"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.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Claim to the Old World: Chapter 17 of Brave New World
"'Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind.' There was a long silence. 'I claim them all,' said the Savage at last" (240).
I found this quote to be the most significant because it describes our world today, the Old World in the novel. Mond described everything horrible in the Old World, trying to show the appeal of the New World to John. Despite these arguments, John laid claim to his way of life, the way of society before modern London was developed. John knew that although the world consisted of these plights, the Old World also had so much more beauty and freedom than the New World. John speaks for the reader when he rejects the modern society and claims the old society, troubles and all. He wants the right to believe in God, the right to read Shakespeare, the right to be an individual, the right to have a purpose in life, the right to enjoy beautiful things, and the right to create one's own happiness. It was at this moment that I was the most proud of John because he stood for what he knew was right and laid claim to what was his. He did not bend under the pressure from the New World, and he did not conform to the ways of the New World because that was the easiest thing to do. John knew that for every horrible thing that happened in the Old World, many more beautiful things happened as well. John not only laid claim on the Old World, but he also claimed his freedom and happiness. I really admired John's strength and his decision, and that was when he became the hero in my eyes.
I found this quote to be the most significant because it describes our world today, the Old World in the novel. Mond described everything horrible in the Old World, trying to show the appeal of the New World to John. Despite these arguments, John laid claim to his way of life, the way of society before modern London was developed. John knew that although the world consisted of these plights, the Old World also had so much more beauty and freedom than the New World. John speaks for the reader when he rejects the modern society and claims the old society, troubles and all. He wants the right to believe in God, the right to read Shakespeare, the right to be an individual, the right to have a purpose in life, the right to enjoy beautiful things, and the right to create one's own happiness. It was at this moment that I was the most proud of John because he stood for what he knew was right and laid claim to what was his. He did not bend under the pressure from the New World, and he did not conform to the ways of the New World because that was the easiest thing to do. John knew that for every horrible thing that happened in the Old World, many more beautiful things happened as well. John not only laid claim on the Old World, but he also claimed his freedom and happiness. I really admired John's strength and his decision, and that was when he became the hero in my eyes.
A Chance at Freedom: Chapter 16 of Brave New World
"'He's being sent to an island. 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'" (227).
Motivation: Chapter 15 of Brave New World
"Linda had been a slave, Linda had died; others should live in freedom, and the world be made beautiful. A reparation, a duty. And suddenly it was luminously clear to the Savage what he must do; it was as though a shutter had been opened, a curtain drawn back" (210).
John's motivation to change the modern society was revealed shortly after Linda's death while he was in the midst of a soma distribution. John's sudden clarity about his purpose probably was fueled by his loss of Linda, caused by society and aided by soma. John, being decent and loving, felt he must help others escape the society that had failed Linda, and those people must not suffer Linda's fate. Since he could not save Linda, John must save the rest of the people trapped by society and reliant on poison. The purpose of John's motivation is to further the theme that this utopia is far from perfect. In fact, the people are enslaved in this utopia. John was motivated by Linda's demise to make the world beautiful and offer people freedom. If this was truly a utopia, such actions would not be necessary. John felt that his duty was to fix this "perfect" society, to free the "happy" people. The author effectively showed that a utopia can never exist, for a society will always have flaws. John wanted to open the people's eyes to this truth.
John's motivation to change the modern society was revealed shortly after Linda's death while he was in the midst of a soma distribution. John's sudden clarity about his purpose probably was fueled by his loss of Linda, caused by society and aided by soma. John, being decent and loving, felt he must help others escape the society that had failed Linda, and those people must not suffer Linda's fate. Since he could not save Linda, John must save the rest of the people trapped by society and reliant on poison. The purpose of John's motivation is to further the theme that this utopia is far from perfect. In fact, the people are enslaved in this utopia. John was motivated by Linda's demise to make the world beautiful and offer people freedom. If this was truly a utopia, such actions would not be necessary. John felt that his duty was to fix this "perfect" society, to free the "happy" people. The author effectively showed that a utopia can never exist, for a society will always have flaws. John wanted to open the people's eyes to this truth.
The Irony of Reality: Chapter 14 of Brave New World
"...that beautiful, beautiful Other Place, whose memory, as of a heaven, a paradise of goodness and loveliness, he still kept whole and intact, undefiled by contact with the reality of this real London, these actual civilized men and women" (201).
I found this line to be incredibly ironic, especially when John still refers to the people in London as "actual civilized men and women." John was known as the savage, and those in London were considered civilized which I thought was not only ironic but also a bit saddening. The reality of this paradise took a toll on John, who was able to see through London's perfect front. To John, the imperfections were glaringly obvious. The people in London are the true savages, taking as many women as they please, burning their dead and using them to grow plants, and not having a purpose to life, living life they way they were instructed. Those savages are educated only on the social caste, not the classics like Shakespeare. Those savages do not appreciate the beauty of books and flowers. John is the civilized man, daring to challenge the modern society and pointing out its flaws. John understands Shakespeare, is able to love, and knows beauty when he sees it. John acts with decency and acknowledges his emotions. The real London did not live up to Linda's stories and John's expectations, so John chooses to remember it as a true paradise, an actual utopia.
