Emily GongAP English Notes: Brave New World

The Brave New WorldMain Conflict: “Community, Idenity, Stability” vs. “Family, Monogamy,

Romance” A utilitarianism, highly modernized World State society--- it is completely

regulated by minute # of Controllers=> dystopia Has a solid hierarchy system with Alphas on the topmost level, and Betas,

Gammas, Deltas, & Epsilons in descending order Degraded women to the level of Betas---either fertile & take Malthusian

drills or is a freemartin (sterile) Whole population is “conditioned” to the status level they occupied---there

is not flexibility of one rising above the class one was predestined too All are “decanted” from incubators--- no mothers or fatherso Human beings are “designed” and “assembled” together in an

biological assembly line—Chp.1using Bokanovsky’s Process to mass-multiply identical twins from one embryo (to create a plethora of twins Deltas & Epsilons & Gammas), preserving embryos in red light, soaking them in artificial rich blood surrogate

o Fertility also pre-assignedone fertile ovary in twelve hundred; allow 30% of female population to develop normal ovaries; rest---freemartins who are given dose of male sex hormone ever 24 meters

o the “manufacturing of the lower caste: supply less oxygen to demolish their brains--- hence their capability to analyze & think; simultaneously, depriving them of oxygen inhibits their growth---midgets=equivalent to a “horse” or “cow”the laborers

o conditioning to different climates and working conditions---another form of binding the people without choice to their pre-assigned occupation--- “making people like their inescapable social destiny”—ex. Embryos to be future tropical workers inoculated before “birth”

o after decanting--- acquired conditioning--- using cruel methods to contain the population in their place--- ex. Delta infants electrocuted and taught through that method to loathe knowledge & nature (given books & flowers)

a compromise of nature for effectiveness--- everything scaled out to its methodical and financial worth--- lower caste taught to despise nature, preventing them from being gratuitous---“to hate the country but love country sports…consume manufactured articles as well as transport”

o the scientific “breakthroughs”---all to reinforce the society structure the experiments trying to reduce the necessary years in

maturing for lower caste the Bokanovasky’s Process--- to give the assembly lines

efficiency & flawlessness hypnopadia--- the science of acquired audio learning to

children from a extended period of time---teach “moral

education”--- the answers to social issues---ex. Taught to demean lower caste by color of their apparels & intelligence; the upper caste to be always superior

Consumption of ample importance: everything, from embryo conditioning to hynopadia lessons—all taught to increase consumerism

o Lower caste taught to hate nature but embrace country sports---goal: to maintain mass transport & use of athletic utilities

o Children games: the same goal---erotic playo “The more stitches, the less riches”--- a popularized “truth” of the

way of life in World State--- no one is to mend their clothes or repair broken objects---promoting more sales

The Abolition of “Family”--- “decanted” from machines, no person except for John the Savage has a mother or father in World State

o The annihilation of the family unit---serves to preserve social order & happiness

o Automatically abolished any moral obligations an individual may have to someone that conflicts with his/her desires---abolishing family feuds, sibling rivalries, & duties

o Liberated the path of absolute freedom---a literal sense of complete liberty from responsibility & compassion

o Every love is equally balanced and distributed---“everyone works for everyone else”

o Associates the family unit as a admonishing example of animal behavior---degrading & uncivilized---compared to “cat over its kittens”

o “the appalling dangers of family life…the world was full of fathers--- was therefore full of misery; full of mothers---therefore of every kind of perversion from sadism to chastity; full of brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts--- full of madness & suicide”---pg. 39

Diminishment of Social Morality---promiscuity & soma o Soma- symbol of instant gratification for the human

populace=>hallucinogen consistenly used by all the characters to avoid sticky and melancholy situations and problems

Bernard takes it after being dishonored by his upper-authority guests after John refuses to shows himself off

Lenina constantly induces it to wary off her depression & later her undying allure for John

