Beta Group: Brave New World

Chapter 1

    The chapter starts with someone named the Director showing some students the Fertilizing Room. As the chapter progresses, the Director, very enthusiastically, explains the process of creating clones. He introduces Mr. Foster, who also supplies information to the students such as how they make them fit into certain categories, like giving an Epsilon less oxygen than would normally be required, etc. The author makes the characters seem enthusiastic about this cloning process, which is probably meant to make it even more repulsive to the readers, because everything about it is so unnatural, and rather unfair too.

Chapter 2

    The Director continues to show the students around in chapter two. He takes them to a room with babies, and the nurse sets out some books and roses. When the babies reach for them, they are shocked and there is a loud noise to scare them, conditioning their minds against books and flowers. He explains to the students why it must be this way; to keep society perfect. Then he shows them another form of conditioning; the children are listening to recordings while sleeping, beating it into their brains that the other types of people in society are bad. He explains to the students why it must be this way; to keep society perfect.

 

Chapter 3

    In the third chapter, it is revealed that children having sex is a very ordinary occurrence. Mustapha Mond appears as well and starts talking to the students about history, though they haven’t the faintest idea how to imagine what he’s telling them. Then there’s Fanny and Lenina. These two talk about promiscuity the way their society views it; normal for everyone with everyone else. Bernard however overhears what Henry and another are saying about Lenina and doesn’t like it at all; his views are different, he doesn’t see people as “pieces of meat”, he believes they hold more value. The chapter becomes a little more confusing as the author uses a method to help us relate to people in the book; he starts switching from different points of view in the book, and each time the scene is smaller and smaller, until it’s like we’re being conditioned too, or at least getting a glimpse of how mind-numbing it must be.

Chapter 4

    Lenina goes to speak to Bernard about their trip to the Savage Reservation, in public so that Fanny will be pleased, then continues on with her plans with Henry. Bernard feels uncomfortable talking about it in public, then when Lenina leaves, he goes to visit Helmholtz Watson, who is also an Alpha-Plus, one that’s a bit different, like Bernard is, only not exactly in the same way. They can relate somewhat, but Helmholtz still seems to look down on Bernard at least a little, or view him as differently anyway. Huxley does this to show that, despite all the precautions, the society isn’t exactly perfect, because humans can’t play God.

Chapter 5

    Lenina and Henry have quite an interesting conversation about Epsilons, Gammas, and the others, about how they’re conditioned to be how they are and even though Lenina is glad she’s not an Epsilon, and Epsilon would be equally glad to not be a Beta. The two then take some soma and go dancing, apparently forgetting the conversation they just had and choosing to live in ignorant bliss. Meanwhile, Bernard goes to join in a ritual that some other Alpha-Plusses are having, and though it’s apparently an orgy party, he doesn’t enjoy himself at all. Instead, he feels more separated than ever, and can only really focus on Morgana’s uni-brow.

Chapter 6

    Lenina has decided, in the time that she’s spent with Bernard, that he’s very odd, and when he suggests taking a walk to just talk, she convinces him otherwise. Later, they’re in a storm while flying a helicopter, but Lenina hates it and refuses to see things the way Bernard tries to make her see them. When Bernard goes to the Director to have him sign something, the Director makes his displeasure of Bernard’s unique way of thinking known to him, and even threatens to send him to Iceland. Lenina and Bernard take depart on their trip to the Indian Reservation, and the one explaining things about “no escape” which the author probably included because in their society there isn’t really any escaping from it.

Chapter 7

    Immediately, Lenina dislikes the Indian man that’s picked to be their guide. She’s also horrified by the elderly Indian’s appearance. Bernard seems fascinated and almost envious by the mother-daughter bond shared between a nursing baby and its mother, but Lenina is absolutely disgusted by it, even embarrassed to watch. After witnessing a strange ritual where an Indian boy is whipped, she’s even more horrified, and absolutely can’t believe it when another Indian, apparently not biologically, is disappointed that he wasn’t the “sacrifice”. Then the Indian’s mother comes along, who was the Beta, Linda, that got lost on her trip with the Director, and her appearance has changed very much. Lenina is revolted by it, very much put-off by everything in the Indian Reservation so far, and wishes she hadn’t come at all.

