Brave New World Chapter 18- "Dangled a pair of feet"

That evening the swarm of helicopters that came buzzing across the Hog's Back was a dark cloud ten kilometres long. The description of last night's orgy of atonement had been in all the papers.

"Savage!" called the first arrivals, as they alighted from their machine. "Mr. Savage!"

There was no answer.

The door of the lighthouse was ajar. They pushed it open and walked into a shuttered twilight. Through an archway on the further side of the room they could see the bottom of the staircase that led up to the higher floors. Just under the crown of the arch dangled a pair of feet.

"Mr. Savage!" (Huxley 266-267).

In the last Chapter of Brave New World, John begins to lose his sense of individuality. Since isolating himself from civilization he begins to find it hard to "conform" and he resorts to self punishment of whipping himself. He does this in despite of taking soma like the people of the brave new world would, to conceal the bad feelings. When the reporters and Lenina came to bother him, it was the last straw their pressuring made John feel like he lost all sense of himself ever since coming to this brave new world. John did not understand this civilization and lifestyle of conforming, accepting, and obeying to society's set rules; of the brave new world and so he ended his life though suicide.

Brave New World Chapter 17- Happiness...

"But I like the inconveniences."

"We don't," said the Controller. "We prefer to do things comfortably."

"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin."

"In fact," said Mustapha Mond, "you're claiming the right to be unhappy."

"All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy" (Huxley 246).

 

In Chapter 17, John and Helmholtz continue their argument regarding religion. John says that the people in society would not be in a denial of their own personal opinions and thoughts. The people will not find true happiness in this type of society that does not encourage individualism. Mond simply believes that soma will cure anything and everything that seems to hinder the "New World state", however he is only hindering the individual lifestyle,that John happens to see and believes in.

Brave New World Chapters 15-16- Poison to the soul

(Individuality is/ is not harmful)

"Linda had been a slave, Linda had died; others should live in freedom, and the world be made beautiful. A reparation, a duty. And suddenly it was luminously clear to the Savage what he must do; it was as though a shutter had been opened, a curtain drawn back.

"Now," said the Deputy Sub-Bursar.

Another khaki female stepped forward.

"Stop!" called the Savage in a loud and ringing voice. "Stop!" 

(Huxley 216-217).

In chapters 15 through 16, John becomes aggravated and begins to act out as a way of coping with Linda's death. He is on the street and runs into some people who are getting some soma, and he tells them to please stop. When he tells them this he is regarding that its poison and it will kill them. Being that Linda died, he believes that caused it. Being an individual in this situation I think is positive being that he is advising them to not take soma. He is not harming society in a bad way, but to society he is.  In order to help better the people in this society he tells them the bad effects of Soma and ultimatley it is not harming anybody in society.

Brave New World Chapter 13-14- Death in the BNW

(Individuality is/ is not harmful)

"Quick, quick!" He caught her by the sleeve, dragged her after him. "Quick! Something's happened. I've killed her."

By the time they were back at the end of the ward Linda was dead.

The Savage stood for a moment in frozen silence, then fell on his knees beside the bed and, covering his face with his hands, sobbed uncontrollably.

The nurse stood irresolute, looking now at the kneeling figure by the bed (the scandalous exhibition!) and now (poor children!) at the twins who had stopped their hunting of the zipper and were staring from the other end of the ward, staring with all their eyes and nostrils at the shocking scene that was being enacted round Bed 20. Should she speak to him? try to bring him back to a sense of decency? remind him of where he was? of what fatal mischief he might do to these poor innocents? Undoing all their wholesome death-conditioning with this disgusting outcry–as though death were something terrible, as though any one mattered as much as all that! It might give them the most disastrous ideas about the subject, might upset them into reacting in the entirely wrong, the utterly anti-social way" (Huxley 211). 

In Chapters 13 through 14, John begins to open up about the things that he believes in, like marrying Lenina...etc. But when his mother dies he gets offended when those around him in that society don't understand. Being that John does has not been conditioned and grew up the reservation, he feels sadness, pain, and guilt. In this instance I think its best that John does feel because if he were like the others and just used soma to subside his feelings than he would never experience life. Also with Linda, she was on soma and did not even recognize her own son and she died without knowing. I think being individual in this society is crucial in order to fully experience the world and life.

Brave New World Chapter 12- conforming?

(Individuality is/ is not harmful)
" Bernard had to shout through the locked door; the Savage would not open.

"But everybody's there, waiting for you."

