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Brave New World Individuality Analysis

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Conformity and Individuality’s Conflict in Brave New World “To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.” This quote, by Theodore H. White, shows the struggle between the desire to conform to society or to be one’s own individual. In Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World, the theme of power’s tendency to change one’s willingness to conform to society is shown. This is presented through the thoughts and actions of Bernard Marx, Linda, and John. The first way is the changes in the thoughts and actions of Bernard Marx. In the beginning Bernard sees himself as a being separate from society as he is of small stature and an Alpha Plus. …show more content…

John has always considered himself to be an outcast of society since the beginning when he was born, as most of the Savages within the Savage Reservation immediately excluded him and his mother, Linda due their light skin, light hair, and their other-worldly habits. On one occasion, John is supposed to go through an initiation ceremony with the other boys of the village when he was pulled out of the line, struck, and told “Not for the son of the she-dog,”. This is when John begins to feel the pain of being alone because he has been “driven out” (Huxley 136). When Bernard and Lenina visit the Reservation, John finds a companion in Bernard as Bernard sees himself as an outcast to society as well and John agrees to return to the World State with them. John finds himself in a confusing position as he is welcomed as new member because he is the only naturally birthed person that the people have ever seen and is even given the nickname of “The Savage” (158). But John struggles with his inner beliefs about sex. John is disgusted by the society’s impertinence with the details of sex and sexual relationships. After seeing a feely with Lenina, John tells her “I don’t think you ought to see things like that,” (169) and hastily drops her off at home and leaves. John also struggles with the easy-going, stress free aspect of the World State in which citizens are given soma to deal with their problems. After the drug leads to his mother’s death, John feels remorse and tries to convince the residents to throw their soma away but soon becomes angry at their ignorance and has an “intense overpowering hatred of these less than human monsters,” (212). Outraged at the unawareness of problems in the society after a discourse between himself and Mustapha Mond, John leaves London to find his own unhappiness within the forest. Admirers invade his privacy including Lenina who tries to visit him, but is attacked by a power-hungry John

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