Brave New World Chapter Notes & Comments Essay, Research Paper

Brave New World Notes / Comments

Chapter 1

In this Chapter, tour of the Hatchery/Conditioning Centre. It is basically a hatchery for humans from egg, till they are ready to be adults. They produce humans, and shape them the way that they want them to be.

-From a scientific view, this process is good. (decanting/conditioning) it allows for a race of specialized humans to perform individualized tasks. Manipulating the genes allows for almost any combination of strengths, or weaknesses; whichever is needed. It gets rid of the process of natural evolution, and allows for the customization of the human race. Positive abilities such as reducing of maturity time, Increased intelligence, strength and senses.

-From a political view, this is also good, because you can create the people you want in the society, and be rid of the waste. The grouping into five classes, and the conditioning for each class to never want to be any of the other classes makes it easy to control the population, because they are all content and happy. The budding, creating many identical twins, gets rid of the ?individual? aspect of humanity, and allows the masses to be easily predicted, and controlled.

-From my PERSONAL view, and from a HUMAN View, this is all wrong. I believe we as a race strive on our freedoms and our individuality. It?s what makes us who we are. It got us this far, so it can?t be too bad!

Chapter 2

In this chapter, Mr. Foster shows the D.H.C., and his students, how they train the Deltas to hate flowers and reading by shocking them, and using loud noises and explosions. They visit the Beta’s room where they are undergoing elementary class-consciousness. They are consciously repeating to themselves how glad they are to be Betas, and how Gammas and Betas are unfit and gross.

-As I said before, these ideas, and procedures for conditioning are sound, and beneficial to the society of this world. Machieavelli would have jumped on these ideas in an instant if they were plausible at the time. Personally though, I?d hate to live in a world like this. Being predestined to a certain lifestyle, and life before you knew what was out there, and the loss of the freedom to make the choice for yourself, and having thoughts and concepts programmed into you to act as an Instinct is unfair. Unfair to Life, and to the Human condition. Although, growing up in a world like this, you wouldn?t know the difference. You?d have nothing to compare it to.

Chapter 3

Children are encouraged to play erotic games at a very young age during recess. People who aren’t sexually active are considered outcasts. People are encouraged to date more than one person at a time. Lenina is a typical civilized girl in this society. Bernard doesn’t like it when the boys talk about Lenina as though she was meat, and he doesn’t believe in, or enjoy taking soma like everyone else.

-Bernard and Lenina are both characters that are outside the norm of their society. Bernard is shorter then norm, and acts and thinks a little differently because of that. Lenina has a slight tendency to be more monogamous than most of their society.

Chapter 4

Lenina and Bernard plan on going to New Mexico to the savage reservations. We are introduced to Helmholtz who is a genius writer who is adored by the women. He has been feeling kind of weird lately, as though there is something to be said, with a power that he has within him, but he doesn’t know what is so important to be said.

-In this chapter I believe that Bernard was starting to feel his individuality. How he is different from the rest of the society. When he meets the savage, he will feel more of this, and start to identify the feelings, and to identify WITH the feelings.

Chapter 5

Lenina and Henry go to a music club, and afterwards retreat to Henry’s apartment. Bernard attends a religious ceremony in honor of Ford. Bernard hears synthetic music controlled by the President, while the eleven others hear Ford’s footsteps and feel his presence. All throughout the ceremony, Morgan’s unibrow haunts Bernard as he concentrates and tries to experience what the others experience. He pretends to feel the great Ford as the others do, and yet feels even more secluded from the civilization.

-The Idea of the Soliditary service, to me, is like one of those heaven?s Gates cults, and the like. The people of Brave New World would welcome a cup of poison instead of their traditional cup of soma. They don?t fear death here, they welcome it. It is a time of happiness. If they can welcome death and their annihilation so easily, why not brace it entirely? Why aren?t there more suicides here? As far as the FEEL, they have nothing really big to live for. Nothing more than the fulfillment of everyone else?s needs. But there will always be a replacement for them, so what does it matter?

