A brave new world..

“Community. Identity. Stability.” What price is a society willing to pay for such a social order? A conforming life of unconsciousness with an inward life of curiosity. John, ironically nicknamed Mr. Savage, leads such a life when he entered the world he had only heard stories about from his m---. John exemplifies the human tendency to conform in the name of community, identity, and stability only to find himself lost in the process.

                Initially John is characterized as being the black sheep on the Savage Reservation. Unsure of where he belongs, john attempts to conform to provide himself with any piece of identity, he even goes on to say that he could have lasted longer getting whipped. John’s transition into the new world gave him a sense of acceptance but in reality it was individualism. The communal beliefs of this brave new world were juxtaposed against his own. This drastic comparison caused John to be very stubborn in his own beliefs of God, emotions, and love. But an individual cannot reside in a community so John sought refuge in a lighthouse, a symbol of enlightenment.

                John’s individuality persisted until a mob of Alphas and Betas urged him to whip Lenina. The repetition of “Kill it” and “Orgy-porgy” created a dark mood, that reflected something of a cult. When the repetition becomes too much for John to bear, he becomes what society perceived him of being, a savage. Becoming a part of the unconscious community caused him to lose a part of himself. He wakes up the next morning conscious of what he’s done and chooses to end his life. Huxley indirectly describes the death scene through imagery which allows the audience to infer what has happened. The direction of the feet turning in a circle references a part in the novel where John is talking about King Lear. This allusion talks about how the gods’ punishments are dictated by those that rule over society. The dark, vicious place that we create for ourselves is one in which we lose ourselves. It’s a constant circle that we create and lose ourselves in and it is only to be repeated by others.

                John becomes a part of the community and loses his identity in the name of stability. The people of this society are part of an unconscious community that creates something stable but at what cost? None can stand as an individual because that would disrupt the community. Human tendency is to allow the outward existence t dominate the inward life to the point where a person is no longer an individual and is lost in a sea of unconsciousness.