The functionality of World State wholly depends on soma---promotes the use of the drug

o Being “virtuous & happy”---thus sacrificing fidelity, romantic love for instantaneous & spontaneous love (free sex)

o Controllers suppress innovation and differences--- Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson both banished in later parts of the story b/c they were different

Bernard—sequestrated from the rest of the Alpha Plus because of his abnormal stout height, which the other Alpha members

can only explain in terms of their small, narrow world--- insisting his difference is due to a mistaken alcohol input

Helmholtz is loathed and set apart from others by his overbearing sexual and mental abilities--- he is too perfect and thus must be also obliterated from a community that nurtures and acclaims its homogeneity

o Zero boundaries of making love---Lenina is actually scolded by her friend for not being sexually active enough--- been with Henry Foster for four months (considered long)

o Reason of anything: “everyone belongs to everyone else”---no individual freedom of choice

o Everyone lives only for pleasure---no ambition, no dedication or commitment to a worthwhile life goal

o The banishment of democracy, love, friendship, and trust--- replaced with the caste system that has condemned a vast majority as unknowing sufferers for the luxury of a few

o Apathy towards death & sadness--- John is mortified by the ambivalent reactions of twin Deltas at Linda’s deathbed; also, people avert their slight unhappiness & frustration with dosages of soma

o Crippled by its lack of faith & compassion---laughs and sinisterly enjoys John’s flogging

The Absence of Alternatives: religion or philosophy—taken away any source that could stimulate dissatisfaction; instead replaced Christian “A.D” with “A.F”---“My Ford” referring to Henry Ford, who invented the assembly line

o “My Ford”---industrialism as a form of religion--- the community shows utmost devotion to the accepted and mechanized ways

CharactersJohn the protagonist---a young man who is an outcast of both the World State and

the Savage Reservations; born with Linda as his mother in the Savage lands; bought up to value monogamy, fidelity, and condolence

is instantly known to be “different” from the rest of the savage people by his desire to participate in a ritual that the Savages prohibit him to enter and that Lenina & Bernard both find revolting

he is the son of the DHC & Linda; his origins isolate him from the World State, since he is the offspring of a “mother” and “father”, obsolete social relationships

knows fervently the pains of loneliness & discrimination--- the savages denounced him as nothing but the son of a whore; people in the World State see him only as a speculation

is obsessively attached to Shakespeare and his moral principles--- tortured by his unyielding desire for Lenina yet cannot accept her voluptuous waysdescribing her from a “Juliet” to a “strumpet”

embraces the empathic and humanitarian values that those in the World State have waived in exchange for their shallow & one-dimensional lives---argument b/w Mond and John

o John disillusioned seeing the twins and their monotonous lifestyles---demands to know why they don’t seek better things

o *Mond says that abandonment of art, religion, and science is the piece paid for stability and happiness “every change is the menace to stability.”--- Mustapha Mond

Art: inspires unorthodox ideas & drawings, thoughts that may bring revolution and dramatic change (in forms of violence, debates, and war) to people

Science: World State encourage technological consumption, but restricts scientific experimentation that is the source of the brilliant discoveries molding the community (soma, B. Process, artificial embryo fertilization and development machines)

Religion: Mond comprehends Maine de Bain’s book (philosophy) and how it explains the concept of religion and the reason behind people’s pieties: “the religious sentiments tend to develop as we grow older, to develop because, as the passions grow calm, as the fancy and sensibilities are less excited and less excitable, our reason becomes less trouble in its working, less obscured by the image, desires, and distractions…” “why should we go on hunting for a substitute for youthful desires, when youthful desires never fail?” (world state population never age) science has curbed the way to religion