"Let them wait," came back the muffled voice through the door.

"But you know quite well, John" (how difficult it is to sound persuasive at the top of one's voice!) "I asked them on purpose to meet you."

"You ought to have asked me first whether I wanted to meet them."

"But you always came before, John."

"That's precisely why I don't want to come again."

"Just to please me," Bernard bellowingly wheedled. "Won't you come to please me?"

"No."

"Do you seriously mean it?"

"Yes."

Despairingly, "But what shall I do?" Bernard wailed.

"Go to hell!" bawled the exasperated voice from within" (Huxley 175).

 

For John, in Brave New World, he has become an instant celebrity which has also created Bernard to be one as well. When Bernard asks John to come out in front of the crowd, he refuses, which then angers Bernard. I think that it was the better option for John to not just do what Bernard asked him. John did not just conform to be what everybody expects or was asking for, this shows his individuality. In this instance I do not believe that it is harming society but Bernard and the citizens may feel it was harmful or wrong. 

Brave New World Chapter 11- A lonely one

(Individuality is/ is not harmful)
"The days passed. Success went fizzily to Bernard's head, and in the process completely reconciled him (as any good intoxicant should do) to a world which, up till then, he had found very unsatisfactory. In so far as it recognized him as important, the order of things was good. But, reconciled by his success, he yet refused to forego the privilege of criticizing this order. For the act of criticizing heightened his sense of importance, made him feel larger. Moreover, he did genuinely believe that there were things to criticize. (At the same time, he genuinely liked being a success and having all the girls he wanted.) Before those who now, for the sake of the Savage, paid their court to him, Bernard would parade a carping unorthodoxy. He was politely listened to. But behind his back people shook their heads. "That young man will come to a bad end," they said, prophesying the more confidently in that they themselves would in due course personally see to it that the end was bad. "He won't find another Savage to help him out a second time," they said. Meanwhile, however, there was the first Savage; they were polite. And because they were polite, Bernard felt positively gigantic–gigantic and at the same time light with elation, lighter than air" (Huxley 159).

In Chapter 11 of Brave New World Bernard is expressing his individuality more being that he feels a sense of safety and entitlement for being the "gaurdian" of John. He shows that he is more open to talking more openly about his intimate life. He decides to boast to Helmholtz and then feels offended when he does not praise him, which makes Bernard feel bad about himself. Being an individual and being respected for that is good and beneficial, it will most likely lead to success. However like when talking to Helmholtz, being like everybody else, talking openly about ones intimate life is not all that great or beneficial. Even though many people or a society may be talking about a certain thing in a specific way, it might not be a good thing; even though its a social norm. Its not individual.

Brave New World Chapter 9-10- The dismissal

(Individuality is/ is not harmful)
"I know. But that's all the more reason for severity. His intellectual eminence carries with it corresponding moral responsibilities. The greater a man's talents, the greater his power to lead astray. It is better that one should suffer than that many should be corrupted. Consider the matter dispassionately, Mr. Foster, and you will see that no offence is so heinous as unorthodoxy of behavior. Murder kills only the individual–and, after all, what is an individual?" With a sweeping gesture he indicated the rows of microscopes, the test-tubes, the incubators. "We can make a new one with the greatest ease–as many as we like. Unorthodoxy threatens more than the life of a mere individual; it strikes at Society itself. Yes, at Society itself," he repeated. "Ah, but here he comes" (Huxley 149-150).







In chapters 9-10 of Brave New World, Bernard returns from the holiday from the reservation. He goes off to meet with the director, and he is already talking to Henry about Bernard's behavior and his dismissal to Iceland. The director says to Henry that the individual behavior of Bernard is negatively going to and is affecting society. He mentions that his behavior is threatening the stability of the New World,  being that Bernard does not act child like, but he is aware and is more mature than the majority. The director also mentions that sacrificing the life of Bernard is not going to affect the society in a big way. In this situation I think that Bernard's individuality is not harmful to a society because its not a good thing for adults to act "infant like", it should be that infants act like that and adults act as adults in order for a society to grow and be prosperous.

Brave New World Chapter 8- Loneliness

(Individuality is/is not harmful)

He had discovered Time and Death and God.

"Alone, always alone," the young man was saying.

The words awoke a plaintive echo in Bernard's mind. Alone, alone … "So am I," he said, on a gush of confidingness. "Terribly alone."

"Are you?" John looked surprised. "I thought that in the Other Place … I mean, Linda always said that nobody was ever alone there."

