As I was
looking over the ending of Huxley’s Brave New World again, I studied the
way John, the savage, chose to commit suicide due to the pressure that society
placed on him.
John had a way of thinking and beliefs that contrasted the
ideology of Huxley’s utopia including his belief on commitment to one partner forever,
rejection of premarital sex, and portrayal of familial love. John was the hero
of the story who did not succumb to the utopian society’s way of life hence how
he rejected soma and Lenina.
In the ending, John isolates himself by a lighthouse in order
to distance himself from the utopian London
So, was this really the only way for John to escape the
utopian society’s temptations? Was killing himself really a way of standing up
to society or was it an act of surrender?
I had to re-read the end several times to realize John committed suicide. To answer your question, I believe John's suicide was his only option. He may have isolated himself from society, but he was never alone. He could not return to the Savage Reservation. The people watched him like it was a show. He tried standing up to the society by not succumbing to Lenina or the soma, but in the end it was just too much to handle. What had started out as John standing up for himself and his beliefs ended as an act of desperation.
ReplyDeleteIt could be interpreted either way to the reader; I believe that John didn’t really have any other choice due to how the utopian people were surrounding him. He seemed overwhelmed by how the utopians would always surround him with the bright flashes emitting from their cameras to their helicopters hovering above him like flies on a dead carcass. Although, he did show a sign of defeat to society due to the fact that he wanted to isolate himself from it but then he became a sensation to the utopians because of how he would punish himself. After coming to that realization, he was ashamed of himself and ended his life. This could also be considered a sign of defiance to the utopian society since he ended his life so he could permanently relieve himself from their ways to achieving happiness and bliss. Like I said before, it could be interpreted either way, it is the reader who decides on what to believe.
ReplyDeleteI believe that John committed suicide as an act to get away from it all. He decided to live in an lighthouse to get away from everything, but that did not see to help. John realized that the society was corrupt and there was no way to change it. He tried to get away and isolate himself, but no matter where he went, the society followed. He tried to get away, but the only way he saw fit was to kill himself.
ReplyDeleteI think in John’s mind suicide was the only option he had. John is very different from the people around him. For some reason he believes everything he is told very easily and then he will stick to the idea till the end. His knowledge of Shakespeare and his environment in Malpais completely shaped him. He believes that Shakespeare’s words are the law of the world and he lives in that way. At first he is very optimistic about the State, but when he sees that it is the complete opposite of his beliefs, he cannot handle it. Even though John says he wants to free the people, he doesn’t necessarily take a stand against the State. He only argues about the righteousness of society with Mustapha Mond, which is not a malicious act against the State. When he runs away, he is not necessarily surrendering either. I think John wants to just live a perfect life like the ones he read about in Shakespeare’s plays. However, when he realizes that this cannot happen, he tries to fix the only thing he has control of which is himself. That’s the reason why he does not just adapt to this new world that he is thrown into like most people would. He feels like if he does not keep his morals he will become nothing, just like the dishonorable characters in Shakespeare. So he punishes himself to cleanse even his lustful thoughts so he can maintain a certain amount of chivalry even when he is surrounded by evil. Things get over his head when he gets dragged into the dishonorable orgy porgy. When this happens, John feels he has gone to the point of no return and he could never be pure again. So I think he takes his own life because there was nothing for him at all and he had gone against all he believed in.
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed when John killed himself. I felt he was stronger than that. He was able to hold off temptation and isolate himself from the rest of society to hold onto his morals and beliefs, but reading that he committed suicide made me realize he was still human. Everyone has a breaking point and John couldn't take it any more.
ReplyDeleteIt dawned on me how familiar this situation sounded and then I realized that we can apply this to our society. Every year, teenagers take their own life because they are bullied for being different from what society wants, like not wearing the right name brands or listening to the right music. They feel alone and that know one understands them.
I believe that's why John killed himself. He saw that there was no point in living anymore if everyone would condemn and harass him for being different. John was alone in this utopian society with his morals and beliefs. Everyone else was too brainwashed to ever understand him. If he gave into what society wanted, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
Perhaps it was more honorable to commit suicide. He gave up rather than give in.