A Utopia is a society is which everyone is happy, which is what every society aims for, but instead the probability of the society being a dystopia is more prevalent. A dystopia being, a society with clearly labeled flaws, morals and people. These people, whom of which, will change to fit their own means in society and are shaped by the unfamiliar experiences they are forced to endure. These experiences affect people in different ways, either being crushed by the pressure or able to adapt and overcome, being able to change their own ways of life and their world view. In Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” , he uses the character Lenina to show that people change in many ways, when they are met with these circumstances. At the start Lenina is …show more content…
Lenina was introduced to a different way of life and at first, this life seemed absolutely repulsing, but after a little while she began to see that some parts of the savage ways connected to her quite deeply in what she wanted out of life. ““Oh shut up”” she said as she turned back to her neglected embros... As if she could have forgotten her V.P.S.”.The context of this quote gives off the fact that Lenina does not want to go to a feely with another man because she has eyes for only one,John, and at this point she is frustrated with the man judging her for it. This excerpt is perhaps the first time that the change in Lenina is pointed out. She has moved from a character that is very accepting of others and the civilised way of life, to one that gets frustrated with her peers for the simple fact that she likes one guy and one guy only, which would lean more towards being a savage. When she is first met with savage life, she regards only being with one person a nuisance, but she finally begins to realize the lust you can have for one person. She begins to be frustrated with her own life and seeks comfort in one man, much like the savages would do in their life. This is the first time that the author begins to relate Lenina to the savages and even though she found she wanted to be nothing like a …show more content…
This forced her to face the fact that even though everyone is genetically engineered, they still have faults, that they are still human. Her whole lifestyle is based around the fact that they are so different from the savages and this was the first time that she found, that everyone, no matter where you come from can still succumb to emotion and make mistakes. She saw an aspect of life that had never been there before, mistakes, a word unknown to the civilised language because all people are created to be a certain thing and conditioned to have a role in society. “ Laughter broke out, enormous, almost hysterical, peel after peel, as though it would never stop. My father- and it was the director?”. This point of the book represents a turning point for Lenina, realising that the forbidden word of father was used on such a powerful man. This quote supports the fact that even though the people call themselves “civilised” and “better” they are just the same human, with better structure and technology. At this point Lenina begins to see John as more of a human being and not just a savage for the simple fact that he was born to and fathered by the civilised people. It also creates an entire area in which, the grounds are laid on the false pretences of everyone in the civilised world following their own role in the community and
Both Lenina and Linda use soma to escape from the realities of the world. Soma is a symbol for instant pleasure, and to avoid unpleasant situations. Lenina’s use of soma suggests that she is trying to suppress feelings of embarrassment, depression, and later her infatuation with John. Resembling words that of a drug addict, Lenina says “I wish I had my soma”, so that she could escape from her melancholic problems (Huxley 104). Similarly, after accusing the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, and having him publicly deny her, the emotional toll on Linda was so great, that she felt the need to consume soma to escape. Dr. Shaw “let her have what she wanted”; she “took as much as twe...
