Literature Analysis: Brave New World

1. When the novel begins, some students are being given a tour through the World State. Henry Foster and Lenina Crowne, two employees of this center, have been dating each other a little too often, going against state rules. Lenina's friend Fanny warns her against such promiscuity. Lenina then decides to date Bernard Marx, who is not quite like the others of his caste. Lenina and Bernard decide to go on a vacation to a Savage Reservation. On the reservation, the inhabitants live in an almost primitive manner. Before Bernard leaves for his vacation, he is warned by the Director about his non-conformist ways and threatened with exile to Iceland.  Lenina and Bernard meet Linda and her son, John the Savage, on the Reservation. Bernard learns from John that long ago Linda had come to the Reservation with the Director, who had abandoned her there. When she realized she was pregnant, she knew that she could not return to the World State, and therefore stayed on the Reservation and raised John. Hearing this story, Bernard goes to the Controller and gains his permission to take John and his mother back. When Bernard presents the pair to the Director is humiliated and resigns from his position. Bernard no longer has to worry about being exiled to Iceland.  While living with Bernard, John becomes the man everyone is interested in. Bernard at first revels in the attention that he receives because of the Savage. Things, however, do not go smoothly. John soon grows repulsed by the ways of the New World and becomes unhappy. Despite his mood, Lenina finds herself terribly attracted to John and tries to seduce him. John, however, is disgusted bt the ways of the World State and ends it with her. When his mother dies, John goes crazy. Rebellion results and Bernard and Helmholtz Watson are blamed. When the two of them are taken to Mustapha Mond, along with John, Bernard and Helmholtz are exiled. John is retained for further experimentation. He resists and tries to flee into solitude, but the citizens of Utopia continue to hound him and eventually John commits suicide.
2. One main theme has to do with fitting in. Being a misfit, like John and Bernard, create much of the novel. They both are unhappy and not satisfied with their lives and it really takes a toll on themselves and the reader. Another important theme would be how technology has taken over the World State and how it affects everyone.
3. Huxley's tone changes with the character he is talking about. For example, Lenina is always a "go with the flow" type personality and Huxley makes sure his writing correlates with that. However, his tone changes when he talks about Bernard because Bernard tends to be depressed and negative toward the World State. The overall tone is dark and twisted.
4. Imagery: (specifically to animals) Huxley compares the humans to animals quite often. For example, "straight from the horse's mouth."
Narrator (Third Person): "He knew that what he was saying was absurd in its injustice… But in spite of this knowledge… Bernard continued perversely to nourish… a secret grievance against the Savage."
Allusion: To Shakespeare. "O wonder! ... How many goodly creatures there are here! How beauteous mankind is! ... O brave new world that has such people in it!"
Irony: The readers know certain things that the characters do not.
Parody:Utopian novels were about a happy future, this novel sets the idea on its head by being a dystopian novel.
Foreshadow: "What man has joined, nature is powerless to put asunder."
Metaphor: "For suddenly there had swarmed up from those round chambers underground a ghastly troop of monsters. Hideously masked or painted out of all semblance of humanity, they had tramped out a strange limping dance round the square..."


1. Direct Characterization: Bernard is described as short and mentally superior
Indirect Characterization: Bernard is considered a rebel cause his actions show that he does not want to participate in the World State events.
2. Huxley's syntax and diction change based on the character he is talking about. Each character is very different so he manipulates his writing to fit that. His syntax also changes from the beginning of the novel to the end. It was very descriptive at first but as the novel continued it seemed to speed up and the sentences got shorter.
3. John is a dynamic and round characters. The reader sees his personality change as he is placed in different environments and it gets to him and he eventually takes his life.
4. Because of the author's descriptive writing and focus on all of the characters, the reader learns a lot about each character, so yes I did feel like I met them, but I don't necessarily relate to them. There personalities seemed extreme to me.