Thursday, June 28, 2012
Does the name Marx have another meaning?
I had to read the entire book and write and essay before it dawned on me that Bernard's last name was no accident. I found it ironic that in a book discussing a dystopian society, the protagonist's last name was Marx. As we learned in our history classes last year, Karl Marx coined the term utopia, the exact opposite of a dystopia. So why did the author use the name Marx in his book? What point was he trying to make with his use of the word? Considering the fact that Bernard was one of the few characters in the book who opposed the norm and society, he already provided a comparative element in the book, so was the corrolation present between his last name and utopian society meant to provide a comparative basis for this dystopian society?
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I had the same epiphany while reading Brave New World. Huxley named his character Bernard Marx in reference to Karl Marx— the major leader of communism. As you know, communism is a form of government based around the idea that when a country is not divided into social castes, everyone becomes equal, and therefore it becomes an ideal society or utopia. In Brave New World, however, the government strives to divide its people into castes. Although they call themselves a utopia where everyone is happy, this controlled state is a dystopia. Though I haven't finished the novel yet, already it is evident that Bernard disagrees that their controlled state and division into classes is ideal. In fact, it is apparent since he is first introduced that he feels indignant to most everything the state does. I think that the point Huxley is making by naming this character Marx was to to be straightforward in saying that Bernard is a Marxist— a follower of Karl Marx's communist ideas. (Even though Bernard probably has no idea what communism means or who Karl Marx is.)
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