Brave New World Essays (1462 words) - Brave New World,

Brave New World Book Report of 'Brave New World' By Michael Tillman Theme: The theme of Brave New World is freedom and how people want it. The people want poetry, danger, good and bad things. This novel shows that when you must give up religion, high art, true science, family, love and other foundations of modern life in place of a sort of unending happiness, it is not worth the sacrifice. These are all also distinguishing marks between humans and animals that were abolished here. In exchange, they received stability with no wars, social unrest, no poverty or disease or any other infirmities or discomforts. However, they only live with an artificial happiness, which they have been brainwashed to love since infancy. There is no marriage, no violence or no sadness which may result in an unstable society which would threaten the totalitarian government. But the majority of the people don't realize what they are missing as it's never been there. It's a society in which the human being only serves a sociological and scientifical purpose; the individual thought i s overruled by one big autocratic state. Huxley is also telling us to be careful with our science, or we may end up like the Utopians, mass producing identical citizens, then brainwashing them to think alike and to think exactly what the government mandates. Exposition: In the first scene we are introduced to the futuristic world of London and how the babies are conditioned and categorized from birth. Then we meet some of the main characters, Bernard and Lenina who are both Alpha Plus status. It is foreshadowed that the two are going to make a trip to a Savage Reservation in New Mexico for vacation. Complications: Before Bernard and Lenina leave for the savage camp Bernard is warned by the D.H.C. that if he misbehaves outside of working hours again he would be sent to exile in Iceland. Bernard quickly develops feelings for Lenina and wants to have her for himself but in their society everyone is everybody's and therefore love cannot exist. Once in the savage reservation Lenina is disgusted with how the people act and look. They meet Linda Savage and her son John. They discover that John is the son of the Director and convinces him and John's mother to return to the civilized world with them. John also falls in love with the beautiful Lenina but is ashamed to admit it. Once back in London, Bernard is faced with disgrace, for the director publicly accused him of unorthodox behavior, which is a great crime. Bernard introduces Linda and John as a counteract and the truth of the Director's baby is announced. The director immediately resigns and disappears, as this was very embarrassing. As a result , Bernard is saved from being exiled. John soon becomes an attraction, with which Bernard lures popular people to meet his discovery. The people come eagerly, although they didn't exactly come to meet Bernard, who they still consider a strange 'mistake'. Bernard's friend Helmholtz becomes a good friend with John and they share literature with each other. The ideas John had about civilization are shattered by the lack of culture and humanity, all of which Shakespeare had taught him the value. His love for Lenina mostly disappears when she rudely offers herself to him. He wanted her for himself, and he wanted to conquer her as a lover. He had gotten his ideas of love from reading 'Romeo and Juliet' and flees from her in terror when she throws herself onto him. Linda, John's mother, is a little too overwhelmed with what she has been missing and she overdoses on 'soma'. In the hospital John is enraged by the lack of humanity, for they show 'their children' the dead, to prepare them for their own death. John starts a mutiny among the workers about their weekly amount of soma, but the crowd cools down when becomes clear that they won't get any if they don't stop. He is arrested and led before the great Mustapha Mond where they argue over humanity and other issues. Tests are done on John and he is eventually set free. He leaves London, to pick up his old way of life again, outside in