Brave New World Exposition And Other Mechanics English Literature Essay

A. Title- The title of the book Brave New World comes from a Shakespearean play called The Tempest in Act V Scene I, and the title is ironic to the Shakespearean play because Huxley describes “the brave world” perversely with not only the undertones of conformity from 1984, but also with blatant sex with children. Shakespeare describes the scene as “goodly creatures….beauteous mankind” which completely contrasts with the ritualistic world of Huxley. Huxley chooses this title to show that this world, in which he writes, is new and brave however these positive adjectives do not reflect the actions and feelings of the society, and with this knowledge, Huxley uses change to sort of scare the audience through his clear cut voice and develop that this country is corrupt in nature.

B. The book begins with innocent school children receiving a tour from the Director and through the tour, the readers can already see that this world is conformed due to the caste systems, the embryonic cloning in masses, and the commonality of sex and promiscuous-ism. The purpose in writing the beginning so shocking is to set the stage for other events in the book and to get the readers used to his type of mood and tone. Again, Huxley uses this imaginative mind to create a world such that people are “decanted” and not “born” lacking individualism and creativity among each person in the society. This sense of conformity creates a veil of suspicion for continuing on with the book.

C. London is the major setting of the novel and although many landmarks are seen in London, there are also new ones created for the new world, for example the Slough Crematorium and the College of Emotional Engineering. The time period/time frame is taken place in the future, where scientific advancement is evident in every walk and aspect of life; in fact, parts and types of sciences have morphed into god-like powers, dictating and controlling human behavior, especially for the upper class that need to be controlled. The atmosphere of the book shows devilish joy and fabricated, fake, and induced happiness; the suppression that is abundant is so subtle and slightly detailed that it is not even suspected. In the aftermath of World War I, the general mood and motive were to obliterate the bitter past and create a new utopian society. When Huxley wrote the novel in 1932, he took much of his creative knowledge and amplified it in an extreme form, creating a world ruled by totalitarianism, controversial science, and insane engineering. The inspiration for the book came from the leaders such as, Karl Marx, Henry Ford, and Sigmund Freud.

D. John - He is the son of the Director and Linda (his mother), John is the only predominant character to have grown up outside of the new society of the World State. It seems that John cannot accept that the world as turn to the worse from what it was before its glorious days and does not accept the society in which sex and drugs run rampant. He is labeled and marked as the outsider and has lived his life completely far away from his village on the Savage Reservation and finds himself unable to live within the World State society due to the conformity and the corrupt nature of the society. His entire worldview is of Shakespeare’s plays, and he can quote pretty well.

Bernard Marx – Bernard is an Alpha male, who are supposed to be the cream of the crop in that they are the smartest, most beautiful, and all around better but fails conform in with society because of his weak and low physical body and structure. He has untraditional beliefs on relationships involving sex, activities including sports and communal gatherings. His self consciousness about his size and body structure makes him angry and mad at the World State’s society of expecting him to be the greatest since he is of the Alpha Caste. Bernard shows a bit of emotion in seeing that he cares what others think of him and becomes depressed just because of the expectation for him to be muscular and tall and not to mention beautiful and witty. Bernard’s discontent stems from his strong desire to fit in with the society, rather than living in the criticism of it with a life of mockery, when threatened about his size, Bernard can be irrational and mean. This inferiority complex of his reminds me of Curly from Of Mice and Men.

Helmholtz Watson - Another Alpha caste member and teacher at the College of Emotional Engineering, Helmholtz is the perfect example of his system and caste, but feels that his work is empty and meaningless. He believes that his significance of life should be greater would like to start using his writing skills for something more important and meaningful. Watson and Bernard are friends because they are discontent with the World State’s society, but Watson’s criticisms of the World State are more philosophical and intellectual than Bernard’s menial complaints. Because of this, Watson finds Bernard boastful and petty nature to be his downfall.

Henry Foster – Foster is one of Lenina’s many lovers, and he is a perfectly orthodox male part of the Alpha caste, blatantly talking about Lenina’s body with his friends and coworkers. His relationship with Lenina, and his nonchalent attitude about it, infuriate the Bernard.

Lenina Crowned – Linda, a vaccinator worker at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, attracts many characters, including Bernard Marx and John and due to society’s standards of sleeping around. Her personality and nature are sometimes against what society expects of her, which makes her appealing to the reader. For example, she shows that the culture’s standards by dating and having sex with one man for several months but is attracted to Bernard and at the same time, she develops a passion for John. Her values and morals are those of a typical World State citizen. She communicates to the readers that she only provides sex and is lustful towards most of the characters in the book, and she is unable to share Bernard’s and John’s system of morals.

Mustapha Mond -  Mustapha is The Resident World Controller of Western Europe, one of few and selected ten World Controllers. He was once a young and ambitious scientist performing illicit and sound research to further develop human life. When his hard work was discovered, he had two choices, either to train to become a World Controller or be exiled forever and away from the society. He chose to give up his passion of science, and now he covers up scientific experiments and discoveries and exiles people for not believing in the World State’s beliefs. He also keeps a library of forbidden books in his safe, which ranges from Shakespeare to other religious works such as the Bible. His name Mond means “world,” and Mond is apparently the character with the most power in the world in the book.

The Director - The Director regulates the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. He is a power figure, with the power to exile anybody, but his secret makes this god like character vulnerable because of his son, John, with his wife Linda, which is a obscene and scandalous act to the World State as a whole.

