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Novels like this are my favorite to read. I chose "A Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley after reading a brief summary online and it was compared to George Orwell's 1984. I find fictional societies like this to be extremely interesting especially when aspects of said societies can be spotted in our modern world. The ideas presented in the description on the back of the book were quite compelling, and I found myself eager to dig in. Much like 1984, I expect this novel to have an overarching theme of control and deception. The time period that this book is written in is rid with destruction and violence (world war/ The Great Depression). I think Huxley drew off of his surroundings and the horrors of society to create this novel. I am expecting to see violence and oppression throughout the novel.  I am curious to see how parallel Huxley's approach will be to that of Orwell's. My biggest question is whether or not the people in this brave new world will submit to the leader/ society or choose to revolt. Will the plot to overthrow Big Brother be mirrored in this novel? I will be interested to see how the power to create will effect those within the novel. My prediction is that it will be a completely negative situation intertwined with terror among others.

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Community, Identity, Stability & Repetition (1-3)

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Community, Identity, Stability & Repetition (1-3)

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The motto above is displayed above main entrance of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centere. This is the first impression of the novel and I believe it sets the overarching tone. This  is meant to  soothe/ comfort the public by letting them know that these are the three pillars their society stands on. In Chapters 1-3 we receive insight into how humans are formed during this time period. Details such as conveyor belts,  incubators, and how the zygotes are fertilized are discussed within the first three chapters. The Director also seems to be a main character (hence his name). This character is also extremely mysterious, no one knows his age or really anything else about him. The journey of the first three chapters is a result of the Director giving students a tour. In the later parts of this section several statements are repeated. Some of these include "straight out of the horses mouth",  "after all everyone belongs to everyone else", "ending is better than the mending",  and "the more stitches the less riches". Hypnopaedia is linked to this repetition. The novel describes it as indoctrinating someone with morals and principles while they sleep. Although it is unclear the exact meaning/ origin of the various phrases, I think there could be some foreshadowing going on. The most shocking part of these chapters is the creation of the Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon babies. These happen to be sets of twins that are created within a wide range of age. Their sole purpose is to be mundane and happy in order to function as a machine within society. These chapters were very interesting and it also reminded me of "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. I am interested to see other people's opinions on the test tube babies or even how aware they are of this process.

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In this section we get a firsthand experience to the severity of Bernard's bashfulness. When he and Lenina are in an elevator with other males, she  begins to discuss their date and his is extremely embarrassed. Bernard does not appreciate this because he thought that Lenina was  different than the other girls. These chapters also reveal that Bernard is often mocked. As a result he chooses to isolate himself which makes the mocking continue in a cycle. I feel as if Bernard is underestimated. Based on events so far, I feel as if he is observant and never forgets a single detail. This maybe proven useful in his endeavors with Lenina. At the end of Chapter 5 Bernard attends an orgy. This is basically an orgy where they partake in rituals such as song and soma. This soma seems crazy and I have a feeling it is going to appear again. It basically used to make a person oblivious to what is going on around them, but in their oblivion they feel secure. Apparently this "ceremony"  obligation that he must attend. This was quite strange for me as the reader and began to open the door to this societies view of sex. This weekly soma meeting that he attends is used for pleasure alone. Since babies are now made in a lab, sex is no longer needed for reproductive purposes. Honestly we see this in our society today. It's not necessarily a bad thing but in our modern world we see it through entertainment and advertisement. These chapters reveal that Bernard seems to be different than most of the people around him. He is choosing to have his own thoughts unlike the sex-crazed robots around him, (although Bernard partakes too). Like I said, I think soma is going to play a part in the upcoming events, and I also think that Bernard will not be the only one who is unhappy with the way society works.

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The beginning of Chapter 6 is extremely intriguing. At this point in the novel, everything we have been told takes place inside a laboratory. When this chapter opens, we are taken to Bernard's helicopter hovering over the ocean. There just so happens to be storm upon the waves, the water is described as having a "black foam specked" appearance. Lenina is appalled by her surrounding so she chooses to turn on the radio. The lyrics "skies are blue inside of you, the weather's always..." and then Bernard turns the transmission off. This occurrence is peculiar. I believe that this was intentional. I do not know whether this is used as a form of subliminal messaging, like the hypnopaedia. Maybe this is used in a metaphoric way... The majority of people see this way of life as blue skies and sunny days but a select few see it differently. Bernard then says that sitting in the silence makes him feel as if "he is not just a cell in a social body". This is the first instance of any kind of opposition towards the Director. Speaking of the Director, in this chapter we meet his son, John, and his mother, Linda on Bernard and Lenina's trip to New Mexico. Upon their arrival, they see an electric fence that is said to keep any dangers out. However, I think it is more used to keep the people that do not allign with the director in. After all, somehow birth still exists here. Linda reveals to Lenina and Bernard that she is the village prostitute so to speak. Linda is not happy that she has a child with the Director because she seems to be the complete opposite of him. This all takes place at the Reservation which is explained to be the complete opposite of the world Bernard and Lenina live in. I am hoping the Reservation will be further elaborated on. Modern society is also paralleled here because we tend to keep those that are not like us/ don't agree with on the outskirts. I expect Linda and John to make a return and confront the Director in the coming chapters.

