Brave new world

1. Brave new world Chapter 15

2. Summary • This chapter is about John/The Savage trying to stop the distribution of soma to the Delta kids in the hospital after his mother, Linda’s death. • Meanwhile Bernard and Helmholtz is looking for John because he had disappeared, then they get a call from the soma distributer about John. • The two rush over to the hospital, Helmholtz joins John, who is throwing the soma out the window. Bernard hesitates whether he should help or not because he is afraid that he might get killed if he does. The only thing Bernard could do was to call the police and ask for help. • John and Helmholtz get arrested, Bernard tries to sneak away but he is caught before he could.

3. Analysis • John felt he needed to stop the soma distribution because Linda had just died from having too much soma herself. • Watson helps John as soon as he arrives because he believes that John is a true friend, who understands his feelings and they both have an interest in literature. • Bernard’s hesitation is a sign that he doesn’t want to act as an individual rather act as someone who is trying to become part of the society. So he decides not to join his friends and act like everyone else. • Bernard’s feeling towards John can be seen as he doesn’t think of John as a friend but still as a tool. Meaning that he has no feelings as a friend towards him.

4. Reference to Religion • When John tries to stop the distributer he says "I come to bring you freedom," it is as if he was the savior like the Christ from Christianity. But messages the carry the great truth from these kinds of figures are often ignored by the people.

5. Themes • Freedom – John tries to free the Delta kids who are being given soma. He says he’s come to bring them freedom. • Denial of truth – When John speaks to the people in the hospital he informs them that soma is a poison that will kill you. No one believes him and denies what he says. • Friendship – John and Helmholtz friendship. Helmholtz helps John out as soon as he sees that he is in trouble. This is true friendship. • Power of Soma – Although John and Helmholtz hated so much they could not escape from the soma spray and they were effected by it.

6. John • In this chapter John is emotionally unstable because his mother has just died from a soma holiday. He blames soma for her death and tries to get rid of the soma that is being distributed to the Delta twins. John acts like he is the person who has come to grant the people freedom and manages to forcibly take the soma and throw them out the window. However things do not go well and John gets arrested at the end of the chapter.

7. Helmholtz Watson • Helmholtz appears later in the chapter. He was looking for John with Bernard because he had disappeared. Later he gets a phone call and finds about John’s whereabouts. Watson and Bernard rush to the hospital. Watson sees what John is doing and immediately joins him and throws soma out the window. This is his friendship between Johns he felt that he needed to help John because he was in trouble. Watson and John get arrested by a sergeant.

8. Bernard Marx • At the hospital he saw Helmholtz helping John out. He wanted to help them but he hesitated because he thought that he would get killed along with them, he felt humiliation for his indecision. All he could do was shout to the policemen to sort this out and save his friends. He tries to escape with the crowd when John and Watson were getting arrested but gets caught during the attempt and he couldn’t deny that they were his friends. This escape attempt makes Bernard look like a pathetic person who would do anything to avoid unnecessary conflict.

9. Important Quotes • “…standing in an agony of humiliated indecision-thinking that they might be killed if he didn't help them, and that he might be killed if he did…” •  "O brave new world, O brave new world …" In his mind the singing words seemed to change their tone. • “'O brave new world!' Miranda was proclaiming the possibility of loveliness, the possibility of transforming even the nightmare into something fine and noble. 'O brave new world!' It was a challenge, a command.” • "Don't take that horrible stuff. It's poison, it's poison.“ , "Poison to soul as well as body.“ , “Even Helmholtz and the Savage were almost crying.”

10. Style and notes • From the onset of this chapter the workers are antagonised, being called “ menial staff”. Huxley carries on with the motif of robot-like work force, that are described in numbers essentially and later as maggots. • The motif of oneness is further built in this chapter, and the hysterical side , seen by John, is repeated, so it further adds tension. • As new soma boxes are brought in, this symbolises a significant defeat for John and what he exemplifies