"The Savage nodded. 'I ate civilization.' 'What?' 'It poisoned me; I was defiled. And then,' he added, in a lower tone, 'I ate my own wickedness'" (241).
Throughout John's stay in London, he struggles against society. He is not able to fit in and conform to the ways of the New World. At first he tries to be "civilized" like the people in London, but then he realizes that he must help them attain their freedom from the modern society. This conflict between John and society is so effective because it is also the struggle of the reader against society. John is from the reader's world, and he does not find the New World to be appealing, much like the reader. I related most to John because I understood him better, and I was able to understand his struggle. The purpose of John's struggle is to show the reader that he or she would also struggle to live in the restrictive utopia and that the imperfections of today's society are far better than the perfection of the New World. The more John tried to live in London, the more it poisoned him. Once he realized his purpose and set out to free the people, John finally took control of his struggle. John would not let society defeat him; he would not be an experiment. He continued to fight society, but this time he fought for his own freedom and happiness.
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