Bird's Eye View

"My name is Kathy H.  I'm thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer now for over eleven years."  Never Let Me Go (p. 3)

Thank you, Ishiguro.  Finally, a book that is straight to the point.  I'm still not exactly sure who the main character was in Brave New World, but hopefully, this first sentence will point me in the right direction in the new novel.

The excerpt taken from the opening lines of the novel is both an example of direct characterization and first person point of view.  Personally, I am a big fan of direct characterization because really, no guessing is involved.  The reader now knows for a fact that Kathy will be an important character in the novel.  Instead of an omniscient narrator, the novel is told by one person.  This has advantages and disadvantages to the reader.  Number one, we can now see into the mind of Kathy - why she does things, what she is thinking, etc.  However, the reader only sees one side of the coin so to speak.  Only one opinion is presented when the author decides to use a first person narrator.   

So far, I am not really sure why Kathy is so obsessed with her home town Hailsham.  It almost seems like the general population is jealous of Kathy's hometown.  Is it because it is privileged with benefits, or are the people of Hailsham spared from becoming a donor?  Actually, what is a donor anyways?  Hopefully, these questions will be answered in the next chapters of the book.  I hope Hailsham is nothing like the New World...

The End?

“Being mad’s infectious, I believe.”  Brave New World (p. 122)

I wrote this quote down in my Reading Journal in the “Theme” section of my notes.  At first, I wasn’t really sure if this connected to the theme of the book at all.  But now, I realize that this short sentence really sums up the rest of the novel.

Throughout the novel, science has infected every part of the New World.  The dictatorship is centered around surrogates and conditioning.  Without these elements, the society would not exist. 

This system of government probably began with one person.  One mad idea led to another and finally the New World was formed.  Through peer pressure, bad things can spread and begin to sound like a good idea. 

Through the experience of John, the reader can tell that the ideas of the New World can affect even those who try to resist them.  Eventually, John partakes in soma and other negative things which lead to his death.  I found it sad that he resisted all these things while he lived in the New World, but as soon as he moved out, the New World actually took over his new life. 

I believe the message of Huxley is clear:  we should all take caution when it comes to technology.  Just because one person may say something is a good idea, it may not be in the end. 

Overall, this book was pretty scattered, but it connected in the end.  At first, I thought there was really no plot.  I’m assuming the main plot was about John and his experiences in the New World.  After saying “New World” a million times, I hope people realize what I am talking about.  I wasn’t really sure what to call this world that was created out of surrogates and conditioning. 

Since I have been connecting this entire book to Disney songs, here is a song that sums up the entire book (not really). 

Like Yesterday is Gone

“And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death.”  Brave New World (p. 254)

Finally, the end has arrived!  After reading the entire book, I’d have to say I was confused for about 30% of my reading, but I think everything has finally come together.  I still do not understand why the book had to end with John being so angry and even attempting to whip Lenina, but I guess the New World affected him that much.  Personally, I thought John was being a little dramatic in the last chapter.

In the excerpt above, Huxley is using an aphorism (or a brief statement that makes an observation about life).  I also think this is also foreshadowing John’s downfall.  John spends the last chapter of the book worrying about what he did in the past – all of his sins, Linda’s death, etc.  He keeps worrying about yesterday instead of his life in the future, ignoring the Controller’s advice of experimentation. 

I found that this aphorism was a little contradicting to the rest of the book.  First, Huxley warns us of technology, but then, he tells us to stop worrying about yesterday.  Well, if we are moving forward with technology, isn’t that helping us move towards the future?  I find this message to be extremely confusing and not in sync with the rest of the book.  In fact, I thought this entire chapter was entirely different in style and technique compared with the futuristic, detail-oriented style in the other parts of the novel.  This chapter just seems to mock John and his lifestyle. 

The quote I found reminded me of the song “Gone” by Switchfoot.  It may not really connect, but it’s a good note to end on.   

You Can't Always Get What You Want

“ ‘But I don’t want comfort.  I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness.  I want sin.’ “  Brave New World (p. 240)

Ever since I was in first grade, we have been taught that Jesus loves us and sin is bad.  But after reading this book, I’m not so sure if sin is such a bad thing.  I mean, why would God put sin on Earth if it didn’t advance humans in some way?  I think sin allows us to learn more about ourselves and grow from our mistakes. 

In the above quote, Huxley uses a hyperbole (purposefully exaggerating for effect).  Of course, John does not want real danger or sin, and he knows that God wants a world free of sin.  However, he realizes how the New World does not change.  Everything stays the same because there is no experimentation or no sin.  Sin causes people to move forward.  Without progression, people cannot mentally mature or discover things about themselves or God.  No true relationships can form, and a true life cannot be lived.

