Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Bernard Marx, Hemholtz, and John all are given different fates at the end of the dystopia. Contrast their reactions.Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

In Chapter XVI Bernard Marx, Helmholtz Watson, and John
are summoned to the office of the World Controller, Mustapha Mond, after the riot of the
Deltas in which John throws away their soma, preaching freedom and
rebellion while Bernard and Helmholtz joined in, coming to John's
defence.


After they enter, Bernard takes a seat near the
back of the room, hoping to draw attention away from himself. On the other hand,
Helmhotz seats himself in the most comfortable chair, while John wanders around the room
with anxiety. When Mustapha Mond enters, he addresses John, noting that the savage does
not like the New World.  Conversing with the men, Mond explains that the New World is
stable now with no room for tragedies which cause social instability.  Therefore, he
will send off the dissidents. 


When Mond assigns Iceland to
Bernard, he begins to beg, throwing himself on his knees before the Controller in a
"paroxysm of abjection."  As Mond tries to make him stand up, Bernard continues to
grovel until Mond rings for his secretary, who leaves and returns with three
green-uniformed twin footmen, but Bernard continues his groveling until he is carried
out, crying and protesting, displaying great weakness of
character.


Then, as Mond turns to Helmholtz Watson, he says
that happiness must be paid for, and Helmholtz is paying for it because he is interested
in beauty.  Mond asks Helmholtz if he prefers a tropical climate or something more
"bracing."  Helmholtz replies that he prefers a "thoroughly bad
climate." 


readability="10">

The Controller nodded his approbation. "I like
you spirit Mr. Watson.  I like it very much indeed.  As Much as I officially disapprove
of it....."  What about the Falkland Islands?"


"Yes, I
think that will do," Helmholtz
answered.



Then, in contrast
to Bernard, Helmholtz draws himself up with a certain dignity and excuses himself to go
and see "how poor Bernard's getting on."


Finally, turning
back to John, Mustapha Mond spends the most time with him, discussing how religion has
now been replaced by science:  "Christianity without tears--that what soma is," Mond
tells John.  But, John tells Mond,


readability="10">

"But I don't want comfort.  I want God, I want
poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness.  I want
sin."



Having stated that he
wants the right to be unhappy, John chooses to make his "hermitage" the old lighthouse
which stands on the crest of the hill where he can observe nature and enjoy solitude,
undisturbed, working on a garden or something with the land.  John desires to "escape
further contamination by the filth of civilized life."  Believing that he will be left
alone, John is content.  However, three days later, like "turkey buzzards settling on a
corpse, the reporters came"  and John's solitude and existence is
destroyed.

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