Dystopia In Brave New World

Through a reader-response criticism of Brave New World, we are revealed the theme of dystopia. Huxley reveals the theme using John’s character by his use of Shakespeare and the cultural differences between their societies. The theme of dystopia warns the readers of the effects of the immense use of science on a society.

John is the son of Linda and the Director, who was raised on the Reservations. He frequently quotes Shakespeare from plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and The Tempest. He himself can be compared to Hamlet because of his obsession with his mother’s sex-life and resents her mother’s lover Pope. The most significant quote in the novel is said by John, “O brave new world that has such people in it. Let’s start at once.” (Huxley 139). Not only is this quote an allusion to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, but it serves as the title of the novel. It is ironic that John says this because he saw the “savage” in the eyes of the new world. This frequently occurs in society, when you bring someone from a foreign country their way of speaking is seen as “odd” and “weird” because it is different from your own. However, John quoting Shakespeare shows the society Lenina and Bertrand live in to be dystopian because their society does not value knowledge and try to

repress it. The quote is ironic because John is hopeful for his future in the new world but he does not know yet that it will the cause of his suffering and death.
Furthermore, John also quotes Romeo and Juliet to show he feels towards Lenina.

This is one of the main cultural differences between them, Lenina grew up in a society that is very sexually liberal. While for John, he saw his mom be beaten for sleeping with men thus he has been conditioned to view anything sexual as something negative. So, John represses his desires for Lenina because that is the culture he grew up in, “The bird was too dangerous. His hand dropped back. How beautiful she was! How beautiful!” (Huxley 155). This repression builds up inside of John overtime and is later let out in the last chapter as we can see him resorting to behaviour that is familiar to his culture (whipping

himself).
The state in the novel tries to destroy all emotions, “to ensure that no one is ever unhappy, but no one ever experiences joy, either,” (Booker 5). John was an outsider so he was not conditioned to the society around him and since everyone in the state does not have parents so they do not feel grief when they die because there is not a connection. But, when John realizes the disturbing aspects of the society he eventually goes insane and kills himself.
Huxley tries to show the loss in a society when they are unable to have access to Shakespeare and other works. People in the society are unable to feel emotions and have no regard to for others. He also tries to warn us that the increased use of technology may not be a good thing because it will make us into emotionless and structured robots, mass producing for our own needs similar to the novel.