Bernard blushed uncomfortably. "You see," he said, mumbling and with averted eyes, "I'm rather different from most people, I suppose. If one happens to be decanted different …"

"Yes, that's just it." The young man nodded. "If one's different, one's bound to be lonely. They're beastly to one. Do you know, they shut me out of absolutely everything? When the other boys were sent out to spend the night on the mountains–you know, when you have to dream which your sacred animal is–they wouldn't let me go with the others; they wouldn't tell me any of the secrets. I did it by myself, though," he added. "Didn't eat anything for five days and then went out one night alone into those mountains there." He pointed (Huxley 138-139).

 

In Chapter 8 of Brave New World, Bernard and Lenina make friends with John. John tells Bernard that he is an outsider and he's not accepted by the Indians. He says that he was excluded from the other kids he was growing up with. They never included him because of his mother and his clothing. Being alone in Johns situation is not bad because he did not conform with the others, even though he was longing (and still is) to be accepted. Since he never conformed to be like them he was able to grow as an individual and learn to read. This is not harmful to society at all to be an individual because he was able to learn more and advance which can be beneficial to a society. When he says "if ones different ones bound to be alone", this is true but only in this society, where everybody is looked at and encouraged to be the same. But in a different society it would be so beneficial to be different in order to grow. 

Brave New World Chapter 7- Linda's Story

(Individuality is/is not harmful)

"The men came nearer and nearer; their dark eyes looked at her, but without giving any sign of recognition, any smallest sign that they had seen her or were aware of her existence. The writhing snake hung limp again with the rest. The men passed.

"I don't like it," said Lenina. "I don't like it."

She liked even less what awaited her at the entrance to the pueblo, where their guide had left them while he went inside for instructions. The dirt, to start with, the piles of rubbish, the dust, the dogs, the flies. Her face wrinkled up into a grimace of disgust. She held her handkerchief to her nose.

"But how can they live like this?" she broke out in a voice of indignant incredulity. (It wasn't possible.)

Bernard shrugged his shoulders philosophically. "Anyhow," he said, "they've been doing it for the last five or six thousand years. So I suppose they must be used to it by now."

"But cleanliness is next to fordliness," she insisted.

"Yes, and civilization is sterilization," Bernard went on, concluding on a tone of irony the second hypnopædic lesson in elementary hygiene. "But these people have never heard of Our Ford, and they aren't civilized. So there's no point in …" (Huxley 109-110).

 

In chapter 7 of Brave New World, Lenina is finally exposed to the savage reservation, and she has a hard time understanding it. She first is taken back by seeing the way people look/dress. She is also having a lot of worries being that she left her soma back at the world state. She is so conditioned to her life and what she's been taught that she does not understand the Indians. She is so stuck in her ways that she cant comprehend that it is a way of life for them. Being an individual rather than a conformist, in Lenina's situation, would have been beneficial because if she was able to think and have her own personal opinions, then maybe she wouldn't be so close minded. Lenina doesn't understand their lifestyle and will not because of her conditioning. The Society that she lives in does not allow personal opinions or ideas, which hinders her or anyone else when experiencing something else. Whereas for Bernard since he is an individual, he is able to ask questions and have an open mind about the savage reservation. Since Lenina is conditioned the same as everybody else in her society she can't accept or respect the lifestyle of the Indians.

Brave New World Chapter 6- An old Reservation

(Individuality is/is not harmful)

"I want to look at the sea in peace," he said. "One can't even look with that beastly noise going on."

"But it's lovely. And I don't want to look."

"But I do," he insisted. "It makes me feel as though …" he hesitated, searching for words with which to express himself, "as though I were more me, if you see what I mean. More on my own, not so completely a part of something else. Not just a cell in the social body. Doesn't it make you feel like that, Lenina?"

But Lenina was crying. "It's horrible, it's horrible," she kept repeating. "And how can you talk like that about not wanting to be a part of the social body? After all, every one works for every one else. We can't do without any one. Even Epsilons …"

"Yes, I know," said Bernard derisively. "'Even Epsilons are useful'! So am I. And I damned well wish I weren't!"

Lenina was shocked by his blasphemy. "Bernard!" She protested in a voice of amazed distress. "How can you?"

In a different key, "How can I?" he repeated meditatively. "No, the real problem is: How is it that I can't, or rather–because, after all, I know quite well why I can't–what would it be like if I could, if I were free–not enslaved by my conditioning" (Huxley 90-91).

