“’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.
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