Brave New World
Aldous Huxley
Main Characters
• John the Savage – exiled son of Linda and the Director; born and raised
on savage reservation; outsider in modern society; attracted to Lenina;
uses Shakespeare to cope
• Bernard Marx – Alpha-plus male with inferiority complex due to short
stature; detests modern society because he cannot fit in; likes Lenina
• Helmholtz Watson – prime example of Alpha male; lecturer and writer
who feels his work is empty and meaningless; friend of Bernard
• Linda – John’s disgraced mother who longs for modern society
Main Characters
• Lenina Crowne – vaccination worker at hatchery; has unorthodox
practice of dating one man exclusively for periods of time; interested in
Bernard, but obsessed with John; communicates through sex
• Mustapha Mond – most powerful character in novel; one of world
controllers; censors scientific discoveries and punishes rebels; collects
forbidden literature
• The Director – John’s unwilling father (childbirth = scandalous)
Main Conflict
Rebels vs. World State
John cannot function in modern society, so he actively rebels
against it. Helmholtz and Bernard help him, to varying
degrees, but Mustapha Mond ultimately stamps out their
trivial efforts. After his comrades are exiled, John alone must
face the manufactured Londoners, who clamor to satisfy
themselves at his expense.
Plot Summary
I.
Intro
• AD 2540: “Perfect,” peaceful World State; people are mass-produced
by machines, then specialized to fit into caste society
 Individualism is spurned; sexual promiscuity is promoted
 State distributes “soma” as an actual opiate for the masses
• Bernard Marx and Lenina Crowne work at the Hatchery and
Conditioning Centre
 Bernard craves attention and respect; hates uncaring society;
criticizes use of soma; pursues Lenina
 Lenina is content with herself and society; humors Bernard’s
advances
• Helmholtz Watson is Bernard’s only friend
 Helmholtz is also lonely, due to his daunting attractiveness and
intelligence; wants only to write poetry
Plot Summary
II. The Savage
• Bernard takes Lenina to savage reservation on holiday
• They meet the exiled Linda and her son, John
 Neither fit in with savage culture
 John is lonely; makes sense of his world through memorized
lines of Shakespeare
• Bernard takes Linda and John back to London
 attempt to blackmail Bernard’s boss, the Director, who is John’s
father
 John is anxious to see the “brave new world”
Plot Summary
III. The Savage in the World State
• Bernard uses John the Savage to gain immense popularity
• Linda succumbs to soma
• John begins to despise modern society and avoid all contact with
its members; befriends Helmholtz
• Bernard immediately falls in status; scorns the other two
• Lenina tries to seduce John, who violently rejects her
• Linda overdoses and dies
• John rampages at the doctors’ lack of sympathy; causes a riot by
throwing soma out onto the streets; Helmholtz and Bernard help
him escape
• Mustapha Mond exiles Helmholtz and Bernard
• John removes himself from society and practices self-punishment
• Londoners flock to see his bizarre behavior
• John hangs himself to permanently escape society
Themes
Government control
Industrialization
Consumer society
Happiness vs. Truth
Individual vs. Society
Intolerance
Ethical vs. Efficient