Brave New World Analysis 1/3
1) One of the biggest conflicts witnessed so far in the first 90 pages of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is the internal one within the main protagonist, Bernard Marx. Throughout the book, Bernard encounters a violent conflict within himself. He was born different from everyone else, and he finds himself many times questioning the system, he feels that there is much more to be/accomplish in life than just having sex and playing ‘obstacle golf’. Bernard is conflicted if he should share how he feels with the rest of the world and reveal his thoughts, or if he should just keep his mouth shut because all he really wants is to fit in. He just wants to be accepted among his caste members as an equal, even though he is not on the same par as them physically. Should he follow what he believes is right, or what everyone else believes is and what he has been conditioned to believe is right. Another conflict we see in the book is when Lenina is conflicted whether she should stay with Henry, a man she has been seeing for four months, or see other men for a change. To us, this seems strange, as when you find someone you like, you generally stay with him or her, but in the World State being with someone for too long is frowned upon, after all, “everyone belongs to everyone”, the hypnopaedic phrase drilled into people’s heads at an early age. She doesn’t know it, but maybe deep down she may have some feelings for Henry but doesn’t know how to act on them as feelings of love and attachment to one person is something unheard of. Should she follow her heart, or follow the norm of society.
2) So far, I have deduced that Bernard Marx is, or is one of the main character(s) of Brave New World. Bernard is an Alpha Plus,...
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...means to be full of air. I think the men mean mean that she’s very attractive, curvy, and just extremely attractive, but I also think there is a second meaning behind the word that Huxley is trying to get across. He’s trying to say that Lenina’s body may be extremely attractive, but her mind is pneumatic. In more simple words, she’s an airhead. She doesn’t think of anything significant at all, and she’s extremely boring and dull. All she really does is throw her body around for men to have her (we can’t judge, as this is what she, and every other female has been conditioned to do since birth), and that’s why everyone is so attracted to her. The term “pneumatic” is so constantly used to describe her, and soon she becomes associated with it so that all this does is remind the readers that she is the most accurate and representation of a vanilla World State female.
In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Lenina and Linda are character foils of one another. Huxley foils these characters in order to show the differences not only between their characters, but also to show the difference in the societies that which they are accustomed to. Lenina and Linda were complete strangers and had never met; however, they share many similarities while remaining different.
The actual process of creating humans is made possible through the use of a single ovary which makes thousands of identical people. Since these people are similar in appearance, thought and relations, they are able to live in perfect harmony with each other. Huxley uses Lenina and Fanny, two of his female characters who are distant relatives from the same ovary, as people who get along well and are on the same page on issues concerning Utopian lifestyles. This is how the government of Utopia, made up of only ten controllers, is able to maintain stability among its people. Since stability is part of the brave new world’s motto, it is a crucial deal for the government to uphold.
“Brave New World,” is a novel written by Aldous Huxley where he explains that everything is based on a futuristic science which he claimed sprang forth from him because of his experience as “an ordered universe in a world of plan less incoherence” (River 4 1974). People seem to care more about temporal things rather than emotions. Technology also seems to be the most important aspect and everyone is affected by it in one way or another, whether if it is negative or positive. This does not necessarily mean that everyone is fully happy with technology because in a way they are all slaves to it. Another thing discussed in the novel is the lack of freedom. Due to a lot of technological development there exists this division in between people even before their birth that their fate has already been decided where subsist these casts such as Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas e.t.c. They are pushed away from freedom of choice and forced to live in a bubble of their own.
Brave New World, a novel by Aldous Huxley was written at a tine in history when war had ravaged much of the nation, Depression was blanketing society, and people’s wills were being put to the test. Science had become an overwhelming force for better or for worse. People had witnessed science saving and preventing millions of lives with vaccinations and such, but on the contrary, had also witnessed it kill with horrifying “factory-like” efficiency in WW I (the age of machine guns and chemical warfare). Brave New World is not intended to be a happy book, it is more Huxley’s way of describing what he believes is coming to us. He is basically saying, “This is our future”. Huxley’s writings are known for dealing with conflicts between the interest of the individual and the interests of society. Brave New World addresses this conflict in a fictional future (approximately 500 years into the future) in which free will and individuality have been sacrificed to achieve complete social stability.
Every character in Huxley's Brave New World uses soma, including Lenina, a frequent abuser of the drug. Lenina goes on a soma trip, "as soon as the got back to the rest house, she swallowed six half-gramme tablets of soma, laid down on her bed, and within ten minutes had embarked for lunar eternity." Lenina uses her high as an escape from the horrors she encounters at the reservation. The soma calms her yet gets her high at the same time. The use of soma takes her to" lunar eternity", putting her in a place of comfort and serenity out of this world. The World Society saying, "One cubic centimeter cures ten gloomy sentiments" defines the primary use of the drug as a temporary relief from depression. The slogan encourages people to use the narcotic instead of continuing to be in a gloomy state. Many characters are on a pursuit of happiness through drugs, believing it will change anything.
