Sympathy for Two Characters in Brave New World Essay

Although he wants to be an individual, to feel strongly and act freely, Bernard shows little creativity or courage. He is caught between conforming to the World State’s culture while also questioning their standards. He is surrounded by the World State rules so conforming is expected of him. Bernard conforms in multiple ways throughout the novel. He conforms by simply doing his job, working with hypnopedia, in which he implants messages into the minds of children, messages he does not even agree with.

Bernard is introduced as a man that does not fit into society and is different from everyone else in the “Social Society”. Throughout the novel he changes though, he becomes self-centered and views himself as a superior to others. The main event that lead up to this change is his encounter with the “Savages”, which allowed him to secure his job and further his career.

In conclusion, Bernard is interested in pursuing his personal desires, instead of conforming to society because he doesn’t like the way society is and what it is restricting people from.

You wait for them to ask you. And if they don’t…you act unconcerned.” (Dorris, 18). Bernard’s mother gives a full explanation on how to act when he is being judged by Marie’s mother, Blanche, and her sister. In past society, it is the role of the bride to impress her future in-laws by showing the family that she can cook, clean, and carry out all household duties. However, in this case, Bernard is taught what to say and how to react when he goes hunting. From this, it can be seen that his masculine personality is in question as he must listen to whatever anyone tells him. His rights of speaking and committing actions are prohibited as he must show respect and humbleness towards his future in-laws. Moreover, he must respect his family’s tradition and culture by not speaking or raising an voice to people. As time progresses, Bernard matures and realizes that he must carry out his family traditions and must be selected by Blanche. He compliments Blanche’s food as a teaching to impress her. He says “This is wonderful…The best I’ve ever tasted. What cooks are you. But you are too generous. Let me put some back in the pot.” (Dorris, 21). This exemplifies how Bernard decides to mature as a person by knowing what to say without his mother’s teachings. He begins to value his culture and traditions by complimenting Blanche on the food and showing proper etiquette when eating. Through this, it is portrayed that men in the society

This quote talks about how Bernard was having like a party and the Savage or John was supposed to show up so everyone could meet him probably laugh at him but John decided not to show and everyone is mad at Bernard. In the quote it says that the men were angry because they feel like Bernard tricked them but I don't see how he could have tricked everyone they all wanted to show up and sometimes things don't always work out. I also don't understand why they are mad at Bernard shouldn't they be mad at John because he's the one that didn't want to show up? (108)

Bernard also tries to bring awareness to those around him, but his intentions are selfish and based off of his own loneliness. He goes on an expedition to a place where human live in a seemingly uncivilized and nomadic way and brings one of the people, John, back. Upon his return Bernard becomes a celebrity because of his relation to John, who is so different he is intriguing to others. Bernard becomes upset because John will no longer go out with him, so Bernard’s novelty wears off. He then turns to soma to fix his sadness, while he previously would have turned the soma down, preferring to feel those emotions and be

Bernard spent most of his life as an outcast so he spent most of his time with Helmholtz

Many times there is an underlying topic to a novel and what it truly means. For Brave New World, there are many underlying ideas as to the makeup of Aldous Huxley’s novel. For example, themes like science, sex, power, freedom and confinement, drugs and alcohol, society and class, and dissatisfaction as different themes that Huxley produces in the novel. Also there could be many symbols in the novel including, bottles and Ford. Not only are these themes and symbols throughout the novel, but there also could be a direct tie to Brave New World with Freud.

Later, after the excursion, Bernard and Lenina return with John, a savage, and his mother, Linda, to expose the Director as their relative after his own expedition years prior. The Director resigns after being exposed, and John’s Shakespearean literacy and utter existence enthralls all of society. This chain of events has Bernard over the moon, and has, with his newfound sense of achievement, “now found himself, for the first time in his life, treated not merely normally, but as a person of outstanding importance” (156). In bearing such a spectacle to the unsuspecting public, Bernard has outdone himself by making his name shine in a society that otherwise condemns any sort of individual glamor. Unfortunately, Bernard then uses this relevance and comfortability to eradicate his enduring burdensome insecurities. He sinks into society and engages in mass sex and soma consumption, proving he did not wish to criticize the World State out of spite, but out of jealousy. With John as his scapegoat, Bernard could now afford to slip into the masses and perform adequately, now that he has a name for himself. Lastly, Bernard throws an extravaganza

We see by towards the end of the book that Bernard exploits John only for the fame and attention he receives, meaning that he has not learned to resist power, but only played it to his advantage. Because of the savage, Bernard now wants to embrace the society and pleads for another chance to not be sent to Iceland (Huxley 226); despite previously yearning to be alone or amongst people who understood him (Huxley 90). Consequently, Bernard was no longer upset with the imposing power structures because they existed to benefit him. I see myself most in Bernard out of all the characters in Brave New World. Similar to him, I despise it when the situation is unfair to me, but if I am not the one being inconvenienced, I find it not worth it to resist power. When I first started driving, I didn’t appreciate how my parent’s wanted to keep tabs on everywhere I went. It annoyed me that they expected me to text them my location whenever I drove anywhere and slowly I began to resist by just updating them less and less. I know this isn’t a dramatic act of teenage rebellion, but it’s my way of resisting even on a small

When Bernard brings back John the Savage from the Indian reservation to the big city he is a celebrity. He is constantly invited to parties and gets the opportunities to meet very important people within the city. Since he is now seen as a very important person in the city this makes him feel more welcome, but he also acts very differently compared to his previous timider self. This is shown most clearly when he gets frustrated with his only friend Helmholtz about his resent popularity. It is said

Initially, Bernard's place in his society feels very off-centered and wrong. Whereas most people enjoy the casual sex that society allows

            Bernard Marx was alienated in the Brave New World because of his general appearance. As an Alpha Plus, Bernard was unusually short and ugly. Suggested by Fanny, Bernard's condition resulted from an error when he was still in a bottle, the workers

“With eyes for the most part downcast and, if ever they lighted on a fellow creature, at once and furtively averted, Bernard hastened across the roof. He was like a man pursued, but pursued by enemies he does not wish to see, lest they should seem more hostile even than he had supposed, and he himself be made to feel guiltier and even more helplessly alone.” (63)

He is fervently determined to succeed in his contemporary competitive society. In a conversation with his children about Bernard, he enumerates a few