Brave New World Marxist Analysis

MacKenzie Morrissett
AP Literature 3B
Mrs. Scruggs
2 September 2016

Brave New World
In the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, society is divided into distinct classes. Those who do not fit into a class are separated from society completely. Bernard Marx, an Alpha male from London, leaves his home to venture onto the Reservation. The Reservation is a Native American community that is surrounded by gates that kill anyone who tries to escape. Much to his and his companion’s, Lenina, surprise, they meet John and Linda living on the Reservation. Linda is a former Beta who lived in London until she wound up stranded on the Reservation. John is Linda’s son. He feels an immediate connection towards Bernard and Lenina because they are the first
people, besides his mother, that have the same physical traits as him. Even though they look the same, John is still different from Bernard and Lenina because his mother conceived and gave birth to him naturally.
In the civilized world, female eggs are extracted from the female’s ovaries and are fertilized in labs as a way of creating the perfect human. Brave New World was written during the early twentieth century, a time defined by war and radical social movement. One of the most prevalent movements being the Nazi Party in German. The racist group was founded by Adolf Hitler, emphasizing the superiority of the Aryan race. It was believed that white people with blonde hair and blue eyes were members of a master race. Those who had differing traits, were either segregated or killed. In Brave New World, the darker Native Americans and those who disagree with the general views of society are strictly segregated. In Aldous Huxley’s novel, John leaves his native land, finding a false sense of belonging
among those who share his skin tone, only to find that his morals and ideals are rejected.
The natives on the Reservation rejected John and prevented him from becoming a part of the community. In civilized society, promiscuity is encouraged and considered normal. On the Reservation, relationships are expected to be monogamous. Not understanding this cultural difference, when Linda begins living among the Natives, she has sex with most of the men, including those who are married. She earns the reputation of the town whore. While still a small child, John comes home to a group of wives holding his mother down, whipping her. He tries to protect his mother but the wives just strike him down, he is then “crying because people were so beastly and unfair, and because he was only a little boy and couldn’t do anything against them” (126). John does not understand why the other adults reject his mother so harshly. Her social rejection reflects onto him, driving him to exile among his own peers. Children of Jewish decent experienced a similar feeling during the twentieth century. Jewish children did not get to choose having Jewish parents, or what culture and physical traits their family bore them into. Christian children learned from their Nazi parents, that the children of different color and religion were less superior, therefore should not be fraternized with. The children are not only being kept from playing with John, but also independently choose to exclude him. As John becomes a young adult, he attempts to join the tribe members in a coming of age ceremony. They gawk at his attempt and begin pelting him with stones. John runs from the ceremony, “the bruises hurt him, the cuts were still bleeding; but it was not for the pain that he sobbed; it was because he was all alone” (136). John has gone his entire life being segregated for cultural difference.He has never had a friend. No one his age will include him, and the adults disrespect him due to his mother’s status.
When Lenina and Bernard come onto the Reservation, John finally meets another person racially similar to himself.
Jewish children found a community of friends within themselves, because other Jewish children shared the same traits, thus naturally accepting on another. Upon meeting Lenina, John’s response is “Oh!’ He gave a gasp and was silent, gaping. He had seen, for the first time in his life, the face of a girl whose cheeks were not the colour of chocolate” (117). John is shocked by her presence, she seems surreal. For the first time in his life, John is not immediately rejected due to his complexion or status, because Lenina and Bernard share the same culture as his mother. John follows the pair back to civilization. He is an instant celebrity. A reporter comes up to him “Well of course our readers are profoundly interested…”(249). No one has ever taken interest in John before. He experiences new emotions as he his put into a positive spotlight. Everyone in London is more curious about his culture . It is John who then rejects the civilized
culture.
John grew up rejected due to his mother’s actions. Growing up on the Reservation, John grew up believing the Natives’ morals. He makes himself a social pariah even among those whom he shares genetics with. John finds himself overwhelmed in a society dependent on drugs and sex. Drugs and promiscuity are what caused John to socially rejected by the Native Americans. Sex and drugs have ruined his life. When John confesses his feelings for Lenina, she tries engaging him. He harshly rejects her and starts screaming “get out my sight or I’ll kill you” (194). John’s violent response mirrors the violent response his Native community gave his mother. Even though he looks like the other people in London, he was raised on the Reservation, he shares the same ideals as the community that raised him. Linda’s way of dealing with the rejection of Natives had been drugs. The drugs she took would cause her to go unconscious for hours, left a young John completely alone. After Linda dies, John cries that “Linda had been a slave, Linda had died; others should live in freedom, and the world be made beautiful” (210).When he comes to London, all the civilized people have severe dependency on a drug called soma. The English take this drug every time they feel any sort of emotion. John has dealt with all of his issues soberly his entire life. He feels like the only real person in London, because he is the only one who is sober, and who was not grown in a lab. Everything in London is a lie. He is more alone than ever because he realizes that he fits in with neither society.
John was born into the world unwanted. He was rejected by the Natives for his mother’s actions. He grew up an extremely lonely, depressed child. John was then introduced into a community that was intrigued by him. For the first time in his life, he was wanted and the center of attention. After a short time, he realized that just because he looked similar to these people, they were very different. John killed himself after having learned that it is ideal that bound a community, not race.