This hyperbole shows how John wants a life that we all lead today.  It may not be perfect, but at least it can lead to real happiness.  He wants to experience things for himself in order to discover himself and the world. 

Huxley probably is also trying to warn people of what they wish for.  John wished for a perfect life; he soon found that a life of perfection is boring and dull. Sometimes, we should just be happy with what we have.

Stability and High Art

“ ‘But that’s the price we have to pay for stability.  You’ve got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art.  We’ve sacrificed the high art.’ ”  Brave New World (p. 220)

 Stability – a constant theme throughout the book.  From what I can tell, the people of the New World have sacrificed pretty much everything for stability.  When you sacrifice that many things, can true happiness actually exist?

Now, when talking about high art in the quote above, the Controller is referring to classic literature such as Othello.  From Shakespeare to Roman architecture to Dali paintings, each form of high art is influenced by an opinion.  Whether it is the opinion of the artist or the person enjoying the art, opinions are what fuel the creation and enjoyment of art. 

My question is, did the New World sacrifice art, or did they just want to rid community of individualism once and for all? 

In our community, individual thinking does so many positive things.  In fact, I’m sure the New World would not exist without it.  Science is a form of art in a sense.  Without exploration and curiosity, nothing that the New World depends on would exist.  So, why is individual thinking banned?  I’m guessing that the Controllers and other leaders believe that the community is perfect with no need to advance any further.  However, I wonder if this community worries about competition from other countries.  If any other country figures out a more perfect way to live, London may be taken by surprise. 

Curiosity Killed the Cat

“That’s to say, he’s being sent to a place where he’ll meet the most interesting set of men and women to be found anywhere in the world.  All the people who, for one reason or another, have got too self-consciously individual to fit into community-life.” Brave New World (p. 227)

A typical phrase in our society today is “curiosity killed the cat.”  Usually, this is said jokingly, but in the New World, curiosity will land you on a far away island.

So watch out.

Curiosity and a yearning for clear morals is the tragic flaw or hubris that John suffers in the novel.  His want to cure the people of soma and their slave-like life ultimately leads to his fall.  Granted, his punishment for his flaw will probably lead to a happier life, however, he is still banished from the New World, a place where he held high expectations for greatness. 

Huxley gives John a tragic flaw in order for him to discover more about himself and the world.  He learns that the world will never be a perfect place, and that happiness is only discovered through the individual. 

If the all the curious and independently thinking people are sent to islands, what happens when only a few people are left in the New World?  Eventually, everyone is going to figure out the secret of mass production of happiness leaving no room for self discovery, relationships, or high art.  What happens to England then?  I feel like John, Bernard, and Helmholtz may have started a type of revolution in the hearts and minds of the clones.  Each person is an individual, and when this is discovered, mass chaos may break out in this “perfect euphoria.”

The Point of Breaking

“And suddenly it was luminously clear to the Savage what he must do.”

“Don’t take that horrible stuff.  It’s poison, it’s poison.” Brave New World (p. 210 -211)

Finally, a clear plot line has surfaced!  So far, I have been extremely confused on who the main character actually is and when anyone was ever actually going to try to change this awful “New World.” 

I believe this is the climax of the plot line surrounding John.  Because he believes he has a soul, he probably thinks that everything that happens in his life has a purpose.  Moving to a New World, now that’s a significant change.  John is probably trying to figure out why he was sent to the awful place. 

After Linda died, John was probably extremely emotional.  After all, the workers were practically mocking him for his grief.  Influenced by his emotions, he decided to do something to free the thousands of twins from the prison they do not realize they are living in.  John figured out the key to the puzzle – soma tricks every person into believing everything the New World offers.  From the ridicules phrases to the identical outfits, everything has been a trick.  In order to hide the flaws of the New World, soma forces people to believe something they probably wouldn’t accept in the right state of mind.  This epiphany is the climax of the story, allowing the reader to put everything together.  Without a climax, the story would end with no knowledge of what the author was trying to teach the reader.  A climax places the storyline in the reader’s face making it not difficult to find the message.

So, maybe soma is a little more powerful than what I thought before… maybe not a drug or alcohol, but a brainwashing device.  A little more intense then what I thought, but the same kind of idea.

Flashbacks

“Popé with the blood trickling down from his cut shoulder; and Linda hideously asleep, and the flies buzzing round the split mescal on the floor beside the bed; and the boys calling those names as she passed…”  Brave New World (p. 203)

Okay, this quote is extremely confusing because it is mixed with a flashback and what is occurring in the moment.  First of all, John remembers this as his world is falling apart – Linda is dying, the girl he loves doesn’t want to marry him, and he finds Bernard is not the great friend that he thought.  A little rough, I’d say.