 

In chapter 6 of Brave New World, Bernard is beginning to get restless due to the lack of intake from soma and also being aware of his individuality. Bernard is living without taking soma and he is able to understand that he is not wanting to be apart of the society. Whereas Lenina is encouraging Bernard to take soma and is making him feel bad about not wanting to be apart of the "social body". Lenina feels that it is good to be part of the society because she believes everybody works for everyone else, which can somewhat be true. In a society it takes many people to work together for the society and everything within it to function and be successful. However for Bernard he completely disagrees, he likes being an individual and thinking on his own, and having other emotions rather than just the fake feeling of soma. To be an individual is not harmful in Bernard's case, being that he just wants to have his own emotions and opinions, which does contribute to a successful society. Lenina's thoughts on social body, are also valid, because within a society there needs to team work and dependence on people as well and (self-dependence). So they both go hand in hand, individuality and being alike.

Brave New World Chapter 5- Isolation in the World State

Individuality is/is not harmful.
 
"Yes, I thought it was wonderful," he lied and looked away; the sight of her transfigured face was at once an accusation and an ironical reminder of his own separateness. He was as miserably isolated now as he had been when the service began–more isolated by reason of his unreplenished emptiness, his dead satiety. Separate and unatoned, while the others were being fused into the Greater Being; alone even in Morgana's embrace–much more alone, indeed, more hopelessly himself than he had ever been in his life before. He had emerged from that crimson twilight into the common electric glare with a self-consciousness intensified to the pitch of agony. He was utterly miserable, and perhaps (her shining eyes accused him), perhaps it was his own fault. "Quite wonderful," he repeated; but the only thing he could think of was Morgana's eyebrow" (Huxley 86).

In Chapter 5 of Brave New World, Bernard is beginning to be more aware of his surroundings and his emotions. He begins feeling more aware of his personal state, like his loneliness and isolation. For example, when he is in the solidarity service and everyone is saying "he's coming" etc. Bernard joins in only to fit in with his society, which is a good decision to not stand out as different but it is not what Bernard wants. When everyone shouted out these things so did Bernard although he never heard anything, it was simply a means to conform to what society says is right. It is not always the best decision to simply conform to a societal standard, especially when it truly is not what one believes in or agrees with. However in a situation that can turn out negatively for one it may be the only answer, to conform, in order to fit the norm. 

Brave New World Chapter 4- Individuality in Society?

 Individuality is/is not harmful to society 

"Yes, a little too able; they were right. A mental excess had produced in Helmholtz Watson effects very similar to those which, in Bernard Marx, were the result of a physical defect. Too little bone and brawn had isolated Bernard from his fellow men, and the sense of this apartness, being, by all the current standards, a mental excess, became in its turn a cause of wider separation. That which had made Helmholtz so uncomfortably aware of being himself and all alone was too much ability. What the two men shared was the knowledge that they were individuals. But whereas the physically defective Bernard had suffered all his life from the consciousness of being separate, it was only quite recently that, grown aware of his mental excess, Helmholtz Watson had also become aware of his difference from the people who surrounded him. This Escalator-Squash champion, this indefatigable lover (it was said that he had had six hundred and forty different girls in under four years), this admirable committee man and best mixer had realized quite suddenly that sport, women, communal activities were only, so far as he was concerned, second bests" (Huxley 67).



In Chapter 4 of Brave New World, Bernard and Helmholtz, who are Alphas, are aware of their individuality within this society. Its not encouraged in the society to be an individual however they are not conforming to simply fit into a "stable society". In this case it isn't a bad thing for them to be different and rebel. In their society's eyes it is a bad thing for them to think on their own and have personal opinions. In certain instances it may be helpful if the people in a society did think alike when it pertains to engineering or in structural action. Although to think different and outside the box can be of so much benefit to make a society grow and flourish to an even larger extent, like for instance Helmholtz, he knows he is smart and a good writer but he is ordered to simply write hypnopaedic phrases, which only restrains him from growing and fulfilling his full potential. He can contribute so much more to help his society than what he is lead to do. A Stable society is not built on the basis of like minded individuals, it is built on the foundation of learning and growing.

Brave New World Chapter 3- Before the World State Existed...

(Individuality is/is not harmful to a Society.)

"Stability," said the Controller, "stability. No civilization without social stability. No social stability without individual stability." His voice was a trumpet. Listening they felt larger, warmer.