Part of this is because Bernard Marx is an Alpha Plus that has the physical stature of a Gamma. This causes him to resent the World State for what it has done to him. This is also the source of his unorthodox thoughts. For example during his Solidarity Service days he says: “ ‘I hear him; He’s coming.’ But it wasn’t true. He heard nothing and, for him, nobody was coming” (Huxley 84). This was during the type of religious service that Bernard participated in for worshiping Ford. But the part that makes him different is that he does not actually believe in For like everyone else in the World State does, just one of his unorthodox thoughts. Another one occurs on his first date with Lenina: “But, Bernard, we shall be alone all night.’ Bernard blushed and looked away, ‘I meant, alone for talking,’ he mumbled. ‘Talking? But what about?’” (Huxley 89). In this instance Lenina wants to go golfing or do something fun, like normal people. But Bernard wants to just talk and get to know one and other. To Lenina and everyone else in the World State this seems strange, which is how it makes Bernard unorthodox. Bernard’s unorthodoxy stems from his physical disability of being abnormally short for his caste, causing him to be ridiculed and thought of as
Due to the lack of freedom and independence the characters in Brave New World do not have valued qualities. Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, and Helmholtz Watson lack many qualities that make one human. In Nineteen Eighty- Four society was ruled under a close watch. They also lacked important valued qualities. Bernard, Lenina, and Helmholtz reveal the loss of valued traits such as, responsibility, respect, individuality, and the capability of true love throughout the novel.
For as long as humans have existed, personal desires and conformity have been at odds with one another. Many great individuals have had to decide whether they want to sacrifice the social acceptance that comes with conformity in order to pursue the gratification that their personal desires encompass. In the case of Bernard Marx, he has a tough time finding a balance between pursuing his personal desire and conforming to society, seeing as his personal desire is to be recognized and admired by his peers without actually having to conform to the guidelines that his society has set for him and everyone else. In the novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley conveys the idea that individuals seeking acceptance among their community can find it extremely
Unlike Lenina Crowne, Bernard is a round character. However, instead of changing for the better, he actually changes for the worse. At first, Bernard is an outcast from society and follows his own beliefs, even though he does not act on it. Bernard then shares his thoughts with others. Unfortunately, later on, when Bernard finally gets respect, he conforms to society. He starts bragging about his women, fake friends, and fame. In the end, he is excluded from society once again. He does not stand up for his beliefs nor friends. What makes Bernard a believable characters is because of his alcohol dose in his body. It is constantly reminded throughout the novel. He is revealed early in the beginning like Lenina as a psychologist. Bernard Marx is complex by the judgment of society and is an Alpha Plus. He cares about what others think of him and it corrupts him. Thus, it makes him complex and hard to understand his intentions, whether if they are good or bad. Others in the novel describe him as odd, shy and sweet. His appearance is also known as being unattractive, glum, slender in proportion and short. He plays a role in the novel by being the first man introduced as someone who is not conformed by society. A memorable quote from him is, “How is it that I can't- what would it be like if I could, if I were free- not enslaved by my conditioning (Huxley
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.
I stood in front of the television screen in horror and disbelief at 10 o'clock on September 11, 2001. Watching as the second plane struck the World Trade Center in a fiery ball of destruction, I thought for sure that this world as we know it was coming to an abrupt end. Seeing the first tower fall and then the second, with over 100 stories each now a pile of twisted steel and death made me want to vomit. In two short hours, the stability of America’s foundation became questionable. I wondered how such a terrorist attack could happen in this society. Then I began looking for warning signs. Ironically, all the warning America needed lies underneath the cover of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World published in 1932. Huxley warned America prior to World War II and almost 70 years prior to the “Attack on America” that materialism, ethnocentrism, complacency, and racism could all lead to ultimate destruction. America chose to ignore him.
How many people would love to be able to not have to deal with reading, writing and having to obtain a life where financial struggles are a main thing in society? How many people just want to live in a world leading to nowhere and a place lacking ethics and morals, where god is forgotten and mankind is led in the wrong direction? Aldous Huxley created this society in his novel "Brave New World" but many people don't have a liking to book. The readers are displeased at many of the morals and lifestyles of the books society. But than when the book starts to become a bit unusual Bernard marx enters the novel and there is hope that the story will change in a way. Bernard seems to be the sort of “voice of reason”. Bernard sees the issues that are
In the sixth chapter of the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the chapter starts off with a flashback of Bernard and Lenina on their first date trying to figure out what they should do together. Bernard, being the outcast of the Alphas, enjoys spending time in the quiet with his thought but opposite to him, Lenina like to be social and go out to gatherings with her friends. This shows how different the two are and how they do not match up. In this chapter, the main idea seems to further clarify Bernard’s attempt of being an individual, different from the rest, and it shows that he will suffer for the chance to be free; away from the conditioning and restrictions, the world has. The consumption of soma is seen as an everyday normal
There were quite a few changes made from Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World to turn it into a “made for TV” movie. The first major change most people noticed was Bernard Marx’s attitude. In the book he was very shy and timid toward the opposite sex, he was also very cynical about their utopian lifestyle. In the movie Bernard was a regular Casanova. He had no shyness towards anyone. A second major deviation the movie made form the book was when Bernard exposed the existing director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, Bernard himself was moved up to this position. In the book the author doesn’t even mention who takes over the position. The biggest change between the two was Lenina, Bernard’s girlfriend becomes pregnant and has the baby. The screenwriters must have made this up because the author doesn’t even mention it. The differences between the book and the movie both helped it and hurt it.
Huxley writes, “Everyone belongs to everyone else.” This hynopaedic suggestion discourages exclusivity in friendship and love. Lenina was manipulated and conditioned to not want monogamous relationship, yet she carried on with Henry Foster for 4 months. This conditioned preset she possesses negatively affects her because it leaves her confused about a lot of things like relationships and friendships. Huxley goes on to write, “And anyhow why are people so beastly to him. I think he’s rather sweet.” This quote refers to Bernard Marx. Lenina is once again showing signs of her originality because everyone thinks Bernard is weird and steers clear of him for the most part. However, Lenina wants the chance to see for herself how he