In the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, many characters stood out to me that helped further plot and character development, such as John's mother, Linda. I believe that she is a necessity to the book because she reveals the backstory behind the director, John, and she provides a connection between the two societies. When the book is focused on John, we're able to see the differences between the savages and the New World through the interactions Linda has with the people at the reservation. Differences such as; love, marriage, reproduction, religion, and nature.
Her conflicts with their ways of life make John's life difficult and unnatural, causing him to feel unwanted and isolated. We know that Linda plays a huge role in John's life and when she dies, John feels guilty about it and forcefully begins to torture himself. This raises a few of my questions. Did John commit suicide because of his guilt itself or the pain from all the suffering he had been enduring? Also if Lenina hadn't met him at the end do you still think he would have committed suicide?
-Phillip Chan
I agree that Linda was a very important character in the novel because it showed how people from the New World thought in a savage society. You also did raise a few good questions. After Linda's death, John begins to do horrible things to himself. I think John committed suicide because of the guilt. He felt that it was his fault in some way that his mother died and that may have threw him over the edge. I also think that he would have not committed suicide if he never met Lenina because she showed him how people from the New World thought which went against everything he believed. If he didn't meet Lenina I don't think he would have been as exposed to the beliefs of a person from the New World.
ReplyDelete- Eileen Hernandez
Linda is an important character that helps further the plot along, but I believe her importance comes into showing the reader the contrast of the two societies. We as the reader see how drastically different and affective the World State is. By seeing Linda go through the horrors of the savage's way of life, we can fully understand how conditioned the people of the World State are. I see that the savages live a life similar to our reality, due to taking part in communal events, religion, and marriage. Thus, by having a character like Linda in the novel, the author puts an emphasis of how different the world has become. Since, the novel takes place in the future.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I believe John committed suicide because of the guilt he felt. John, even in his old home wanted to be the human sacrifice, but the savages never let him. In my opinion, it seems like John never felt he had a place to fit in. For example, Linda never wanted to become a mother, he couldn't marry Lenina, and the savages never liked him for his complexion. Thus, making him feel guilt for not enjoying or fitting in with the people around him.