The machine turns, turns and must keep on turning–for ever. It is death if it stands still. A thousand millions scrabbled the crust of the earth. The wheels began to turn. In a hundred and fifty years there were two thousand millions. Stop all the wheels. In a hundred and fifty weeks there are once more only a thousand millions; a thousand thousand thousand men and women have starved to death.

Wheels must turn steadily, but cannot turn untended. There must be men to tend them, men as steady as the wheels upon their axles, sane men, obedient men, stable in contentment" (Huxley 42).

 

In chapter 3 of Brave New World, an in depth look at how society is viewed since before the World State. The controller brings up the topic of "stability", which is very important for the success of the society. When the controller says "No civilization without social stability. No social stability without individual stability", it shows that in order for a society to function even with Social stability, there needs to be Individual stability. This all means that even though they want society to be bias and have uniform ideas that will not become if individuals were not able to independently/separately think on their own or create their own opinions. Also when mentioned "Wheels must turn steadily, but cannot turn untended. There must be men to tend them, men as steady as the wheels upon their axles, sane men, obedient men, stable in contentment", this shows that multiple things like the wheels to turn, men to tend, and wheels upon axles, all correlate and need one another to properly function. Which is not a harmful thing like being individual within a society that contains other individuals, which then is contained into a general society. Being individual is not a bad thing, but being an individual with other individuals who may or may not have the same beliefs is not a harmful thing.   

Brave New World Chapter 2- Conditioning Future Generations

"Not so much like drops of water, though water, it is true, can wear holes in the hardest granite; rather, drops of liquid sealing-wax, drops that adhere, incrust, incorporate themselves with what they fall on, till finally the rock is all one scarlet blob.

"Till at last the child's mind is these suggestions, and the sum of the suggestions is the child's mind. And not the child's mind only. The adult's mind too–all his life long. The mind that judges and desires and decides–made up of these suggestions. But all these suggestions are our suggestions!" The Director almost shouted in his triumph. "Suggestions from the State." He banged the nearest table. "It therefore follows …"" (Huxley 28).

 

Within Chapter 2 of Brave New World, a large part in the engineering of the humans is conditioning. The conditioning called "Hypnopaedia", which is sleep teaching, is taught to the Beta children during their sleep, in order to instill in them pride and happiness regarding the caste system. The director really believes that Hypnopaedia is one of the greatest ways to control and instill messages into the children so that when they become adults they don't think otherwise. Messages that would provoke the children to believe that there caste is better than others, and falsely instilling in them that they are happy in their predestined caste. In reality only they would be able to decide if they are happy in the caste, but with repetitive messaging they are forced to believe they are happy. This type of teaching is hindering the people to be able to think and have their own personal opinions. And ultimately depriving them of being individuals especially when they are all repetitively taught the same messages. Teaching children at a young age all the same information can be a positive thing but only if the messages of information are valid and non-bias. 

Brave New World, Chapter 1- The Formation of Uniform Batches

"My good boy!" The Director wheeled sharply round on him. "Can't you see? Can't you see?" He raised a hand; his expression was solemn. "Bokanovsky's Process is one of the major instruments of social stability!"

Major instruments of social stability.

Standard men and women; in uniform batches. The whole of a small factory staffed with the products of a single bokanovskified egg.

"Ninety-six identical twins working ninety-six identical machines!" The voice was almost tremulous with enthusiasm. "You really know where you are. For the first time in history." He quoted the planetary motto. "Community, Identity, Stability." Grand words. "If we could bokanovskify indefinitely the whole problem would be solved."

Solved by standard Gammas, unvarying Deltas, uniform Epsilons. Millions of identical twins. The principle of mass production at last applied to biology." (Huxley 5-6)

 

In the first chapter of Brave New World, the audience is introduced to a new "World State" which consists of a society where the population is genetically engineered. The Director of Hatchery believes in "Bokanovsky's Process", which is a process that is seen as a key aspect in having the perfect society and world through the cloning of humans. It is encouraged from the director to the students that the stability of their world is due to the similarity of each caste, the caste's include Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta or Epsilon. These caste's also determine their destiny; where one is in the community of the world, and whether they are "future sewage workers"(Alphas) or "future world controllers"(epsilons). In some ways it might be beneficial to have a society with many positive similarities, however it may also be harmful and bland to live in a world with a single identity.

Brave New World Anchor Statement

Individuality IS/IS NOT (Qualify) a threat to a harmonious society.