Aldous Huxleys novel, Brave New World. Essay -- English Literature

Aldous Huxley's novel, Brave New World. In Aldous Huxley's novel, Brave New World, John the Savage is a combination of the two societies in which he exists. He is also an outsider in both. By having such a removed character, Huxley is able to create the perfect foil that brings out the flaws within the societies. As an outsider, John sees some of the paradoxes that exist in the New World. Upon coming to the New World, John sees religious influence in certain objects and customs although Mustapha Mond says that religion has become unnecessary. Mond claims that the society is "independent of God," (p. 233) however there are still strong undertones of religious sanctity and ritual within the society. In essence, the sign of the T that is made with reverence is the same ritual as crossing oneself with the sign of the cross. The symbolism of the T in accordance to Ford may be in honor of the assembly line and efficiency that produced the Model T. The very act of crossing oneself with a T over the stomach, as opposed to the heart, implies that the act is performed in homage to greed and desire. Another seemingly religious act is the usage of the word "Ford." As with the T, the word "Ford" is connected to Henry Ford and is used as a term of expression or blasphemy. The word is used throughout the text in the exact same context that the old society uses "Lord" or "God." And, it just so happens that the word "Ford" rhymes with the word "Lord," which further relates the two sayings. Within the New World, the rites of the Solidarity Group resemble the Christian communion rites. The President begins the ceremony, as would a priest, with a hymn and begins passing the communal cup of soma along to the members of th... ...ery change is a menace to stability" (p. 224) and one "can't make tragedies without social instability." In a world like this, there seems to be no hope for change. Even though The Controller admits to Helmholtz that "I like your spirit as much as I officially disapprove of it," (p. 229) it is a private admiration that will never have the courage to let itself be known to the obeying public. By trying to preach to the new society about freedom, John became a martyr in a society where there should be no martyrs. John essentially fulfilled his desire to be sacrificed when he realized that "they might be killed if he didn't help them, and that he might be killed if he did," (p. 214). Essentially, John became a figure similar to Jesus Christ in a society that refused to admit His presence. Sadly, the cost of a life was not enough to change a stubborn society.