Goes into sequestration at an old, deserted lighthouse b/w Puttenham & Elstead, leading an ascetic & religious life, where he angrily vows to never be enticed by the allures of the World State, to Lenina and to commemorate the pitiful death of Linda

o Seeks for some salvation & purification from the unregulated and dense societydrinks mustard and warm water in order to satisfy himself that he is free from social bondage; flogs himself as a form of self-discipline; hoist himself up in the crucifying position analogous to Jesus’s & endures the pain & agony to earn the right to inhabit the lighthouse

o “it was to escape further contamination by the filth of civilized life: I was to be purified and made good; it was actively to make amends”

seen always as a ‘savage’---diverse and unique---something intolerable in the World State; even at his end, he was nothing less than a specimen of violent entertainment helicopters barricaded the lighthouse w/ people to come watch his show of astounding self-punishment

for his contradicting views and lifestyles, John is even less highly regarded by the dehumanized people and is the sight of ridicule men throw out nuts and sweets to bribe John into doing his “comedic” stunt

he commits suicide by hanging in the end he was reluctantly succumbed to the “sins” and “wickedness” of the civilized world and has no choice but to sacrifice himself for his redemption

Bernard Marx is a loner among the Alpha-Plus due to his short stature; is greatly prejudiced

against because of his abnormal height and build and, as a result of his irregularity, his condensing attitude on the materialistic lifestyles of his peers

regards Henry Foster & many high official in contempt for their abasing perception on women and their livesis hostile towards both Foster and the Predestinator when they talk of having Lenina “as if she was meat”

seeks to be liberated from the opposing standards of societywishes to be judged on his right, instead of graded by the rules of the norm--- is imprisoned by his conditioning

he envies his friend, Helmholtz Watson, for his overtly ability to seduce women & finish workhe has an imposing yearning to triumph over those he scorns and earn their respect; he is not completely an outsider since he still eagerly seeks a chance to conform into the World State society

o his complaints of the World diminishes after he becomes famous as the Savage’s agent; he quickly recruits women for the night & rendezvous with important officials without hesitation

o his potential value, however, is minimal; after the Savage refuses to receive any of the higher authorities on behalf of Marx, the people quickly abate Marx and humiliates Marx by abruptly leaving---w/o the Savage, he is nothing

is the indispensable scar on the flawless World State gaietyis the finest example of how the transformation of the World State into the paradise that Mond claims it to be is incomplete; there are still people who crave for emotional inequality & biasness

o he blushes in front of Lenina on personal topicso he wishes for times of solitude, away from the purposeless routine

lifehe needs companionship, which he finds in Helmholtz Watson (as friendship) & tries in Lenina (as romance)

o he has menacing thoughts & desires due to his inferior treatmenthe curses those who are better than him

an extreme hypocritegarners no support or respect from John, Helmholtz, or the rest of the World State community

is later exiled to faraway islands, the fate that Helmholtz also meets, a place where his differences and criticism pose no threat to the peaceful & exultant World State society

Helmholtz Watson is deemed an outcast for being overproductive; has a higher intelligence and

higher amorous love marks than all the Alpha Pluses; feels that he should go beyond what is necessary & acceptable and write/do something better; feels underachieved

is a mutual buddy of Bernard Marx, the only other mentioned ostracized character in the book; shares advice & feelings of their defects

is above the necessity of ladies and social glamour; he stays noble & well-respected throughout the book, loyal to his words

a foil for both Bernard and John: Bernardhe is the complete opposite of Bernard, physically and socially, yet they both find themselves sequestered from society; Johnhe ravenously devours the mastery of Shakespeare, but

jokingly rebukes the concept of family & romance, since he was taught to denounce such things

is exiled in Falkland Islands, where he hopes that the stormy and tumultuous weather will help inspire him of greater feelings vital in poetry writing

