John does not feature in the narrative until in Chapter Seven of the novel. He is an uncivilized character in the narrative. He first appears in the narrative when he seeks to participate in an Indian religious ritual which Bernard and Lenina are spectators. Though he is dressed like the Indians, his pale blue eyes, straw-colored hair as well as his light skin pigment betrays him as a foreigner. His isolation is seen in the phrase, “the mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one” (43). As such, he is an outcast and is not allowed to take part in the native ritual. He is also the only individual in the Brave New World to have had a natural birth of a mother and he is conversant with the biblical principles, creation mythologies of the Reservation, and civilization stories regarding the New World yet he considers these religious ideologies to be equally mythical or genuine as against the reality of the world State. This is apparent in Chapter eight of the narrative where the narrator conveys that “lying in bed, he would think of heaven and London and Our Lady of Acoma” (86). The fact that he is conversant on the three aspects as makes him stand out as a unique character in the narrative.
Believing himself as a savage having been born to Linda on the Savage Reservation, John does not quite understand why he is rejected by the rest of the savages. Linda is a woman who had lived in the New World and had been separated with Tomakin, the latter had not known of the existence of John until he appears in London as a fully-grown male. John presents the impression of a miserable person because he fails to understand the ways of his mother in the savagery world and because he is perceived as an outsider in the New World. As a result, he suffers seclusion and craves for a better life experience. He even admits this when he tells Bernard , “Hey, I’ve spent my whole life being lonely. You too!? No way!" (91). However, John’s experiences, his knowledge of the Shakespeare works, and his imagination motivates him to get away from the Reservation in search of a better life. He envisages a perfect life for him in London.
When he eventually arrives in London in the accompanied by Lenina and Bernard, john is frustrated. His outrage is caused by the rigidity of the New World which he identifies as anything but courageous and attractive. He is bewildered that people in the New World decide to live a mediocre life characterized by soma. He is also dismayed by the fact that he has become an object of interest to the Betas and Alphas who are very much interested in seeing him. As such, John finds himself further seeking the peace and privacy of nature, away from the conventional authoritarian social order. Subsequently, the crowds find out his refuge and do not want to leave him alone and he commits suicide toe escape this reality (Higgins 18).
The fact that John is only allowed to watch the rituals and not allowed to participate in the ritual and that Lenina and Bernard perceive the ritual as disgusting is evidence of the enormous difference between the Indian culture which is considered primitive and the World State Society which is considered to be civilized. However, as the chief protagonist, John ends up rejecting the two cultures and instead represents the old world order. The fact that he is rejected by the civilized World State and the savage Indian culture as well as his rejection of the two cultures and his acceptance and knowledge of the values from over 900 years old that makes John stick out as the central character.
John is a character that is well-versed regarding the William Shakespeare’s works and this is obvious when he uses that knowledge to denounce the World State Values. This aspect also shows when John gets into a confrontation with Mustapha Mond who uses formidable rhetorical skills in his arguments. Notably, Shakespeare’s work incorporates considerable benevolent and human values which have been overlooked in the World State. John rejects the superficial pleasure associated with the World State and also fails to differentiate his lust and love for Lenina. He sees himself as a symbol of chastity and a virtuous person who cannot fall for a woman he considers very promiscuous. Ultimately, his suicide is a clear reflection of the recognizable theme in the works of Shakespeare. As such, one can conclude that John represents a Shakespearean persona in a domain where a poetry that fails to market some product is forbidden.
John is the most significant and yet the most intricate character in the Brave New World. He possesses naïve optimism with regard to the World State which is apparent from Shakespeare’s The Tempest which is suggestive of the title of the novel. His naïve optimism is diminished when he comes face to face with the State. As John gains more knowledge about the State, the ‘Brave New World state’ expression progresses towards an increasingly sarcastic, acrimonious, and cynical theme. He is the direct opposite of Bernard, who is the prospective libel. John ignores Lenina advances as he rejects the values that typify the New World. His resistance of any form of intimacy can be attributed to his belief that sex is humiliating and painful. He also shows aspects of bravery as he sets out to challenge the ways of the New World. He calls upon the Deltas to rebel and discard the soma which he believes has a negative effect on humanity.
When John comes face to face with Mustapha Mond, the latter shows John the influence of the New World to fight back any destabilizing forces. He ends up committing suicide following his final participation in the orgy. Eventually, John realizes that he cannot reconcile his beliefs and the New World and ends up committing suicide in a bid to escape the realities of the contemporary life.
Throughout the narrative, John is a symbol of primitive pitted alongside seventh heaven that is the past against the present. As a product of the old world order where he is ostracized, he still has faith in the human emotional connection with regard to family ties, art, and literature. Just like the inhabitants in the New World who undergo conditioning to ensure they do not have an identity that is independent of the world state, John is also portrayed as a conditioned character. This explains why he is able to fit in with the society at large. Every time he is faced with distress, John turns to either to the Zuni or Shakespearean works to deal with his predicament. He is also a very religious person and concludes that God is “a reason for self-denial” (161). This statement can be construed that although he does not embrace religion openly, he conforms to the aspect of soul.
His religious nature is also confirmed by his abstinence from human indulgences. His failure to indulge is a form of preservation from mortal life for a higher glory. This is more like Christianity where people struggle to avoid mortal life for the glory of God. To some extent his life journey has some similarities to that of Jesus’s suffering and his eventual death.
However, his inability to conform to the New World order which is characterized by promiscuity and his inability to find a setting where he is free to express himself fully leaves him with no choice but to seek the ultimate end to his continued suffering, death. The notion of promiscuity in the New World is first presented in the worlds of the director when he says, “charming charming” patting Lenina (13). John’s relation with the New World shows the unwillingness of the New World order to acknowledge and incorporate individualism (Huxley, 2005 pp. 8).
Work Cited
Higgins, Charles, Higgins, Regina. Cliff Notes on Huxley's Brave New World. New York: Wiley
Publishing, 2000.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World (First Perennial Classics Ed.). New York: HarperCollins
Publishers, 1998.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited (First Perennial Classics
ed.). New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005, p. 8.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World: Analysis of Major Characters.
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bravenew/canalysis.html
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World
http://www.idph.com.br/conteudos/ebooks/BraveNewWorld.pdf
John's Different Worlds http://www.shmoop.com/brave-new-world/john-the-savage.html
