Brave New World

894 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: brave new world aldous huxley

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a novel that takes place in Utopia. Yet in this ideal place everyone is conditioned to be happy, it is a place where various things such as the arts are restricted so all people will be synchronized in thinking. Love and commitment does not exist but rather everyone belongs to everyone else. This place is also a place where soma holidays help people escape from their realities and never have its society feel any kind of distress or illness. This place was not Utopia to John “the Savage,” it was rather a place of hell and torment which none of the things he enjoyed and loved existed. In the novel, freedom of the individual will is one of the fundamental beliefs at the root of human ideals. While the environment or the public world (society) plays some part in forming the psyche of an individual, it is in the end, the choice of the individual (John) to be who they become

The whole concept of Brave New World contradicts to everything John ever believed in. John came from a world where art and expression of variation from the society existed. People must face their problems and overcome them, and love requires commitment and is greatly appreciated. John was rather a Renaissance man trapped in a world where none of his necessities in life existed. He was disgusted at their orgy-porgies, their belief of take, take, take not give, give, give. Total happiness did not exist to John in a world which lacked expression of the arts. It was rather total torment. Throughout the novel John continues to fight and believe for what he believes in while the surrounding environment continues to pressure him and submerge him into Utopian ways of life.

The conflicts which were faced upon his arrival were of devastation. His life grew lonelier and lonelier each day with his dissatisfaction with the crude nature and refined society of the Utopians. He was trapped in a tedious world where there was nothing to do. John symbolizes the artist or the believer striving for ecstasy. Yet in a world of synchronized life, lack of arts, unrequited love, and “runaways” it is impossible to find ecstasy. He finds nothing worth living for in the ordinary world and strongly regrets his leave of the reservation in coming to this “boring” world. Clearly he is the image of a man trying to liberate himself from his own egotism.

Show More
Related

  • Irony in All the Pretty Horses

    1846 Words  | 4 Pages

    John is a cowboy and as with all cowboys, their lives all revolve around the horse. While he is at home at his grandfath...

    Read More

  • Brave New World John Character Analysis

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    He proves that his time at the savage reservation was a huge influence on his character, seeking a life like the one he had always known, even after being given the opportunity to be a part of what some would consider a utopian society. John also shows that his moral values mean more to him than just about anything, remaining true to them no matter what his character may be experiencing in the real world, and despite all the changes he goes through on the outside. With this in mind, it’s clear that aspects of his character such as strength, bravery, and commitment to his values develop, but his identity is the same throughout the

    Read More

  • The Significance of John in Brave New World

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    The adult John comes to civilized society as an experiment by Marx and Mond to see how a "savage" would adapt to civilization. Frankly, he does not adapt very well. He is appalled by the lifestyle and ideas of civilized people, and gets himself into a lot of trouble by denouncing civilization. He loves Lenina very much, but gets very upset at her when she wants to have sex with him. He physically attacks her, and from that point on does not want to have anything to do with her. When his mother dies, he interferes with the "death conditioning" of children by being sad. Finally, his frustrations with the civilized world become too much for him and he decides to take action. He tries to be a sort of a Messiah to a group of Deltas, trying to free them from the effect of soma. He tells them only the truth, but it is not the truth that the Deltas have been conditioned to believe, so to them it is a violent lie and they begin to cause a riot. When the riot is subdued, John is apprehended and taken to have a talk with Mustapha Mond.

    Read More

  • Brave New World Essays

    2074 Words  | 5 Pages

    John normally, and in theory, would never do those things. John would only have sex with his soul mate for life, and would absolutely not do soma. Society turned John around so much, that he did all of this, and did what society called happiness. He committed a suicide attack. Q: What faults does John find with the philosophy of happiness, identity, and social stability?

    Read More

  • Life And Death In Brave New World Essay

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    He is trapped inside a world where they do not have any hardships, they have no real meaning in life. John observes that the citizens lives are not expensive enough stating that “nothing costs enough here,” (Huxley 239). When John says this he is stating that the people's life have no value. They do not live for anything. Not for love, not for nobility, not for sorrow, nothing.

    Read More

  • Alienation In Brave New World Analysis

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley examines alienation due to ones personal beliefs to show the values of society. John is a character who is not accepted into the modern society of BNW, due to his clashing values with civilization the values of BNW soon become evident. This opposition and alienation is present throughout the entire novel, in order to show the values of BNW. It is first depicted when John is shocked by how the people of BNW values sex above all else. Secondly, BNW’s values are shown through John’s opposite views on freedom. Lastly, throughout John’s clashing opinion on Religion it shows BNW’s values of “Modern Religion”. In the end the opposing values between John and the society of BNW, John feels alienated,

    Read More

  • John As A Christ Figure In Brave New World

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    While John resumes his position, he begins to experience “excruciating agony” (Huxley 251). In Foster’s novel, he describes how notions of a Christ figure include “agony”(Foster 119), offering a correlation between John’s crucifixion as well as Christs. As Foster explains, the author may be trying to get the reader to view the character with, “redemption, or hope, or miracle”(Foster 124). Incidentally, John’s characterization contains those three interpretations of a Christ figure as seen when he has an incredible desire to save the people of the Hospital of the Dying from soma. John emphasizes how soma is “poison to soul as well as body” (Huxley 217), therefore he attempts to try and save this rotten world from soma, which acts as the antagonist against John. In this case John wishes to “bring [them] freedom”(Huxley 217), unveiling the purpose for his actions. Foster accentuates how a Christ figure works in order to “redeem an unworthy world” (Foster 120).This same goal is desired by John, which is prominent when he opposes soma. Since soma dominates the world, it allows the population to submit to the unworthy beliefs of society. When John is seen opposing soma, it accentuates John’s purpose--to save the corrupt world from

    Read More

  • Individuality: Threat or Catalyst for Harmonious Society?