Lenina Crowne is the femme fatale of the story; she entices seductive illusions in John, who

refutes the temptation as he has not proven himself worthy yet of her love introduced as a “weird” female Beta- Minus; she is already castigated for not

being promiscuous enough & has committed herself to a man for a longer period of time than accepted

she is the frequent source of the hypnopadic sayings, as she meets uncomfortable and aloof Bernard and handsome and breath-taking John, both men she cannot understand

o “everyone works for everyone else”… “a gramme saves nine” is sought by John as a lover; but his attraction to her only lead him to greater

disappointment and disillusionment of the World Stateshe tries to engage in a sexual relationship with him, since she only knows this way of romantic acknowledgement

constantly uses soma to circumvent confrontation of her problems, things that incur anger or despair

is distorted and pressured by both Bernard and John to become someone they perceive and wish her to be; they cannot view and love her for who she really is

o John: sees her as a Juliet, an ideal, devout lover, then later as a “strumpet”, a prostitute

o Bernard: hopes for her to empathize with him and understand the emotional conflicts inside him; seeks to shatter her cocoon

is whipped and flogged by John at the endthe haunting symbol of John’s weakness to the society he loathes

Mustapha Mond a Controller who is literate in both the literature of the olden, ancient times

and the contemporary, senseless modern works he judges the good and bad of the societyanything that jeopardizes the

means of social order and harmony of the World State must be eradicated he is a ruthless, power-hungry figurehe choose to become an ultimate

World Controller and forfeits his science and his independence for the sake of forging stability and prosperity to the state

censors religion, science, & arts for the society, as he sees these as the main proponents to the imbalance and gradual destruction of the human race

important role * (in the notes about John)Fanny Crowne main female critic of Lenina; is the one to tell her that she must try to be

more sexually active is the epitome of all women in the World State; shallow, inattentive to

anyone’s emotional needs, alleviates their own sexual satisfactions, is incapable of any deeper affection than the physical expression of love

Henry Foster

the masculine stereotype in the World State society; is prone to love making and leading the proscribed life

in this sense, he is an excellent follower and is the general example of the vast majority of men in this technological world

he is indifferent and emotionally detached to anyone--- he escapes and run away to guarantee his own safety from John’s wrath, leaving Lenina to suffer the physical punishment on her own (end of the book)

he is blandly characterized as Lenina’s four-month loverLinda DHC’s past lover and John’s mother Is completely torn and abhorred by bearing John and becoming a mother Lived in the Savage Reserves since she was lost during a vacation with the

DHC Is banished and brutally beaten by the women in the Savage Reserves for her

indiscriminate sexual affairs with their husbandsJohn: severely prejudiced against by all on the Reserve

Is engulfed by her shame and sadnessshe has bared the disgrace of being a mother & her nostalgia

Is incapable, like Lenina & Fanny, to extend any emotional boundaries and express some blatant motherly affection

Her subsequent death after John’s arrival in World State propels John’s decision to physically separate himself from the rest of the World State population, to form his own utopia within this supposedly paradise main catalyst for John’s decision and the main generator for his motivation to expel any luxuries and desires

DHC-The Director John’s father; director of the Fertilization Major role is as John’s estranged father; also his memory about Savage

Reserves serves as foreshadowing He is also another example of the faulty conception of World State as a

complete drained and emotionless communityhe still reminiscences over the loss of Linda and his trepidation and pain---spoken by Bernard as “the forbidden thing to do”

Tried to banish Bernard to Iceland, but resigned from his post after an complete breakdown in the Fertilizing Room, where John announces himself as DHC’s illegitimate son

The Warden Grants Bernard & Lenina passage into the Savage Reserves in America First presents the portrayal of the Savage Reserves in penury; the Savage are

obdurate, backwards creatures who can never renovate their economic condition and rejuvenate out of their impoverished dilemma

“children are actually born, revolting as that may seem…” Pope Linda’s lover at Savage Reserves; the one who provides John his Shakespeare

book Plays a rudimentary role of a father---gives John things he may like but never

takes extreme interest in himsame as Linda

Goes to Linda often to quench his sexual thirst---gives Linda alcohol as some sort of payment

John once tried to kill Pope out of rage and jealousyThe Arch-Community Songster Archbishop of the World State; forecasts the development of consumption,

free sex, and feelies as an addictive aspect of this new modern religion