Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Group Questions & Themes
 Each group will answer their assigned questions and present their
findings to the class. Everyone is expected to take notes during
these presentations.
 Also, each group will create theme statements to go with their
assigned thematic ideas for each part. These will be posted on the
Brave New World page of the google site.
Part One: Chapters 1-3
Group One: Relationships
1. The story opens with a tour of a building. Describe the building and its purpose.
2. What is a freemartin?
3. What are some of the parallels/ideas revealed to us in the mini-dialogues of Chapter 3?
Group Two: Consumption
4. What is the attitude of the Director toward a student who asks a question? Why does he have this
attitude?
5. What is the secret of happiness as stated in this section of the book? Do you agree?
6. According to the Controller, what prevented stability among the premoderns?
Group Three: Technology
7. What is Bokanovsky’s process? Why is it described as a major instrument of social stability?
8. On pg 28-30ish, Mond refers to Ford. Who is Ford and how have his ideas been absorbed by the
new world?
9. Define: pneumatic, pavlovian, viviparous and inculcate.
Group Four: Authority
10. What is the effect of all the facts and figures presented by the narrator in Chapter 1?
11. Why did hypnopaedia fail initially?
12. Who is Mustapha Mond? Describe him.
Group Five: Happiness vs Truth
13. Through what areas are the students lead in Chapter 1? What do they see?
14. Who is the first speaker in BNW? Evaluate the effectiveness of the introduction he makes to the
story.
15. What is the condition that accompanies new games? What does this tell you about this society?
Group Six: Insiders and Outsiders
16. According to Chapter 2, what is their view of ‘us’?
17. How is history looked upon? What do you make of this?
18. What is soma? Compare it to drugs and alcohol in our society—similarities/differences?
Part Two: Chapters 4-6
Group One: Consumption
1. Compile a list of 3 character traits of Bernard Marx and provide quotations for each.
2. Define: asceticism, abject and solecism
3. From the viewpoint of an Alpha or a Beta, what is the value of an Epsilon?
Group Two: Technology
4. Describe Helmholtz Watson: what does he say, what does he do, and what do others say about
him?
5. “Everyone is happy now” is a statement made by Henry and echoed by Lenina. What has
contributed to societal happiness?
6. Why doesn’t Bernard take soma?
Group Three: Authority
7. Helmholtz and Bernard are compared. “What the two men shared was the knowledge that they
were individuals.” Explain this statement
8. Describe the date that Henry’s has with Lenina.
9. What does Bernard think of Lenina?
Group Four: Happiness vs Truth
10. What is a “Solitary Service’?
11. Describe Bernard’s idea of an ideal state.
12. Why does the DHC warn Bernard about his behaviour?
Group Five: Insiders and Outsiders
13. What is the role of music?
14. What aspects of Lenina’s conditioning are evident?
15. Describe the savage reservation.
Group Six: Relationships
16. What is Bernard’s job? What does he do at work?
17. What types of conflict exist in this section of the novel? Provide examples.
18. Define: aphides, incessant, supine and indecorous
Part Three: Chapters 7-9
Group One: Technology
1. What is aging like in the savage reservation?
Group Two: Authority
2. Summarize the savage ritual that greets Bernard and Lenina. Who are the gods of this savage
world?
Group Three: Truth vs Happiness
3. What did Linda have to adjust to in the savage world?
Group Four: Insiders and Outsiders
4. How does John’s perception of the reservation differ from Linda’s?
Group Five: Relationships
5. What is strange and ironic about John’s speech? Quote and explain.
Group Six: Consumption
6. Why is John ashamed of himself?
Part Four: Chapters 10-12
Group One: Authority
1. In Chapter 10, what is the Director about to do to Bernard? Why?
Group Two: Truth vs Happiness
2. Helmholtz and Benard have a disagreement in Chapter 11. What is Helmholtz’s opinion of
Bernard?
Group Three: Insiders and Outsiders
3. What is Bernard’s opinion of Helmholtz?
Group Four: Relationships
4, Describe the ‘feelies’.
Group Five: Consumption
5. Chapter 12 gives examples of censorship. What kind of material is censored? Why?
Group Six: Technology
6. Helmholtz cannot escape his conditioning. This is evident in his reaction to Romeo and Juliet.
Describe his reaction to Shakespeare’s play.
Part Five: Chapters 13-14
Group One: Truth vs Happiness
1. What is Lenina’s problem? What advice does Fanny give her? Do you think this approach might
be successful? Give your reasons.
Group Two: Insiders and Outsiders
2. What clash of morals, attitudes and values happen? Why?
Group Three: Relationships
3. Chapter 14 forms a strong contrast to Chapter 1. Explain.
Group Four: Consumption
4. Explain how John’s reaction to Lenina’s advances relates to his relationship with his mother.
Group Five: Technology
5. What is the attitude towards grief and personal pain in BNW, and how do people deal with it?
Group Six: Authority
6. John, by now, has changed his attitude toward the new society. Discuss.
Part Six: Chapters 15-18
Group One: Insiders and Outsiders
1. As the reader of BNW understands it, life is a balance of good and bad. We feel good and bad, we
do good and bad, we are sickly and healthy, we gain and we lose… BNW recognizes the need for
the bad side of life to exist once in a while. What mechanism is used in the novel to ensure that
people get regular doses of badness? What does this suggest about their ‘perfect world’?
Group Two: Relationships
2. Recognizing the duality of life outlined in the above question, explain why the Savage does things
that could be almost labeled sadistic (cruel)?
Group Three: Consumption
3. Why does John commit suicide? What circumstances contribute to this? What is Huxley’s reason
for having John do this?
Group Four: Technology
4. Art, science, and religion are said to be the price of happiness in BNW. What does this mean?
Draw a conclusion about Huxley’s message in the novel.
Group Five: Authority
5. Why does John start a revolution? Why do Bernard and Helmholtz become involved? How is the
uproar stopped? What does the whole situation demonstrate about the new society, in particular
that they are prepared for such a revolt?
Group Six: Truth vs Happiness
6. History is bunk (useless), as stated earlier in the novel. However, Mond uses history to his own
advantage. Explain what advantages his knowledge gives him, and how he uses it.
O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!
(V, i)
by William Shakespeare
The Tempest