Savage Vs John The Savage

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Many people, especially those living in democratic regions of the world, perceive themselves as fundamentally free, as they are able to make their own choices. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, most of the citizens of the World State are considered to lack this kind of freedom. Unlike the citizens of the World State, John the Savage is presented as one of the flawed characters we are able to relate to. Consequently, by contrasting those around him, he is presented as a free character. However, the actual freedom of his choice is limited by the factors in his environment that shape his personality. As a result, John is very similar to the members of the World State and for the same reason people today are very similar to John. By creating the paradoxical character of John the Savage, who is both free and conditioned, Aldous Huxley presents the idea that complete freedom in humans is a flawed construct and that people are a product of their environments. John the Savage is portrayed …show more content…

He shows an example of how humans are shaped by those around them. John is relatable to people today because of the way that he differs from every other citizen living in the World State. He has flaws which are fundamentally similar to those of people today. Regardless, he is similar to people living under the World State by being heavily affected by his surroundings, contrary to the image of him as a champion of freedom. In a similar way, humans today are like John, because they are affected by their surroundings in a way that makes their choice simply a consequence of how they interpret their world. Ultimately, by presenting different points-of-view through the flawed characters and the state of society in Brave New World, Aldous Huxley shows the importance of perspective when analysing complex situations, such as questions of free will and

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