Refusal In Brave New World

Individuality and refusal to be like others is what makes a person unique. In the dystopian novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley explores the refusal to conform to a structured society. The consequence to not conforming or being something other than the norm ultimately causes one to be alone.
       In the novel, people are artificially "born" to create the perfect society. If one is to step out of line or be something or someone other than who they are created to be, it leaves them as an outsider. Through the character Bernard, Huxley illustrates that society marginalizes those who are different.
        Huxley exemplifies how uniformity in the civilized world can truly corrupt a person if they are different. Bernard's inability to

conform makes him feel like an alien, "The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling like an outsider he behaved like one, which increased the prejudice against him and intensified the contempt and hostility aroused by his physical defects. Which in turn increased his sense of being alien and alone" (55-56). Critic Jake Pollerd explains, "...a few individuals, such as Bernard Marx, slip through the net. Due to the presence of alcohol in his blood-surrogate (that any rate is a rumor) the Alpha Plus Bernard has the physique of a diminutive Gamma, which leaves him feeling painfully self-conscious and inadequate, since Alphas at conditioned to be tall and muscular" (Pollerd).  Bernard's differences make him self conscious and he feels as if he does not meet the societal standards of an Alpha Plus.  Throughout the novel, Huxley shows Bernard welcoming his individuality, but frustrated as to it being the reason he is unable to conform to society. Unlike others in the civilized world, Bernard is able to vocally express his thoughts and feelings in which make him an individual.
       Seen as different, peculiar to others in the civilized world, Bernard accepts himself and expresses his indifferences to the norm. Huxley shows Bernard is able to speak his thoughts without feeling ashamed, "He laughed, Yes, 'Everybody's happy nowdays.' We begin giving children that at five. But wouldn't you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, for example; not in everybody else's way" (91). Bernard wants Lenina to truly understand where he is coming from and to maybe even feel the same way he does. Huxley shows how immensely Bernard feels towards his curiosities, "I want to know what passion is," he tells Lenina, "I want to feel something strongly" (81). However, Lenina's character is unable to have these thoughts of a happiness from something other than the drug. People in the civilized world see Bernard's peculiarities as a defect when he was created. They gossip and go as far to say, "It's the alcohol they put in his surrogate" (94). Because of this, Bernard feels alienated from society and the world around him. Huxley shows he desires to be something more, but still wishes he could be accepted. In addition to Bernard, Huxley uses Johns character to emphasize how society can change an individual.
        John, the son of a once civilized woman completely rejects all aspects of civilized life, standing out from everyone else. Huxley exemplifies loneliness through this character as he struggles with the world around him resulting in isolation and alienation.
        Rejected from life on the reservation and from the civilized world, Huxley shows John faces physical and emotional alienation.

As Bernard meets up with John, John expresses his frustration of being excluded from the native's rituals, "Why wouldn't they let me be the sacrifice? I'd have gone round ten times--twelve, fifteen.  But they wouldn't let me. They dislike me for my complexion. It's always been like that. Always" (116). Just as Bernard's is unable to conform to the World State because of his differences, Huxley shows John is unable to be accepted by the people living on the reservation. Both John and Bernard are alike in many ways in which they share similar circumstances, "...he feels a strong affinity with him (John), since John, by virtue of his completion, is even more of an outsider in Malpais than Bernard is in the World State; and just Bernard secretly longs to conform to his society, so John wishes to participate in the rituals and rites from which he is excluded" (Pollerd).All they want is to be accepted by the world they live in, however that is not the case.  John's transition into the World State is not what he expected either. Huxley shows John is treated just as much of an outsider there as on the reservation. People don't necessarily treat him as an outcast but he is treated as a ran object that the civilized people find entertainment

from.
         The refusal of the woman he loves, Lenina, in addition to the death of his mother, John ultimately feels alone and hopeless. With a pristine image of who John believes Lenina to be, John is infuriated when Lenina proves him otherwise. Sex in the civilized world is not seen as intimate and compassionate, but it is removed of any emotion and treated as something extremely casual. As Lenina carelessly throws herself at John after he reveals his wanting to marry her, he acts out in anger, "Whore!" He shouted. "Whore! Impudent strumpet!" "Go, get out of my sight or I'll kill you" (194). At this moment John is heartbroken by Lenina's actions. He realizes she is like all the other civilized women and not what he believes her to be.  Jake Pollerd reinforces this by stating, "John recalls the eponymous quote from The Tempest ("O brave new world that has such people in it") that he had uttered before leaving Malapais, thinking that the New World would be filled with morally spotless beauties like his idealized love object, Lenina, and the mocking gap between his innocent expectations and the sordid reality cause him to be sick" (Pollerd). John expects so much of the civilized world, but is terribly mistaken when he realizes the harsh reality of the world. Huxley further deepens Johns's loneliness with the death of John's mother. In the civilized world children are desensitized to death, whereas death is sacred and intriguing to John. When the nurse comes in to check on Lenina and John, she sees John crying and is disgusted. John is furious as he realizes the lack of love and compassion civilized people have. He blames the corrupt World State for the death of his mother, "Linda had been a slave" (210) a slave to the soma and a slave to her upbringing in the civilized world. John believes people should be free of this slavery and break free from society and its confinement.  Huxley shows just as Bernard wants more to his life, John too wants maintain his individuality, "I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin" (211). He wants more in his life, he doesn't want to become one of the drones created by the World State. Critic Philip Thody reinforces Johns feelings about not wanting to conform to the World State, "They have lost all their adaptability, all their ability and willingness to understand people, all sense of wonder and curiosity, and all power to withstand, loneliness and isolation, the human experiences of being persecuted or facing death" (Thody). Huxley shows John wants to be free to have feelings other than happiness and euphoria. It saddens him the civilized people lack these human emotions. Unable to be accepted for who he his, John ultimately struggles with his sense of self.
       Huxley portrays Johns struggle with himself and his loneliness causing him to essentially lose his individuality. John despised the civilized world, "to escape further contamination by the filth of civilized life" (218).  There was nothing left for him both on the reservation and in the civilized world. While living on the countryside he attempts to get closer to God by inflicting harm on himself. While others around him are unable to comprehend his actions he ultimately loses his individuality and gives in to the civilized temptations -soma, intoxication, and sex. John results to suicide as a way of coping with his disappointment in himself, his loneliness, and in a way a act of defiance. Huxley shows John's loss of individuality and extreme loneliness is his breaking point resulting in his suicide.
       Huxley proves that because of society and its pressures to conform to its values, it causes those who are different to feel as outsiders. Through the experiences of both John and Bernard, loneliness was the end of the road for them. Not only does society make them feel as outsiders, but it ruined them. It ruined their values, their faith, and their lives. The loss of the individual caused the downfall of the characters sense of self resulting in the isolation and alienation each character experienced.