Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Are there examples of John's appearing to be free and not conditioned while on the Reservation?Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

As the natural-born son of Linda from the New World, John
has not been conditioned because he is a resident of the Reservation, far from the New
World. When Bernard and Lenina arrive, they watch a ritual to bring rain in which a
young man is lashed with a whip.  Then, they encounter the blond, blue-eyed John, who
wishes that he could have been part of the ritual the couple have just witnessed.  When
Lenina asks him why he wants to be whipped, John
replies,



"For
the sake of the pueblo--to make the rain come and the corn grow.....And then to show
that I can bear pain without crying
out...."



From his mother,
John has learned to read;  But, his mother Linda never seems to know from where anything
comes.  John turns to the old men of the pueblo who have "more definite answers." One
old man teaches him to mold clay and promises to teach him the make a bow.  From Pope he
acquires The Compete Works of William Shakespeare, and he reads
this hungrily. Then, one night, John tries to kill Pope, just as Hamlet sought to slay
Claudius.  But, Pope awakens and beats him away.  However, he respects John, saying,
"Go, my brave Ahayuta." 


But, John remains on the fringe of
the Indian society.  The girl that he loves marries another; he is not allowed to
participate in the blood initiation into manhood because he is not an Indian.  So, when
he meets Linda and Bernard, he exclaims,


readability="5">

"O brave new world...How many goodly creatures
are there here!  How beauteous mankind
is!"



John is excited by this
meeting with people from his mother's world.

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