Chapter 8

    Bernard is very interested in the son of the lost Beta, whose name is John, and asks him to tell him things from as far back as he can remember. John starts talking about Linda’s life at the reservation, and how hard it was. She had been beaten, whipped, for having intimate relations with the men of the other women, but didn’t understand why. When John tried comforting her, she blamed him and smacked him, then, oddly enough, held him to her, displaying some form of motherly love, though she’d been brought up to hate any type of motherly relationship. The two had been outcasts, Linda unable to sew and called bad names by the other children, John ostracized simply for being her son. Even so, he was proud that he could read and they couldn’t; Linda had taught him to. Shakespeare’s works put ideas into his head and gave him a different way of thinking. When he’s finished with his story, Bernard offers to take John and Linda to the “other place” and John is overjoyed.

Chapter 9

    Lenina immediately goes onto a “holiday” by taking six half-gramme tablets of soma and laying down to sleep. Bernard, however, decides to go about the business required to allow John and Linda off the reservation and into the more “civilized” world. He manages to get the permission, acting like he’s a natural at it and this kind of thing in general, while using it as an excuse of “scientific interest”. Meanwhile, John thinks that he’s been left behind, but upon realizing he’s mistaken, breaks the window and climbs in. He relates the situation to Romeo and Juliet, comparing Lenina to Juliet, and is very tempted by her just laying there, but becomes ashamed of himself soon after. Bernard arrives back right away and John goes out to greet him.

Chapter 10

    The Director attempts to accuse Bernard of breaking the societal morals, being too individual, and tries banishing him to Iceland. However, Bernard claims he has a reason to not be banished. Then he invites Linda into the room. Everyone is astonished by her appearance, and even more so of her declaration of mothering the Director’s son. John comes in next, happy to see his father, and everyone breaks out into laughter. The Director, otherwise known as Tomakin, rushes out of the room in humiliation with his hands over his ears.

Chapter 11

    After what happens to the Director, Bernard becomes a celebrity. He seems to change, his ego boosting, and bedroom life becoming far more busy, but people secretly talk behind his back, saying he’ll come to a bad end and possibly having intentions to make it so. Linda, who no one seems to care about at all other than John, decides to spend the rest of her life on soma holiday, never having to experience the pains of real life again. Mustapha Mond feels offended by Bernard’s letters, and plans to teach him a lesson. Meanwhile, Lenina continues to try to bed John, even taking him to “Stereoscopic Feely” to attempt to get him into the mood. He resists her advances because of his morals, though it’s obvious he wants to give in. In this chapter, Bernard is a wonderful example showing how people can change their views depending on how others treat them, and overlook immoral things that they wouldn’t have before.

Chapter 12

    Bernard’s social status plummets when John refuses to come out for him again to greet the others, causing Lenina to think that it‘s because of John‘s supposed dislike of her. Everyone suddenly turns against Bernard, and Bernard goes back to being a lot like his former self. At first he blames John, but soon admits that if someone claiming to be a friend turns their back so easily, they aren’t really friends. Bernard goes back to Helmholtz to request his friendship again, which Helmholtz gives easily and willingly. Bernard introduces John and Helmholtz, who become fast friends, both having an interest in poetry, which causes Bernard jealousy. But then, Helmholtz laughs at a part of Romeo and Juliet, which offends John, who puts the book away. Even though Helmholtz is different, he is still conditioned, and unable to see the story the same way that John is.

Chapter 13

    Lenina  likes John very much, but because he keeps avoiding her advances, she decides to go with Fanny’s advice and take things into her own hands. She shows up on his doorstep in a cute little outfit, and attempts to seduce him. John, however, gets very angry at her and proclaims her to be a whore while reciting some of Shakespeare’s different quotes. He even threatens to kill her and she has to lock herself in the bathroom to be away from him. Then John receives a phone call, rushes off to wherever the ill person is, and Lenina is able to make her escape. She seems confused as to why he calls her a whore and treats her like this if he really has feelings for her, like he claims to, but John’s views are different because of Shakespeare and the way he was raised. Intimate acts to Lenina are things to be shared with everyone, anyone the member of society wants really, but they’re much more personal and sacred to John.

