Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Characters
John
the protagonist---a young man who is an outcast of both the World State and
the Savage Reservations; born with Linda as his mother in the Savage lands;
bought up to value monogamy, fidelity, and condolence
is instantly known to be “different” from the rest of the savage people by his
desire to participate in a ritual that the Savages prohibit him to enter and that
Lenina & Bernard both find revolting
he is the son of the DHC & Linda; his origins isolate him from the World State,
since he is the offspring of a “mother” and “father”, obsolete social
relationships
knows fervently the pains of loneliness & discrimination--- the savages
denounced him as nothing but the son of a whore; people in the World State
see him only as a speculation
is obsessively attached to Shakespeare and his moral principles--- tortured by
his unyielding desire for Lenina yet cannot accept her voluptuous ways
describing her from a “Juliet” to a “strumpet”
embraces the empathic and humanitarian values that those in the World State
have waived in exchange for their shallow & one-dimensional lives---argument
b/w Mond and John
o John disillusioned seeing the twins and their monotonous lifestyles---
demands to know why they don’t seek better things
o *Mond says that abandonment of art, religion, and science is the piece
paid for stability and happiness “every change is the menace to
stability.”--- Mustapha Mond
Art: inspires unorthodox ideas & drawings, thoughts that may bring
revolution and dramatic change (in forms of violence, debates, and
war) to people
Science: World State encourage technological consumption, but
restricts scientific experimentation that is the source of the brilliant
discoveries molding the community (soma, B. Process, artificial
embryo fertilization and development machines)
Religion: Mond comprehends Maine de Bain’s book (philosophy)
and how it explains the concept of religion and the reason behind
people’s pieties: “the religious sentiments tend to develop as we
grow older, to develop because, as the passions grow calm, as the
fancy and sensibilities are less excited and less excitable, our
reason becomes less trouble in its working, less obscured by the
image, desires, and distractions…” “why should we go on
hunting for a substitute for youthful desires, when youthful desires
never fail?” (world state population never age) science has
curbed the way to religion
Goes into sequestration at an old, deserted lighthouse b/w Puttenham &
Elstead, leading an ascetic & religious life, where he angrily vows to never be
enticed by the allures of the World State, to Lenina and to commemorate the
pitiful death of Linda
o Seeks for some salvation & purification from the unregulated and dense
societydrinks mustard and warm water in order to satisfy himself that
he is free from social bondage; flogs himself as a form of self-discipline;
hoist himself up in the crucifying position analogous to Jesus’s & endures
the pain & agony to earn the right to inhabit the lighthouse
o “it was to escape further contamination by the filth of civilized life: I was
to be purified and made good; it was actively to make amends”
seen always as a ‘savage’---diverse and unique---something intolerable in the
World State; even at his end, he was nothing less than a specimen of violent
entertainment helicopters barricaded the lighthouse w/ people to come
watch his show of astounding self-punishment
for his contradicting views and lifestyles, John is even less highly regarded by
the dehumanized people and is the sight of ridicule men throw out nuts and
sweets to bribe John into doing his “comedic” stunt
he commits suicide by hanging in the end he was reluctantly succumbed to
the “sins” and “wickedness” of the civilized world and has no choice but to
sacrifice himself for his redemption
Bernard Marx
is a loner among the Alpha-Plus due to his short stature; is greatly prejudiced
against because of his abnormal height and build and, as a result of his
irregularity, his condensing attitude on the materialistic lifestyles of his peers
regards Henry Foster & many high official in contempt for their abasing
perception on women and their livesis hostile towards both Foster and the
Predestinator when they talk of having Lenina “as if she was meat”
seeks to be liberated from the opposing standards of societywishes to be
judged on his right, instead of graded by the rules of the norm--- is imprisoned
by his conditioning
he envies his friend, Helmholtz Watson, for his overtly ability to seduce women
& finish workhe has an imposing yearning to triumph over those he scorns
and earn their respect; he is not completely an outsider since he still eagerly
seeks a chance to conform into the World State society
o his complaints of the World diminishes after he becomes famous as
the Savage’s agent; he quickly recruits women for the night &
rendezvous with important officials without hesitation
o his potential value, however, is minimal; after the Savage refuses to
receive any of the higher authorities on behalf of Marx, the people
quickly abate Marx and humiliates Marx by abruptly leaving---w/o the
Savage, he is nothing
is the indispensable scar on the flawless World State gaietyis the finest
example of how the transformation of the World State into the paradise that
Mond claims it to be is incomplete; there are still people who crave for
emotional inequality & biasness
o he blushes in front of Lenina on personal topics
o he wishes for times of solitude, away from the purposeless routine life
he needs companionship, which he finds in Helmholtz Watson (as
friendship) & tries in Lenina (as romance)
o he has menacing thoughts & desires due to his inferior treatmenthe
curses those who are better than him
an extreme hypocritegarners no support or respect from John, Helmholtz, or
the rest of the World State community
is later exiled to faraway islands, the fate that Helmholtz also meets, a place
where his differences and criticism pose no threat to the peaceful & exultant
World State society
Helmholtz Watson
is deemed an outcast for being overproductive; has a higher intelligence and
