'They were about being alone'" (Brave New World, 181).
1. Individualism: I've mentioned this one several times, but a new aspect of it in chapter twelve is solitude. Helmholtz got into trouble because he recited a poem about being alone. Solitude is important for people, especially for introverts, and it's not an option for people in this book because the civilized world is all about "everyone belongs to everyone else," or something.
2. Language: Helmholtz and John are both very interested in the power of words. Shakespeare is a master of this, so I'm glad Huxley used him as his prime example. Words are what made Mustapha Mond think Bernard's paper was too dangerous, and they are what made Helmholtz start "guffawing" (184) after the third act of Romeo and Juliet. Also, I want to know the meaning of what John was shouting at Bernard at the beginning of chapter twelve.
3. Utopias: They never work. I mean, it's debatable, but usually authors are against them. One thing that's interesting in utopias is that they typically avoid money. Laborers in the civilized world are paid with "four half-gramme tablets" (164) of soma. I think facilitating the exchange of goods with money is important, but I understand how it raises complications like greed and theft. Also, I hate pennies.
That's juuuust what I'm thinking right now. Watch the book completely shift its main ideas -- I wouldn't put it past Huxley.
I almost put the book down to look for a translation of what John was shouting at Bernard, but then I decided it probably was a nonsense language, and also I was lazy.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a nonsense language. Because . . . I tried really hard to translate what he was saying.
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