Linda -  Linda is John’s mother, and part of the Beta caste. While visiting the Savage Reservation, she actually became legitimately and surprisingly (for this generation of society) pregnant with the Director’s son. During a heavy storm, she got lost, was stuck with a severe head injury and was left behind. A group of natives found her lying down and brought Linda to their home and village. Linda’s life was saved, but however, Linda could not get an abortion on the Indian Reservation, and because she was pregnant (which is strange), she was too ashamed to return to the World State with a baby. Her own nature in which she lived was based on her promiscuity, and she desperately wants to return to World State for the soma in which she is addicted to.

Fanny Crowne - Fanny’s role in the book is to mainly voice the orthodox values of her caste and society and to present them in a way that appeals to the World State. Specifically, she scolds Lenina that she should more relationships in her life because society looks down on girls who concentrate on one man for too long, according to society’s ways.

E. The novel is told in a third person view varying from Bernard, John, and Lenina but mostly maintains to be John for the majority of the book.

F. John who is the protagonist of the novel and the mark and symbol of the previous world order before the World State. Within the society of the old world order, emotion and individualism were key aspects in living ordinary lives in contrasts to the World State. The conflict starts when John is taken from his Savage Reservation to London, where he refutes the understood adjectives of the brave new world and points out its moral decay and conformity falls. In comes the antagonist Mustapha Mond who is the symbol of the brave new world and World State. As one of the Controllers of the ten in the world, he represents the intellectual, scientific society of the new world order, where moral decay and conformity are more valued than emotions and individualism. He wittingly rebuttals John’s criticisms on his supposed utopian society, forcing the Savage to realize that the old world order and brave new world are completely different and can never co-exist.

II. Commentary on Plot, Etc.

A. John - He is the son of the Director and Linda (his mother), John is the only predominant character to have grown up outside of the new society of the World State. It seems that John cannot accept that the world as turn to the worse from what it was before its glorious days and does not accept the society in which sex and drugs run rampant. He is labeled and marked as the outsider and has lived his life completely far away from his village on the Savage Reservation and finds himself unable to live within the World State society due to the conformity and the corrupt nature of the society. His entire worldview is of Shakespeare’s plays, and he can quote pretty well.

Bernard Marx – Bernard is an Alpha male, who are supposed to be the cream of the crop in that they are the smartest, most beautiful, and all around better but fails conform in with society because of his weak and low physical body and structure. He has untraditional beliefs on relationships involving sex, activities including sports and communal gatherings. His self consciousness about his size and body structure makes him angry and mad at the World State’s society of expecting him to be the greatest since he is of the Alpha Caste. Bernard shows a bit of emotion in seeing that he cares what others think of him and becomes depressed just because of the expectation for him to be muscular and tall and not to mention beautiful and witty. Bernard’s discontent stems from his strong desire to fit in with the society, rather than living in the criticism of it with a life of mockery, when threatened about his size, Bernard can be irrational and mean. This inferiority complex of his reminds me of Curly from Of Mice and Men.

Helmholtz Watson - Another Alpha caste member and teacher at the College of Emotional Engineering, Helmholtz is the perfect example of his system and caste, but feels that his work is empty and meaningless. He believes that his significance of life should be greater would like to start using his writing skills for something more important and meaningful. Watson and Bernard are friends because they are discontent with the World State’s society, but Watson’s criticisms of the World State are more philosophical and intellectual than Bernard’s menial complaints. Because of this, Watson finds Bernard boastful and petty nature to be his downfall.

Henry Foster – Foster is one of Lenina’s many lovers, and he is a perfectly orthodox male part of the Alpha caste, blatantly talking about Lenina’s body with his friends and coworkers. His relationship with Lenina, and his nonchalent attitude about it, infuriate the Bernard.

Lenina Crowned – Linda, a vaccinator worker at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, attracts many characters, including Bernard Marx and John and due to society’s standards of sleeping around. Her personality and nature are sometimes against what society expects of her, which makes her appealing to the reader. For example, she shows that the culture’s standards by dating and having sex with one man for several months but is attracted to Bernard and at the same time, she develops a passion for John. Her values and morals are those of a typical World State citizen. She communicates to the readers that she only provides sex and is lustful towards most of the characters in the book, and she is unable to share Bernard’s and John’s system of morals.

Mustapha Mond -  Mustapha is The Resident World Controller of Western Europe, one of few and selected ten World Controllers. He was once a young and ambitious scientist performing illicit and sound research to further develop human life. When his hard work was discovered, he had two choices, either to train to become a World Controller or be exiled forever and away from the society. He chose to give up his passion of science, and now he covers up scientific experiments and discoveries and exiles people for not believing in the World State’s beliefs. He also keeps a library of forbidden books in his safe, which ranges from Shakespeare to other religious works such as the Bible. His name Mond means “world,” and Mond is apparently the character with the most power in the world in the book.

The Director - The Director regulates the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. He is a power figure, with the power to exile anybody, but his secret makes this god like character vulnerable because of his son, John, with his wife Linda, which is a obscene and scandalous act to the World State as a whole.

Linda -  Linda is John’s mother, and part of the Beta caste. While visiting the Savage Reservation, she actually became legitimately and surprisingly (for this generation of society) pregnant with the Director’s son. During a heavy storm, she got lost, was stuck with a severe head injury and was left behind. A group of natives found her lying down and brought Linda to their home and village. Linda’s life was saved, but however, Linda could not get an abortion on the Indian Reservation, and because she was pregnant (which is strange), she was too ashamed to return to the World State with a baby. Her own nature in which she lived was based on her promiscuity, and she desperately wants to return to World State for the soma in which she is addicted to.

Fanny Crowne - Fanny’s role in the book is to mainly voice the orthodox values of her caste and society and to present them in a way that appeals to the World State. Specifically, she scolds Lenina that she should more relationships in her life because society looks down on girls who concentrate on one man for too long, according to society’s ways.