John gradually discovers that Lenina is not the innocent, undiluted woman he once loved. Lenina’s sexual promiscuity is horrifying to him; the thought that other men have had sexual experiences with Lenina causes him to go insane. When Lenina makes a sexual advance, John shouts: “Whore! Impudent strumpet” (132). John’s dream is shattered – the perfect Other has its own imperfections, and this reality corrupts John’s self-awareness. Lenina’s image was a reflection of the person John viewed himself to be: an innocent character that is untainted by the “Brave New World” (94) and its vices. In order to expunge his sins, John flees civilization and moves to the countryside to spend his time gardening, praying, and whipping himself. His redemption is uprooted as he succumbs to the ways of the citizens of the World State by engaging in a masochistic “orgy-porgy” of self-inflicted pain and whips a woman who appears to be Lenina until she becomes a shell of a human being. Huxley provides closure to the fantasy John created by plunging John into an abyss of anguish, reflecting the idea that intense fantasy nurtures insanity. Voltaire, by contrast, ends on a relatively positive note. After a long voyage, Candide is reunited with his dear Cunnegonde only to realize that she is “a scullion … and is very ugly” (84-85). Candide stays true to his word and marries her, but he regains a sense of purpose by opting to tend to his own garden. Instead of relying on the fantasy of a perfect Other, Candide assumes responsibility for his own life by focusing on labor and cultivating his own work ethic. In Candide, characters escape the temptation of fantasy through hard work; by applying themselves to do “some service or other” (87), life is
Lenina and Linda are both shown as Beta females who come from the civilized world. Even though Huxley does not clearly state that Lenina is from a upper class within society; however the text strongly suggests her to be a Beta through dialogue and association presented with other characters, and her specific thoughts and actions. Having a background and childhood in ‘The Other Place’, both women support the idea of conditioning from heart. Despite sharing a common interest in obsessing over materialistic possessions, such as jewellery, clothing, outer appearances and body fragrances; they also share an interest in p...
In the first couple of chapters, Lenina, a young woman, is introduced. When we first meet her, we learn that she has been seeing a guy, Henry, for the past 4 months. The reader can assume that this is normal, since the same happens in our everyday lives, but we soon discover that this is abnormal. In the new world, a regulation is set that men and woman cannot be in committed relationships, but are supposed to have sex with as many men or woman possible. The fact that she is not promiscuous enough can get her into trouble. “And you know how strongly the D. H. C. objects to anything intense or long-drawn… why, he’d be furious if he knew…” (Huxley, 41) As the story progresses, however, she becomes an example of new world regulations, admitting that she had sex with many men. “She was a popular girl and, at one time or another, had spent a night with almost all of them.” (Huxley, 57) Old world r...
In today's society, we are distracted by things like technology, people, and even sex. These distractions prevent us from “being” in the real world. Lenina tells John, “put your arms around me… Hug me till you drug me honey… kiss me till I’m in a coma. Hug me honey, snuggly…” (198). She is so focused on having sex, she will disregard her everyday life. People in today's society think sex is everything and let it take over their lives, but it is not the most important thing. John tells us “the happiest times were when [Linda] told him about the other place” (129). He disliked the real world and was so desperate to go to this so called “perfect” and “wonderful” place. John completely disregards the real world. Technology in today's society seems to have more of an influence and tends to distract people from the real
The actual process of creating humans is made possible through the use of a single ovary which makes thousands of identical people. Since these people are similar in appearance, thought and relations, they are able to live in perfect harmony with each other. Huxley uses Lenina and Fanny, two of his female characters who are distant relatives from the same ovary, as people who get along well and are on the same page on issues concerning Utopian lifestyles. This is how the government of Utopia, made up of only ten controllers, is able to maintain stability among its people. Since stability is part of the brave new world’s motto, it is a crucial deal for the government to uphold.
A “utopia is that which is in contradiction with reality,” said the famous French novelist Albert Camus in his collection of essays, Between Hell and Reason. History shows us that seemingly exemplary ideals in practice have led to the collapse of societies. Just examine the two most prominent attempts at a utopia: Hitler’s attempt to socialize all of Europe and create the “perfect” Aryan race coupled with Karl Marx’s beliefs to instate communism into society. The final result was the destruction of their perspective visionary worlds. There was one major facet that prevented these two from creating their paradigms: utopias take away individual freedom and identity and therefore society cannot exist. Aldous Huxley’s science fiction novel Brave New World examines the large disconnect between the future and present day societies, showing how several aspects of this dystopian world lead to the downfall of the individual identity, most prominently exemplified by the death of John Savage.
The characters in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World represent certain political and social ideas. Huxley used what he saw in the world in which he lived to form his book. From what he saw, he imagined that life was heading in a direction of a utopian government control. Huxley did not imagine this as a good thing. He uses the characters of Brave New World to express his view of utopia being impossible and detrimental. One such character he uses to represent the idealogy behind this is Bernard Marx.
