Exile In Brave New World

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Throughout “Brave New World”, several characters experienced some type of “exile”. Many of the examples seen throughout the novel do not fit into the traditional definition of the word exile. We see several instances in which characters are not only physically separated from those in their birthplace but are emotionally separated from those around them. John, or “The Savage”, exemplifies both physical and emotional separation from his home. John experiences exile in both his home on the savage reservations and when he leaves to go to the “civilized” world with Bernard and Lenina. His experiences of exile throughout the novel are alienating because he is considered an outcast in his homeland and in the World State. They are also enriching …show more content…

He was an outcast in his homeland because he was the son of two people from the “civilized world”. He was not allowed to partake in the rituals that the other boys his age participated in because of his “white hair” and because he was “the son of the she-dog” (Page 136). People “sang horrible songs about Linda” and “laughed at him for being so ragged” (Page 129). John was also an outcast in the World State. They called him “the Savage” because of the way he was raised in the reservation. He was treated like a zoo animal by Bernard for being different. In both the “civilized” world and the “savage” world he was an outcast. John says, “If one’s different, one’s bound to be lonely. They’re beastly to one” (Page 136). He left his home on the reservation because he thought he would be going to a “brave new world” in which he would fit in and be accepted. The way things turned out were not as John expected and he was once again lonely. His loneliness was ultimately one of the main reasons for his …show more content…

John’s mother, Linda, taught him to read by drawing “pictures on the wall- an animal sitting down, a baby inside a bottle; then she wrote letters” (Page 129). He was given a book of Shakespeare by one of his mother's lovers. The story “talked wonderfully and only half-understandably, a terrible beautiful magic” (Page 132). He was able to relate to Shakespeare’s stories and use them in his own life even though he didn’t fully understand them. He used Shakespeare as justification to kill Pope. He also uses many Shakespearean themes and references to criticize the World State. John references “Othello” while talking to Mustapha Mond because “only in Othello’s words could he find an adequate vehicle for his contempt and hatred” about Shakespeare being banned in the World State (Page 219). John’s Shakespearean values represent the lack of emotional and humanitarian values in the World

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