Josh Richardson

Setting Significance of Opening Scene

• 600 years in the future (approx. • Throws reader into the foreign society
2540s) or 632 A.F. (after Ford) of the World State
• London • Explains the de-humanized way
• New Mexico Savage Reservation people are grown, not born, and

• Central London Hatchery and assigned to different castes

Significance of Ending or closing scene
Conditioning Center
• John hangs himself, reflecting his inability
to bear living in the materialistic World
State
• He is ashamed of his sexual feelings
toward Lenina and is overcome by the
crowd, joining in their cry of “Orgy-porgy”
afterwards realizing that he can’t live
with sacrificing his ideals
Symbols Old AP Questions
• Soma: represents use of instant
gratification to control World State’s
citizens
o Also represents powerful influence
of science/technology on society
o Viewed as a kind of “sacrament,” it
represents use of religion to control
society
• Zippers: all clothing in the World State
has zippers on it reflecting the culture of
instant gratification, as buttons take
longer to un-do.
 Josh Richardson
Possible Themes
• Use of Technology to Control Society
o Rigid control of reproduction/”growing” of human beings
o Complicated entertainment machines that generate unthreatening
leisure/encourage consumption
o Conditioning from birth to promote acceptance of class, hatred of nature, etc.
o Drug Soma pacifies society
• Consumerism/Capitalism
o Encouraged to buy new things as opposed to repairing broken ones
• Utilitarian Happiness
o Citizens are conditioned to enjoy the work they do and not esteem to anything
above/below their caste