Recurring Motifs

"'But what were your rhymes?' Bernard asked.

'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.

Past the Halfway Point

"'As far back as I can remember.' John frowned. There was a long silence" (Brave New World, 123).

What would have been nice right after that sentence is an extra line break. It took me a page to understand that at that moment, I had entered a flashback. The flashback gave an excellent characterization of John and mostly dealt with his tragic background. There are two primary observations that I made.

First, as I was reading, I noticed a lot of stress on how much of an outcast John was during his childhood, and it reminded me of how Bernard is also an outsider in "the Other Place" (127). I was going to make a really impressive connection between the two characters in this blog, but then it got less impressive when Bernard commented about how similar they are -- "terribly alone" (137). So that's disappointing, but I suppose it's good that I caught on to their connection before that moment.

Also, I mentioned in my last post that I thought the theme would concern individualism, and I'm sticking with that, but I have another idea. This quote is back from chapter four:

"'Words can be like X-rays, if you use them properly -- they'll go through anything'" (70).

I held on to that quote because I liked it, and now I think it resonates well with John's past. Whenever John read something, he was in total awe by the "magic" (132) of words. I think the fashioning of words could also be an integral theme; additionally, words are a powerful way to express individualism, so that's pretty great.

I need . . . a picture . . . hmm . . . words are like X-rays.

Almost Halfway Assessment

"Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun,
Kiss the girls and make them One.
Boys at one with girls at peace;
Orgy-porgy gives release" (Brave New World, 84).

No rhetorical analysis in this post -- I'm just going to reflect upon what's happened so far, and if I decide to be bold, maybe make some predictions. I think this will be good for me after two weeks of being gone (to be clear, not on SFS).

And I'm not going backward in the book; I just chose a quote from the first almost-half that sums up one of the main issues I have with this book. It's really weird and confusing. The way that the words and sentences are arranged (there's a word for that -- syntax) just doesn't make for an easy read.

That being said, I think there are a lot of interesting ideas in the book even if I don't really enjoy the weird manner in which they are presented. Predestination, utopias, and social cohesion are things upon which I can gladly reflect. The plot always leaves me with a lot of questions. Which I guess is good. But, like, a lot of questions. I've expressed some of those questions in my recent posts. I like Max's answer as to why Bernard is dating Lenina (to preserve his reputation), but still -- he's being sent to Iceland, anyway, and she's a total dope. So even now, I don't really understand that.

Predictions? I think that individualism is going to be an important theme. Bernard said something about being "not just a cell in the social body" (90), and this world doesn't really allow for individual expression, which is not so great.

But now I'm at the part where they're all stuck in New Mexico (I think). The collision of two completely different societies might be fun. And funny because Lenina is an extreme misfit. See, I understand why Huxley has Lenina as a character, but . . . why with Bernard? Bah, it's probably not important.