyone likes an underdog. Readers want to see Bernard succeed.
In Brave New World, Huxley introduces multiple characters and problems to explore both internal and external conflicts throughout the story. One character we see in depth is Bernard. An alpha in society, Bernard struggles with inner conflict that separates him from the rest of his peers. Unlike others he sees the world he lives in as flawed. He questions everything and as a result of this, feels isolated and different. He struggles with his inner feelings as others start to judge him. He has the option to go against the part of him that says to act like every other Alpha, or to go with the part of him that wants to stand up for what he believes to be morally right.
Within Brave New World social stability means everyone is identical and has a preset purpose to life. A tour guide at the Central London Hatchery And Conditioning Centre explains they”…predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as alphas or epsilons, as future sewage workers…” (Huxley 13) Bernard Marx was born by the same Bokanovsky process as everyone else. He is forced to live in a society where individuality is suppressed for stability by conformity. Marx knows he is unlike many others and tries to fit in. He is prevented to be his true self because he is already looked down on by the conditioned society and risk of exile. His anti-social beliefs include ideas of marriage, emotions and community events which are unmoral according to the rest of civilization.
The latter part of the nineteenth century was teeming with evolved social and economical ideas. These views of the social structure of urban society came about through the development of ideals taken from past revolutions and the present clash of individuals and organized assemblies. As the Industrial Revolution steamed ahead paving the way for growing commerce, so did the widening gap between the class structure which so predominantly grasped the populace and their rights within the community. The development of a capitalist society was a very favorable goal in the eyes of the bourgeoisie. Using advancing methods of production within a system of free trade, the ruling middle class were strategically able to earn a substantial surplus of funds and maintain their present class of life. Thus, with the advancement of industry and the bourgeoisie's gain of wealth, a counter-action was undoubtably taking place. The resultant was the degradation of the working-class, of the proletarians whom provided labour to a middle-class only to be exploited in doing so. Exploitation is a quarrel between social groups that has been around since the dawn of mankind itself. The persecution of one class by another has historically allowed the advancement of mankind to continue. These clashes, whether ending with positive or negative results, allow Man to evolve as a species, defining Himself within the social structure of nature. Man's rivalry amongst one another allows for this evolution! through the production of something which is different, not necessarily productive, but differing from the present norm and untried through previous epochs.
Through out history money, wealth and capital have dictated a way of life to the masses. Wealth dictated the lives that the rich lived and the lives of the poor that worked for and surrounded them. In some cultures your class could never be escaped in life, you had to wait for your next incarnation, while in other cultures the idea of wealth transcended a life and allowed for growth from one class to another. This is the reality of a capitalist society that was first discussed by Karl Marx in the 19th century.
Since 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell and Eastern European Communism came to an end, many of those who have lived through or bore witness to communism published their experiences to the public through media. These personal accounts tell, for the most part, of repressive and manipulative governments that constantly abused their power. Since the original goal for communism was equality, the East German government clearly corrupted the hopes that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels had for the future of the Eastern European government and society.
Inspired by the works of Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin nonetheless drew his ideology from many other great 19th century philosophers. However, Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” was immensely important to the success of Russia under Leninist rule as it started a new era in history. Viewed as taboo in a capitalist society, Karl Marx started a movement that would permanently change the history of the entire world. Also, around this time, the Populist promoted a doctrine of social and economic equality, although weak in its ideology and method, overall. Lenin was also inspired by the anarchists who sought revolution as an ultimate means to the end of old regimes, in the hope of a new, better society. To his core, a revolutionary, V.I. Lenin was driven to evoke the class struggle that would ultimately transform Russia into a Socialist powerhouse. Through following primarily in the footsteps of Karl Marx, Lenin was to a lesser extent inspired by the Populists, the Anarchists, and the Social Democrats.
Bernard Marx an Alpha plus specialist in sleep teaching is an example of a character that changes in the brave new word. He changes from a character that symbolized individuality to a character that just wanted to desperately belong to the society. At the beginning of the novel he seemed to be very different from the society, he acts like a rebel trying to battle against the order of things. He seemed to be an “individual” in the first few chapters. For example On his first date with Lenina with lenina he says ” I’d rather be myself. ‘Myself and nasty .Not somebody else, however jolly”(77). He wanted to be something else different from the rest of the society. However we see that his root concern is to be socially acceptable and not really about becoming an individual. In chapter 6 Bernard shows signs of undergoing a change in his character. When the Director summoned Bernard to his office for being unorthodox, Bernard goes on to brag to his friend Helmholtz Watson on his victory over the director when he says” I simply told him to go to the bottomless past and marched out of the room and that was that “(85). We get the sense that Bernard’s victory wasn’t so much about personal integrity as it was social acceptance. Finally, his character undergoes a c...