higher amorous love marks than all the Alpha Pluses; feels that he should go
beyond what is necessary & acceptable and write/do something better; feels
underachieved
is a mutual buddy of Bernard Marx, the only other mentioned ostracized
character in the book; shares advice & feelings of their defects
is above the necessity of ladies and social glamour; he stays noble & well-
respected throughout the book, loyal to his words
a foil for both Bernard and John: Bernardhe is the complete opposite of
Bernard, physically and socially, yet they both find themselves sequestered
from society; Johnhe ravenously devours the mastery of Shakespeare, but
jokingly rebukes the concept of family & romance, since he was taught to
denounce such things
is exiled in Falkland Islands, where he hopes that the stormy and tumultuous
weather will help inspire him of greater feelings vital in poetry writing
Lenina Crowne
is the femme fatale of the story; she entices seductive illusions in John, who
refutes the temptation as he has not proven himself worthy yet of her love
introduced as a “weird” female Beta- Minus; she is already castigated for not
being promiscuous enough & has committed herself to a man for a longer
period of time than accepted
she is the frequent source of the hypnopadic sayings, as she meets
uncomfortable and aloof Bernard and handsome and breath-taking John, both
men she cannot understand
o “everyone works for everyone else”… “a gramme saves nine”
is sought by John as a lover; but his attraction to her only lead him to greater
disappointment and disillusionment of the World Stateshe tries to engage in
a sexual relationship with him, since she only knows this way of romantic
acknowledgement
constantly uses soma to circumvent confrontation of her problems, things that
incur anger or despair
is distorted and pressured by both Bernard and John to become someone they
perceive and wish her to be; they cannot view and love her for who she really
is
o John: sees her as a Juliet, an ideal, devout lover, then later as a
“strumpet”, a prostitute
o Bernard: hopes for her to empathize with him and understand the
emotional conflicts inside him; seeks to shatter her cocoon
is whipped and flogged by John at the endthe haunting symbol of John’s
weakness to the society he loathes
Mustapha Mond
a Controller who is literate in both the literature of the olden, ancient times
and the contemporary, senseless modern works
he judges the good and bad of the societyanything that jeopardizes the
means of social order and harmony of the World State must be eradicated
he is a ruthless, power-hungry figurehe choose to become an ultimate World
Controller and forfeits his science and his independence for the sake of forging
stability and prosperity to the state
censors religion, science, & arts for the society, as he sees these as the main
proponents to the imbalance and gradual destruction of the human race
important role * (in the notes about John)
Fanny Crowne
main female critic of Lenina; is the one to tell her that she must try to be more
sexually active
is the epitome of all women in the World State; shallow, inattentive to
anyone’s emotional needs, alleviates their own sexual satisfactions, is
incapable of any deeper affection than the physical expression of love
Henry Foster
the masculine stereotype in the World State society; is prone to love making
and leading the proscribed life
in this sense, he is an excellent follower and is the general example of the vast
majority of men in this technological world
he is indifferent and emotionally detached to anyone--- he escapes and run
away to guarantee his own safety from John’s wrath, leaving Lenina to suffer
the physical punishment on her own (end of the book)
he is blandly characterized as Lenina’s four-month lover
Linda
DHC’s past lover and John’s mother
Is completely torn and abhorred by bearing John and becoming a mother
Lived in the Savage Reserves since she was lost during a vacation with the
DHC
Is banished and brutally beaten by the women in the Savage Reserves for her
indiscriminate sexual affairs with their husbandsJohn: severely prejudiced
against by all on the Reserve
Is engulfed by her shame and sadnessshe has bared the disgrace of being a
mother & her nostalgia
Is incapable, like Lenina & Fanny, to extend any emotional boundaries and
express some blatant motherly affection
Her subsequent death after John’s arrival in World State propels John’s decision
to physically separate himself from the rest of the World State population, to
form his own utopia within this supposedly paradise main catalyst for John’s
decision and the main generator for his motivation to expel any luxuries and
desires
DHC-The Director
John’s father; director of the Fertilization
Major role is as John’s estranged father; also his memory about Savage
Reserves serves as foreshadowing
He is also another example of the faulty conception of World State as a
complete drained and emotionless communityhe still reminiscences over the
loss of Linda and his trepidation and pain---spoken by Bernard as “the
forbidden thing to do”
Tried to banish Bernard to Iceland, but resigned from his post after an
complete breakdown in the Fertilizing Room, where John announces himself as
DHC’s illegitimate son
The Warden
Grants Bernard & Lenina passage into the Savage Reserves in America
First presents the portrayal of the Savage Reserves in penury; the Savage are
obdurate, backwards creatures who can never renovate their economic
condition and rejuvenate out of their impoverished dilemma
“children are actually born, revolting as that may seem…”
Pope
Linda’s lover at Savage Reserves; the one who provides John his Shakespeare
book
Plays a rudimentary role of a father---gives John things he may like but never
takes extreme interest in himsame as Linda
Goes to Linda often to quench his sexual thirst---gives Linda alcohol as some
sort of payment
John once tried to kill Pope out of rage and jealousy
The Arch-Community Songster
Archbishop of the World State; forecasts the development of consumption, free
sex, and feelies as an addictive aspect of this new modern religion