In Brave New World’s World State, relationships are extremely insignificant. Long-term relationships are basically laughable, and the words “Mother” and “Father” are seen as obscene. This futuristic society revolves around short-term relationships that are exist for the sole purpose of pleasure. It is purely sexual. One of the main characters, Lenina, is questioned after telling her friend she is going on multiple dates with the same man. Fanny asks, “I suppose you’re going out? Who with?” A cautious Lenina replies, “Henry Foster.” Fanny asks, “Do you mean to tell me you’re still going out with Henry Foster?”(40). Lenina’s friend is basically confused why she would go on more than a single date with one guy. This is very reflective of the relationships that can flourish in a society wit...
... suddenly two tears rolled down her cheeks. Inaudibly, she spoke again; then, with a quick, impassioned gesture stretched out her arms towards the Savage, stepped forward."(227). She along with John are the only people to have cried in the world state,this leads us to believe that Lenina has some degree of feelings for John.The changes in the characters of Bernard, Lenina and John occur as a result of some sort of passion or need..
In Aldrous Huxley’s A Brave New World, pleasure is the main driving force in life. The government uses tools such as the wonder drug soma and the endorphins naturally released during and after sexual intercourse to keep the minds of their well-tended flock off of matters that might concern them if they had not previously been conditioned to resort to a vice the moment that they begin to conceive an ill thought. Lenina 's adulation of John, the Savage, is perhaps one of the more obvious triggers of soma usage within the novel. Lenina does not understand John 's concept of love, and attempts to show her affection in the only way she knows how, and that is by having sex with him. She thinks this is a normal act, but for him, it is sanctity. John believes that one should only express their passion through sex if they are married as is the custom on the reservation. This leads John to call Lenina many obscene names and to send her into the tender arms of soma instead. She merely wishes him to reciprocate her advances, which she would take as meaning that he was happy to be with her. She simply wants the both of them to be joyous in their carnal revelry but “Happiness is a hard master – particularly other people 's happiness. A much harder master, if one isn 't conditioned to accept it unquestioningly, than truth” (Huxley 227, Brave New World). John and Lenina are very different people however, as Lenina tells Bernard “I don 't understand … why you don 't take
Lenina Crowne is a perfect example of someone who was conditioned, but does not fit into the social norms of Brave New World. Furthermore, religion would only strengthen Lenina’s tendency to have one man for a long period of time. In the book, Lenina is known to have boyfriends, and this shows her self-conscious knowledge of having many sexual partners to be immoral. In Brave New World, Christianity is looked down upon as a defect, but with the reintroduction of religion billions of people would be saved by the saving grace of our God.
However, to Lenina and the World State, theses beliefs promote happiness with repercussions- essentially, they strived for eternal happiness, without ever having to experience any negative emotion. The ending of the novel may have been Huxley’s commentary on this belief; one cannot escape reality, and for the Lenina and the World State, reality would be the emotions that they are trying to avoid (such as sadness, anxiety, anger, etc.). Lenina has never had to experience any negative emotions; she has always avoided them, through sex, drugs, and so on. However, reality caught up to her when she went to visit John; she was brutally beaten, and whipped back into
The position of women is not the primary focus and so it is easier for Huxley to just write women as they are in his society” (Kon) rather than giving them any actual depth or purpose. Huxley manages to not only degrade his female characters, he actively ignores the significance of their actions. Lenina should be considered a rebellious character, as she partakes in unorthodox behavior similar to the leading men of the novel by being “truculent” about dating a single coworker for an extended period of time (Huxley 53) and even pursuing the outcast Bernard Marx as a companion, both actions that are heavily discouraged in their society because the government “objects to anything intense or long-drawn (Huxley 53) and considers anyone who goes against the grain a menace to
...iks and the Petty Bourgeoisie." Lenin Collected Works. Vol. 12. Moscow: Foreign Languages House, 1962. 179-83. Marxist Internet Archive. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.