Chapter 6

Lenina and Bernard go on a “date”. Lenina wants to go some place social, but Bernard insists on being alone. They fly to a secluded area underneath the stars and moon, with the water beneath them. The scenery frightens Lenina, so they left The Director Thomas approves Bernard’s vacation to the New Mexico Reservations. The Director tells Bernard of an occurrence that happened to him when he went to the reservations years ago. The girl that the Director took with him disappeared. A search party was organized to find her, but no trace was found. Lenina and Bernard take the flight to New Mexico. The warden of the reservation tells them what they are to expect at the reservations, and gives them a little history behind the reservations then they take a plane to the reservations.

-Being alone is considered antisocial in their world, and Bernard likes the idea of it, but not lenina. This shows how Bernard is starting to accept his individuality a little more, before he meets the savage.

Chapter 7

Lenina and Bernard see the savage people. Lenina feels sick when she looks at an old man. She is horrified to realize that her soma is not with her. They attend a religious ceremony. The drums soothe Lenina’s mind, which reminds her of a Ford’s day celebration. When the people started singing, and dancing, she was appalled. During their ceremony, a boy was whipped to death as an offering to Jesus and Pookoong. After the ceremony, they meet John, who wishes he were able to be the offering. John’s mother was from the civilization. When his mother, Linda, meets Lenina she is excited. It turns out that Linda was the women that the director had left behind, and John was the director’s son. Linda’s body is out of shape, and she wore rag clothes. She was dirty and she smelled bad.

-The reservations are for the individuals, and for the people who resisted joining the Civilization. This is the representation of how we are now (in a way) compared to the strange morality and ideals of the ?civilization?. The reference of John being the directors son, and Linda being the woman he left behind, you know there will be something about this later.

Chapter 8

When John was growing up, everyone secluded him because he was not Indian like the other savages. He hated any man that his mother came in contact with. His mother beat him because she couldn’t stand the fact that she bore a child. Linda taught John to read. After Bernard and John’s long talk, Bernard invites John to come back to London with him. John read a lot of Shakespeare.

-I think that Bernard really invited John back because he wanted to learn more about his way of life. I believe that Bernard was truly interested in it, but he didn?t admit, or couldn?t admit it due to conditioning. But anyway, it was nagging him.

Chapter 9

Bernard Marx makes arrangements with Mustapha Mond to bring John and Linda back to London with them for the benefit of scientific interest. John goes to meet Bernard. He breaks into the hotel where they were staying to see Lenina on soma holiday.

-The soma I think, is the equivalent to today?s usage of Valium. People think they need it because they can?t handle the pressures of life. Some do need it, but it is a pretty abused drug. In Brave new world though, soma is a required drug to take. They take it numerous times a day, and for the fords day celebrations. It makes them easier to control.

Chapter 10

Bernard returns with the two savages and meets up with the director. The director condemns Bernard to Iceland for his “uncivilized” behavior in front of the crowd that he is lecturing. When asked to show any reason why he should not be executed, Bernard brings in Linda and John.

-I believe that the sight of Linda, even old and bedraggled as she was, the director recognized her, and it scared him. He was a father in their most profane sense.

Chapter 11

The director was reassigned, and John and Linda were kept for special studies. No one really bothered with Linda because of her bad teeth and appearance. She returned to using soma, and took holiday after holiday. The director had planned the quickness of her death by using soma dosages. Bernard becomes a popular figure for his connection to the savage. Bernard’s job was to show the savage all aspects of the civilized life. He also made reports to Mustapha Mond on what he had found out about the savage’s reaction and behavior. Lenina was hoping that John might have her after the “feelie” was over. John relucted to have Lenina because of his ?savage morality?. This upset Lenina and she began a lust for John.

-Linda didn?t really care about returning to civilization. All she really wanted was the return to soma. She was addicted mentally still, and her depravation of it for so long hurt her, and when she came back, she couldn?t have enough.

Chapter 12

John refuses to come out of his room to Bernard’s savage-featured party. The guests are appalled and treat Bernard the same way that they did before his savage popularity started up.

-this is just the way people are. They only respected Bernard for what he had just done, but once that was lost, they treated him like they used to, like he was nobody.

