Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Brave New World (7)


  • Lenina complaining about the reservation isn't just normal aversion to nature, it's the hypnopaedic conditioning at work
    • "I wish we could have brought the plane"
    • Emphasis on consumerism, like with their equipment dependent sports
    • "Yes, and civilization is sterilization"
      • Bernard obviously does not mean this in a positive sense
  • Bernard goes out of his way to make controversial statements
  • Lenina finds the "remorseless persistence of the drums" appealing, why?
    • Drum beats provide structure and order through repetition, much like the BNW
  • The ritual Bernard and Lenina witness is traumatic even by today's standards
    • Represents the polar opposite of life in the BNW
      • deliberate self-punishment, rather than forced self-indulgence
  • Linda is an interesting character
    • Even after all those years, she still retains habits from the BNW
      • Testament to the power of conditioning?  Or is it natural to cling to the beliefs one had when growing up?

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