I found this line to be incredibly ironic, especially when John still refers to the people in London as "actual civilized men and women." John was known as the savage, and those in London were considered civilized which I thought was not only ironic but also a bit saddening. The reality of this paradise took a toll on John, who was able to see through London's perfect front. To John, the imperfections were glaringly obvious. The people in London are the true savages, taking as many women as they please, burning their dead and using them to grow plants, and not having a purpose to life, living life they way they were instructed. Those savages are educated only on the social caste, not the classics like Shakespeare. Those savages do not appreciate the beauty of books and flowers. John is the civilized man, daring to challenge the modern society and pointing out its flaws. John understands Shakespeare, is able to love, and knows beauty when he sees it. John acts with decency and acknowledges his emotions. The real London did not live up to Linda's stories and John's expectations, so John chooses to remember it as a true paradise, an actual utopia.
Clash of Two Cultures: Chapter 13 of Brave New World
"'Hug me, honey, snuggly...' The Savage caught her by the wrists, tore her hands from his shoulders, thrust her roughly away at arm's length. 'Ow, you're hurting me, you're... oh!' She was suddenly silent. Terror had made her forget the pain" (194).
This is a very important scene because it shows how two cultures of Lenina and John are so incompatible. Since the modern culture did its best to distance itself from the past, the two societies are too different. The people of Lenina's society see John as a savage and mock his way of life. Once John was exposed to Lenina's culture, he was horrified by what he saw. I wanted John and Lenina to be able to be together, but they could not overcome what their prospective cultures had taught them. I thought that if John and Lenina could form a relationship, some sort of change within London would occur. However, John was disgusted with Lenina's promiscuous behavior, and Lenina was confused and then terrified by John's response to her. Lenina's actions were probably so repulsive to John because that was how his mother behaved, and she was ostracized by the community. This probably triggered his frightening outburst because it brought back the memories of the pain he and Linda endured due to her promiscuity. I think this was the point when John began to see how this world was not as brave as he once thought.
This is a very important scene because it shows how two cultures of Lenina and John are so incompatible. Since the modern culture did its best to distance itself from the past, the two societies are too different. The people of Lenina's society see John as a savage and mock his way of life. Once John was exposed to Lenina's culture, he was horrified by what he saw. I wanted John and Lenina to be able to be together, but they could not overcome what their prospective cultures had taught them. I thought that if John and Lenina could form a relationship, some sort of change within London would occur. However, John was disgusted with Lenina's promiscuous behavior, and Lenina was confused and then terrified by John's response to her. Lenina's actions were probably so repulsive to John because that was how his mother behaved, and she was ostracized by the community. This probably triggered his frightening outburst because it brought back the memories of the pain he and Linda endured due to her promiscuity. I think this was the point when John began to see how this world was not as brave as he once thought.
Life Without Purpose: Chapter 12 of Brave New World
"'The author's mathematical treatment of the conception of purpose is novel and highly ingenious, but heretical and, so far as the present social order is concerned, dangerous and potentially subversive. Not to be published'" (177).
This was one of the most profound scenes to me because it truly demonstrated the amount of control rulers had over the public. Mustapha Mond was able to censor literature to keep certain ideals from the people in order to maintain the "perfection" of society. Also, I was able to see what the characters were missing in their lives: purpose. This saddened and surprised me because I can not imagine living without purpose. This is why men like Bernard and Helmholtz are so displeased with their lives; lives without purpose often lack meaning. The fact that rulers considered an analysis of purpose to be heretical fully illustrated the sad state of the society. The reason society believes that everyone is happy is because no one knows anything different. They were taught to be satisfied with life and not to strive to be greater or to find a purpose to their existence. I think that this is the greatest difference between our society and the modern society, between a chaotic world and a utopia. Considering what I have learned about this fictional utopia, I prefer the chaos and imperfections of the world around me. I believe that the author's goal was to illustrate how unappealing the quest towards perfection is and that perfection can never really be achieved; even a utopia has flaws.
This was one of the most profound scenes to me because it truly demonstrated the amount of control rulers had over the public. Mustapha Mond was able to censor literature to keep certain ideals from the people in order to maintain the "perfection" of society. Also, I was able to see what the characters were missing in their lives: purpose. This saddened and surprised me because I can not imagine living without purpose. This is why men like Bernard and Helmholtz are so displeased with their lives; lives without purpose often lack meaning. The fact that rulers considered an analysis of purpose to be heretical fully illustrated the sad state of the society. The reason society believes that everyone is happy is because no one knows anything different. They were taught to be satisfied with life and not to strive to be greater or to find a purpose to their existence. I think that this is the greatest difference between our society and the modern society, between a chaotic world and a utopia. Considering what I have learned about this fictional utopia, I prefer the chaos and imperfections of the world around me. I believe that the author's goal was to illustrate how unappealing the quest towards perfection is and that perfection can never really be achieved; even a utopia has flaws.
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