Chapter 13

Lenina was depressed because she couldn’t have John. She talked with Fanny, and decided to show up at his place and make him have her. John recites Shakespeare to her, and asks her for her hand in marriage. Lenina is shocked because she has been conditioned to think of marriage and love as repulsive. She tries to get John to sleep with her. John tried to force Lenina off of him. He began to hit her because she wouldn’t stop. She went into the bathroom to save herself. John got a phone call from someone saying that his mother was dying.

-John didn?t fully understand their ideals of promiscuity here. He believed that there was a chance and room for monogamy in Lenina, but due to the conditioning, she was repulsed by all this. And she didn?t understand why he wouldn?t be promiscuous. She thought that was the way things normally are.

Chapter 14

John went to visit his mother. The nurse found it odd that patients would have visitors. When the twin children were staring at Linda with curiosity, John shoved them away in rage. His mother died, and John’s reaction to her death was odd to the head nurse and the children.

-The people of Brave new world think that death is a happy time. They think that anyone can be replaced, and that through death, they are still helping the society move forward. John doesn?t understand their ways, and he acts according to our standards for death, and weeps, and so fourth, which is odd for the nurses and children.

Chapter 15

A man called the attention of the crowd to distribute soma tablets. John stood on the platform with the man who was distributing the soma tablets, and began to throw the tablets away. He told the crowd the soma was poisoning their minds and souls. Helmholtz and Bernard arrive after a phone call of where John was. Helmholtz joins John in his speech movements. Bernard, after debating what the right thing to do was, stays in the crowd and tells the police to help him stop the riot. The police show up and take the men away.

-I think that the mass distribution of the drug was sick. It was a good way politically and stuff to control the people, but if I were the savage, I?d have done the same.

Chapter 16

Bernard, John, and Helmholtz were taken to the controller’s study. Mustapha Mond talks with the three of them about society, civilization, and books. He tells them of when he was in their position and he chose Controlership over tampering with Science. A decision is made to send Helmholtz and Bernard to one of the many islands for those who break away from civilization and become individuals. John wishes to go with them, but Mustapha Mond says no because they need to conduct studies on him.

-The Controllers have access to all the old writings, they must so they can understand why they must do what they do. In the favor of the society, Bernard should have been sent away a long time ago. They shouldn?t have let him disrupt their flow so bad. Now Ideas are implanted in the peoples minds, and more could form that might be against what the government wants.

Chapter 17

John and the controller have a conversation about books, religion, and science. The controller believed that in order to reach total happiness, civilization should not worry about God. The savage disagreed and stated that total happiness is freedom by individuality, the ability to be sad and fear God, and the tortures of sin.

-Here, the savage state my beliefs pretty well. He is an advocate of freedom – of mind, spirit, body, and wills.

Chapter 18

John decides to leave the civilization. The savage fled to a lighthouse. He begged for forgiveness from his gods. He bought enough materials to sustain himself for almost a year. Delta-Minus workers drove by and witnessed John whipping himself as a self-punishment for being impure. Reporters came to talk with John. They asked questions about the whip, and what he thought about civilization. He answered in Native Indian tongue, and then kicked the reporter in his coccyx (I assume butt? J ). Darwin Bonaparte had hid out in the woods to get exclusive coverage on the savage. He managed to catch an outrageous moment in which John was repeatedly whipping and tormenting himself. Bonaparte recorded all of the material on video and released it in the First Class Feelie Palaces. John was a craze after the movie was viewed. John was interrupted by masses of people. The crowd laughed at him and took pictures of him. The crowd wanted John to whip himself. John took the whip and went towards the crowd. They asked John to “do the whipping stunt” Lenina arrived. Furiously, the savage went after Lenina and slashed at her with his whip. The audience responded by striking one another. John found himself joining the mad crowd in dancing, hitting, and usual “orgy-porgy” activities. The next day he committed suicide as a reaction to remembering what activities he joined in.

-Through his actions and his death, I think john may have changed the society of Brave New World pretty dramatically. They all went for everything he did. They took a queer liking to the whippings, and in his death. They got ideas from him, and reasons for why he died. Maybe an Idea will form from this. ? who knows.