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Since Lenina and Linda are off visiting, John tells Bernard about his life up until the present. In short, John and Bernard see each other as parallels. Both are in a constant cycle of isolation because they are different from those around him. John recounts various instances where men have been in and out of his house sleeping with his mother. There is one particular man that he gives details on and his name is Pope. John sees Pope quite often and every time he comes, he brings a substance called mescal (probably an intoxicating beverage) and eventually Linda becomes addicted to it. (Addictive substances seem to be a common denominator for hardships within this novel i.e. soma and mescal) One day John receives a book from Pope, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. (Side note: John is the only one among his peers that can read because his mother taught him.) John is able to apply Shakespeare's words to his current situation. John is not only able to read, he is able to comprehend. After John is done recounting his childhood, Bernard invites him back to London. John is excited about this because he has taking a liking to Lenina. My prediction is that they will join forces in someway to take down the uniformity in society. I find it interesting that Shakespeare is used within this dystopian novel. I will be interested to see if it happens to be relevant within the coming chapters. One of my predictions is coming to fruition: a family reunion for the Director!

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This chapter takes us to London, inside of the Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. Babies are being conditioned in test tubes and children are playing their erotic games, so it seems as if it's business as usual. We are then transported to a conversation between the Director and a man named Henry Foster. Foster is commending Bernard but the Director seems to think that he is apart of a bigger picture. The Director thinks that Bernard is a threat to their uniform society, a threat to their life from labs. He believes that Bernard needs to be neutralized before he corrupts anyone else with his preposterous ideas. The Director threatens to send Bernard to Iceland, which seems to be the form of punishment in this novel. Even if Bernard possess valuable qualities, the Director can just create another Bernard back at the lab. At this point Bernard brings John and Linda in to reunite with their long lost family member. The Director chooses not to believe that John is his child and eventually gets so worked up that he runs away. Everyone begins to make fun and they all appear to be astonished that THE DIRECTOR of all people has a son. This reveals that the Director is hiding something or just doesn't want everyone to know about his past. Either way, I have a feeling that Bernard isn't just going to let him get away. This chapter was quite eye opening. I suppose based on prior chapters I should have realized that everyone is disposable but the conversation between Henry Foster and the Director validated this realization. At this point, they just want society to function as smooth and numb to everything as possible.

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Surprisingly, the Director resigns and chooses to run away from any and all problems. As for the lover and son, Linda is essentially given a death sentence and John, along with Bernard, become hot commodity. Bernard is beginning to love the world that he despised, which is the total opposite of what I thought was going to happen. John and Bernard begin to visit several institutions where John is trying to learn everything he can about Bernard's world but Bernard is just trying to get laid. John also references many of his discoveries back to Shakespeare. Not sure of the exact correlation but he may just be trying to create a metaphoric illustration. Lenina and John attend a sex induced folly and Lenina expects to finally have sex with her crush. As the night ends, John drops Lenina off and nothing "fruitful" comes from the evening. We are then cut to Bernard telling John that everyone is waiting on him. We also see that Bernard is beginning to self destruct. Everyone is comparing him to "the savage" and he is beginning to feel down about himself. Then the Arch-Community-Songster-of-Canterbury swoops in, hosts a party for John, and THEN has sex with Lenina. Needless to say, Bernard is not feeling very macho. As events unfold Bernard then feels isolated from his best pal Helmholtz. He and John are a lot alike and share their knowledge/ readings together. Bernard is seemed to be heading into a downward spiral. I can almost say that it is a self induced one because he is jealous of John rather than trying to be friendly to him. These chapters reveal Bernard's insecurity about himself and his relationships with those around him. I think that this will majorly shape the relationship and obvious friendship triangle between Bernard, John, and Helmholtz.

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Lenina and John are still hooked on each other but have yet to hook up. Fanny suggests that Lenina should force herself upon John and she takes a gram of soma to ensure that she gets the job done. John does not just want sex, he wants marriage and Lenina does not like the sound of commitment. John reverts back to quoting/ thinking of Shakespeare while they make out and the woman begins to take off her clothes. She tries again to force herself upon him and then John pries her off, calling her a "strumpet" (which I can infer is not very nice). John then receives a phone call about his mother's health and rushes to the hospital. Linda dies after being in her soma induced sleep for an extended period of time. The people around him have no sympathy towards John and his dying mother and even result in mockery. With Linda's last dying breath she speaks "everyone belongs to everyone". To me this was almost a statement of hopelessness as if Linda felt as i no one could change the way things were. After his mother passes, John is understandably upset but the nurse tries to shut it down. This is not surprising considering emotions are not allowed in this society and everyone just wants to have sex. These chapters were pretty crazy between the fight between Lenina and John and then his mother dying, he went through a lot. Since John is from the Reservation, he is not conditioned to be numb toward his feelings. I am sure in the coming chapters John will embark on some sort of revenge/ vengeance.