Chapter 14

    The call that John received was one about his mother, and he quickly rushed to the hospital for the dying. The nurse seems to have no sympathy for the people she takes care of, nor does she understand why one would be mad about it. John sits by Linda and tries to get a reaction from her, but she falls asleep after smiling when she looks at him, and goes back to her holiday. He tries to remember good things about their past, but it’s hard for him to think about them. Some children that come into the room, wearing Khaki colored outfits, also show no sympathy to Linda, causing John to get angry at them, and then nearly get kicked out. When Linda mistakes John for her past lover, the main one anyway, he loses it and shakes her, which seems to send her into a fit. She dies, staring at him wide-eyed, afraid. He becomes more upset than ever, and runs to the nurse for help, but she’s afraid he’ll decondition the children, who are still not sympathetic or understanding in any way. John  leaves the room after simply pushing a child down.

Chapter 15

    While leaving the hospital, John encounters a group getting their daily soma distribution. He tries to tell them that it’s poison but they simply won’t listen. Frustrated, he decides to take matters into his own hands by dumping the pills out onto the street below. Bernard and Helmholtz hear of it and rush right over. Helmholtz helps fend off John’s attackers while Bernard remains indecisive on what he should do. The police arrive and, using their technology, soma gas and the like, manage to calm everyone down. Then John, Helmholtz, and Bernard(simply for being John’s friend) are all taken away.

Chapter 16

    Mustapha Mond is who comes to greet the trio. Helmholtz and John seem unaffected by their, what Bernard considers to be anyway, impending doom. While Mustapha Mond speaks to the two of them, Bernard remains quiet for the most part, wishing to be out of the trouble he was put into. Then when Mustapha comments about Bernard going to an island, Bernard becomes very upset about this. He begin sobbing and groveling at Mustapha’s feet, so much so that Mustapha has to call in men to take Bernard away and give him a soma vaporization. Mustapha explains some about history, including the Nine Year’s War, and why society is currently how it is, to John. He also tells Helmholtz that Helmholtz will be going to an island as well, and reveals that he almost went to one himself. Helmholtz requests a bad climate, for good writing ideas, then tells Mustapha he’d like to go check on Bernard.

Chapter 17

    When Helmholtz leaves, Mustapha Mond shows John the Bible with the Old and New Testaments, as well as some other books that are considered pornographic and are strictly forbidden. He talks about happiness and stability versus truth, how truth must be sacrificed for happiness. John brings up some good points, but Mustapha brings up some as well. In the end, John tells Mustapha that he wants real danger and real passion, nothing fake. Mustapha argues that John is claiming the right to unhappiness. John agrees. Then Mustapha brings up what that means; old age, certain illnesses, and various other things. John agrees again, saying he claims the right to them all.

Chapter 18

    John wants to go to the islands with Bernard and Helmholtz, but he’s denied on the basis that he’s still needed for experimenting. He chooses a lighthouse to live in out of the choices given, and immediately punishes himself because the lighthouse is so comfortable, which he feels undeserving of. All John wants is to be left alone to try to survive on his own, the way the Indians did, but newspaper reporters begin to harass him, which he chases away. However, one very sneaky reporter does manage to get footage of him and publish it. Because of this, a large crowd comes to him, wanting to see him whip himself again, apparently not understanding that it isn’t exactly a good thing to do. They crowd in on him, but then Lenina shows up. He attacks her with the whip, then attacks himself. The clones all start doing the same thing to each other. When John wakes up, he decides he can’t handle it anymore, and all that’s found of him is a body hanging by the ceiling.

 

 

Works Cite

 

"Brave New World by Aldous Huxley : Chapter One." Brave New World by Aldous Huxley : Chapter One-Chapter Eighteen. N.p.,n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
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