In both cases, the words form perception, shape behavior, and even inspire direct action. John absorbs Shakespeare's poetry in a dream-like state, not entirely understanding the words but receiving the message through repetition, just as the young sleepers of the dystopia accept hypnopaedic wisdom. Implicitly, Huxley compares the memorable, poetic phrases of Shakespeare's poetry with hypnopaedia's catchy lines. In the world of poetry and imagination, John's spirit expands, gaining a unique although eccentric strength and vitality. An old volume of Shakespeare's plays becomes his guide to life. Banned from initiation into manhood, John has nowhere to turn for help in his growth. Because of his European appearance and his mother's sexual activity, John suffers rejection and humiliation at the hands of the elders of Malpais as well as his peers. John is the true individual Bernard sometimes longs to be, and, as Huxley makes clear here, being truly individual means living in pain. A genetic Fordian raised in Malpais, John represents the potential combination of civilization and tradition, but his life has been lonely and heartbreaking. In this chapter, Huxley explores the character of John, the child born unexpectedly in the Savage Reservation. In response, John quotes Shakespeare: "O brave new world. His self-torture gives him a vision of "Time and Death and God."Īs John finishes his story, he and Bernard realize that they share the same feelings of being "terribly alone." Suddenly inspired, Bernard invites John - and Linda, too - to return with him to London. Instead, John goes out alone into the wilderness where he contrives his own physical trials to enter adulthood. As an adolescent, John is not allowed to undergo the initiation ritual into adult Indian society like the other boys. In fact, John's reading in Shakespeare inspires him to try to kill Popé, who is in bed with Linda. Popé finds an old volume of Shakespeare, and the young boy studies it. John also remembers how the Indian women beat Linda, because she felt no sexual restraints with their men.Īs John grows, Linda teaches him to read. John's earliest memories involve his mother's relationships with Indian men - especially Popé, who also introduces Linda to the powerful hallucinogenic drug mescal (which she finds similar to soma). Indeed, he feels as if he and John "were living on different planets, in different centuries." Bernard senses how strange and exotic such a life is, as compared to his own experiences. In this chapter, John recounts his life on the Reservation to Bernard.
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