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    The lack of individuality and spirituality not only kept John from expressing himself but led him to his untimely demise. Sexual freedom is a huge part of the new dystopian society. John wasn’t too fond of the idea of a world where everyone belongs to everyone. This type of mindset got his mother, Linda, shunned in the society of the savages. She slept with all the husbands in the society which led to John not being able to fit in.

    Read More

  • Robes and Furred Gowns Hide All: A Study of Social Illusions in King Lear and Brave New World

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...erstands the real nature of emotions, freedom, and beauty (Huxley 240). And with his well developed mindset, John may even be superior to the citizens of the World State that are aware of nothing more than the delusions conditioned in them. Thus, both Edmund and John have been categorized as an opposite to their true nature based on their birth’s, due to their societies illusion of morality.

    Read More

  • Analysis of John in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ssion and intrusiveness. John’s lack of having an open mind to his wife’s thoughts and opinions and his constant childish like treatment of his wife somehow emphasizes this point, although, this may not have been his intention. The narrator felt strongly that her thoughts and feelings were being disregarded and ignored as stated by the narrator “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him” (Gilman 115), and she shows her despise of her husband giving extra care to what he considers more important cases over his wife’s case with a sarcastic notion “I am glad my case is not serious!” (Gilman 115). It is very doubtful that John is the villain of the story, his good intentions towards doing everything practical and possible to help his wife gain her strength and wellbeing is clear throughout the story.

    Read More

  • Brave New World

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alduos Huxley, in his science fiction novel Brave New World written in 1932, presents a horrifying view of a possible future in which comfort and happiness replace hard work and incentive as society's priorities. Mustapha Mond and John the Savage are the symbolic characters in the book with clashing views. Taking place in a London of the future, the people of Utopia mindlessly enjoy having no individuality. In Brave New World, Huxley's distortion of religion, human relationships and psychological training are very effective and contrast sharply with the literary realism found in the Savage Reservation. Huxley uses Brave New World to send out a message to the general public warning our society not to be so bent on the happiness and comfort that comes with scientific advancements.

    Read More

  • The Disconnect Between John and the Brave New World

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, exemplifies the idea that in an ever-growing modern world, one who demonstrates traditional values about love will be unable to cope up with the questionable morals and differentiating, controversial values present, seen through John’s difficult experience in the Brave New World. In the novel, there is a severe disconnect between what John was taught and the ideals of the Brave New World, which encouraged ruthless, unemotional, and quick interactions with someone found attractive instead of a stable relationship with a loved one. As a result, John struggled greatly to try to adapt to the Brave New World while still trying to maintain his own values, and proved to be unfit to stay there. It is evident that John could have never survived in such a society, due to the great difference in between both of their morals, and the Brave New World’s disapproval of his own values, seen through John’s reaction to the recreational activities, the people in the Brave New World’s mockery of his most favorite pieces of literature, which formed his ideas on love, and finally in his own relationship with Lenina. However, while John’s downward spiral of his mental and emotional state in the Brave New World and his unwillingness to accept their values cause him to leave London, his final conformity and unwilling acceptance to the Brave New World ideals cause the final tragedy at the end of the novel, revealing that he would have never been able to survive in this society, for he was bound to be tainted by their values.

    Read More

  • Brave New World

    2236 Words  | 5 Pages

    1.) The Savage Reservation is similar to the Utopia world in several ways. They both have drugs that are designed to calm people down. Soma, used in the Utopia and mescal used in the Reservation. They both also have a separation within their own society. The Utopia has social castes and the reservation has separation between the men and women, the men having more power. The two worlds also both have ceremonies. The Utopia has the orgy porgy ceremony in which everyone gathers around and has an orgy, hence the name. The Savage Reservation has traditional dancing ceremonies like the many traditional Indian tribes have today. The two cultures have many similar ideas, just expressed a little differently.

    Read More

  • A Beautiful Mind

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout this time the events are so very believable, that John is experiencing all these things, you then discover that most of it was in his mind. Thankfully with his wife's help he is able to deal with this illness and come out okay in the end. He even wins the Noble Prize in 1994. The message I received was to try to understand the different kind of illnesses that are out there, and to be more understanding towards people when they are displaying what I would perceive as strange behavior.

    Read More

  • Male Dominance In The Yellow Wallpaper

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the beginning of the story, the theme of male dominance is seen. Although equally distressing to realize that this still is going on in the 21st century, giving this works a timeless quality, which is both unfortunate and insightful. The transparent level of disrespect John shows the narrator about her metal level is horrendous and frustrating to the point where John seems absolutely underserving of marriage, much less any kind of relationship with a woman. The following line opens the eyes to the reality of the narrator’s environment and also her own belief that she is not on an equal level as her husband. The narrator narrates “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage”(9). “Even the name John itself is male dominating”(Ford 5). The name owes it popularity form two New Testament character, both highly reserved saints. The name John also has been born to 21 popes and eight Byzantine emperors, giving it a very superior meaning. The fact that he is a physician and a primary source of her illness because ...

    Read More

More about Brave New World

Open Document