Therefore, John has a flashback to the moment he realized life on the reservation was “unclean” in a sense – the moment when he stabbed Popé. 

The moment of the past and present have similarities.  Both are great moments of anger for John, moments where he realizes life is not what it seems.  Also, both places he lives, he is mocked and is considered the outsider. 

In the movie Tangled, Rapunzel is locked in a tower wondering what life would be like if she were ever to leave.  She dreams of a better life outside the tower walls.  In the same way, John was trapped in the reservation.  However, he escapes and finds that things are different then they appear.  Obviously, Rapunzel finds a different outcome (after all, it is a Disney movie).  Both also experience flashbacks of their former lives – Rapunzel flashback was more positive, whereas John’s flashback was more negative. 

Maybe I just connected this because I like the movie Tangled, but either way, here is my favorite song from the movie.

The Machismo of Literature

“’At Malpais,’ the Savage was incoherently mumbling, ‘you had to bring her the skin of a mountain lion – I mean, when you wanted to marry some one .  Or else a wolf.’”  Brave New World (p. 190)

Machismo – a word meaning honor in the Spanish culture.  During ancient and medieval times, Spanish conquistadors and knights set out to be this is order to find respect.  A man would do anything to receive this title. 

The same concept applies to John who was raised around a culture of honor and tradition.  He wants to prove his worth by doing something manly and brave in order to win over the love of Lenina.  Not just love, but marriage (something considered worthless and despicable in the New World). 

In the movie Mulan, the men training for war dream of “a girl worth fighting for.”  During World War II, many men probably saw joining the military as a chance to raise their “man points.”  This image of a man as the breadwinner and macho man exists in pretty much every culture.  From Spain to China to the US, men are always the patriarch of the family. 

This novel also has the element of “machismo.”  The author was born in a time where woman were considered to be the housewives.  I feel like this attitude is typical especially during this time.  But notice how John is the only man who displays this desire to connect to his inner man.  Huxley probably believes that the men like Bernard, Benito, and Helmholtz are lesser because they do not care about their honor.  Their only goal is to find and conquer.  I don’t think a boy can ever mature that way.

Pearls Before Swine

“…the Savage looked at him over the top of his book and then, as the laughter still continued, closed it indignantly, got up and, with the gesture of one who removes his pearl from before swine, locked it away in its drawer.”  Brave New World (p. 185)

Even though I have attended a Catholic school since I was in kindergarten, I still had to look up what “pearls before swine” was referring to.  Sad, but true. 

After ChaCha-ing the answer, the allusion came back to me (again thanks to Mrs. Sander and my last minute studying for those Moodle allusion tests).  Jesus used the allusion when telling the disciples to go out and spread his message.  He told them not to share his message with people who just didn’t want to listen. 

 In the context in the above excerpt, John is hiding his beloved book of poems from Bernard and Helmholtz.  Both men laugh at the classic love story; they cannot believe the amount of love and commitment that existed in the old world.  Bernard and Helmholtz act as “swine” who only care for pleasure, enjoyment, and order in life.  I thought this allusion was especially ironic because in the New World, the Bible is on the list of forbidden books.  Obviously, the author places this allusion strategically in the novel to show how ridiculous a world of technology could become.

On another note, I have been extremely confused how people refer to John as “the Savage” and occasionally, “Mr. Savage.”  Notice how “savage” is capitalized.  If no person in the New World respects John, why would “savage” be capitalized?  And plus, savage is an extremely general term.  What would they call Linda if she was around?  The Savage 2?  Really original.           

Symbols of Caution

"'What's in those' (remembering The Merchant of Venice) 'those caskets?' the Savage enquired when Bernard had rejoined him.  'The day's soma ration,' Bernard answered..."  Brave New World (p. 164)

Throughout the novel, the New World has always turned to this substance called soma whenever something bad occurs or someone feels stressed out. 

Personally, I have been extremely confused about what this "soma" stuff is.  Obviously, it is pretty powerful.  I'm just going to assume that it is something like drugs or alcohol. 

If this this is the case, the author may be making a point of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.  These people who constantly feed on soma have become corrupted in mind, body, and spirit.  In fact, they do not even believe that the body posses a soul.  In the excerpt at the top of this post, John is confused because he can not believe all the caskets being carried around.  Bernard tells him that those caskets carry the daily supply of soma.   

I thought it was pretty ironic that soma was carried in caskets.  Caskets are usually a symbol of death; therefore, Huxley is probably trying to point to alcohol and drugs as the cause of the death of mind and spirit. 

Even in a self proclaimed "perfect" world, drugs and alcohol still preside.  Danger will always be around, but I think Huxley is telling us it is the individual's job to avoid it.