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John is not very fond of the Deltas, he describes them as a "maggots" roaming around his mother's resting place. While watching the Deltas line up for their daily dose of soma, John realizes that they are a slave to the drug. John causes a scene and begins yelling, telling the Deltas that they are being controlled in a way. John wants them to be free in their actions, thoughts, and emotions. The Deltas do not seem to care until John gets a grip on their soma and begins to throw it everywhere. Eventually Bernard, Helmholtz, and the police show up. Helmholtz is there to help John, Bernard is doing nothing, and the police attack everything with a pulse. The police are armed with many different things such as a box that plays "the voice of reason" to calm everyone down. The Deltas eventually surrender to the voice and Bernard and Helmholtz go with the police and are put under for a bit. As of this chapter we do not know where John is but it is safe to assume that he is somewhere in some form of custody. I think this chapter cracks open the bigger picture.... the issue is not the uniformity, it is the drug controlling everyone and keeping emotions in check. Of course we are not currently controlled by a drug but sometimes the media can control our perception of events in our world.

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Bernard, Helmholtz, and John are all brought to the Ford. When Mustapha arrives he first addresses John asking him why he hasn't taking a liking to their way of life. Mustapha then begins to quote Shakespeare (as John has the entirety of the novel). We then learn that Shakespeare and similar works are banned but Mustapha can obtain this information because he makes the rules. It's explained that Shakespeare is banned because it may be considered enticing. I think what Mustapha is really saying is that it would enlighten a few and they would begin to hope for something beyond uniformity. We then take a deep dive into a history lesson as to why alphas are the way they are, why doubles are created, etc. Mustapha explains why their society sacrificed beauty, truth, and religion. Ultimately it is because there is always a price to pay. Whether this price be through others, yourself, or the world around you. All of these virtues were impossible to withhold especially after the Nine Year's War. Basically the peace is now kept by individuals having nothing that they have to resist. This is also due to the fact that soma is offered any and everywhere. John argues that people need to go through trials and suffering at some point or another.a Mustapha explains that individuals go once a month for adrenaline injections to fill them with rage. John ends this drawn out conversation saying that he needs to be unhappy at times in order to have purpose and Mustapha simply agrees that he is entitled to that. This chapter was pretty crazy because a lot of loose ends are tied up. I think the most interesting thing revealed in this chapter was the banishment of Shakespeare/ classic literature. I assume that the leaders of this society do not want anyone to partake in any sort of deep/ metaphorical thinking because then they would develop thoughts of their own (and that would be terrible). I also had a realization into what I thought this books message was. Although I would never want to live like this, the thought process behind the test tube babies, uniformity, and control actually makes logical sense, but it is INSANE. I think Huxley is probably the only person that could make test tube babies make sense in a way. Of course in our society, I feel that we are not too far off from this sort of control in the realm of science, if we are not there already.

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The three amigos say goodbye to one another and left feeling happy. They go their separate ways; Helmholtz and Bernard are sent into exile and John secludes himself to a lighthouse. Reporters show up one day to see him and he is caught flogging himself and begging for reconciliation, after all he is a religious man. John is surrounded by beauty in his current location, but he does not think that he deserves this. Lenina shows up one day to try and talk to John but upon arrival he begins to whip her. Eventually everyone partakes in, yet another, orgy. After a sleepless night, John resents his behavior and people eventually find him dangling from the ceiling of the lighthouse. I wouldn't expect any other ending than another prominent display of sex for pleasure.

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This novel is full of philosophical, literary, and even some modern day metaphors. Through human experimentation, concept of religion and the world around us, and references to famous works, I can see a parallel to modern society through this novel. This brave new world that is created is meant to rid the thinking and moral process that goes through an individual's mind. It is meant to take the guessing out of any situation. It is meant for humans to desire nothing and someone else to control everything. By the end of the novel it is clear to see that Mustapha told John the information to see how he would take it. John was a mere experiment in the grand scheme of things. None of the things that John did brought him any comfort regarding Linda or Lenina. Up until his final breath he was struggling, mentally, with both situations. In this world morality and religion do not matter because if it did people would have boundaries. Our society possess ideals that were prevalent within this novel. Science is the crux of our nation whether good or bad, people live for pleasure, and our government sees mostly everything. Ultimately this novel reveals truths about uniformity. Maybe Mustapha was protecting these people from themselves. Maybe the Ford was right in conditioning those from a young age, only focusing on sensation and pleasure. This brave new world may be more familiar than we think.