Proud Blonde!

As was clear from the very first time John was introduced to this book, he was the center of attention. He kept everyone anxious to read on and in the end, fulfilled his mysteriousness. I had made guesses to what might happen in the book and how it might end, but with John hanging himself, I was completely shocked. It was the opposite of what I had expected. I had envisioned John as the Jesus of this book, the one who would cure all this insanity, and now he was dead.

I can see why John hung himself, with all the pressures of an entire society thinking of him as nothing more than a source of entertainment. They read about him in the papers and watched movies on his habits, never fully understanding what this ’savage’ was doing. John was only looking for peace and quiet, wanting to get away from this crazy society, and the more he tried to hide, the more interesting he became to the people. I can’t even imagine trying to go from what he considered as a normal society in the Savage Reservation to this Brave New World. He lasted longer than I believe I would have.

I can only imagine the pain John was going through, sitting beside his mother on her death bed and had curious children come in and insult her. I do not blame him for a moment for hitting the young kid, the situation may have been handled better, but death is something we all fear, at least now. Linda was a very kind and loving mother to John, as he grew up in the reservation, she could always talk to him, though sometimes she couldn’t answer all his questions. I have lost grandparents and aunts and uncles, and I know the kind of pain John went through sitting at his mother’s bedside and just waiting and waiting. It is not fun.

I am glad to see at least one sane person with strong ties and feelings or one person. The relationship between a mother and her child is unique and completely, in my opinion, necessary for one to grow up normally. I have a great deal of attatchments to my entire family, but my mom always knows everything I need. She can read my feelings and understand my point of view. Her opinion is the one I hold dearest to my heart, and I love her to death.

This past summer I had the chance of a life-time to go down to Indianapolis, Indiana for a leadership conference, and it showed me how only a few hours on a plane can land me into a completely different world. I was amazed to see the differences from Alberta to Indiana, I can’t even imagine the differences from countries on the other side of the world. I can relate to Linda and Lenina in their confusion of leaving on ‘vacation’ and winding up in a new world. They had ultimate culture shocks, going from their highly developed worlds to the most undeveloped area at the time, like me going from the Vermilion to the huge city of Indianapolis. Amazing how 2 places so close can be the complete opposite.

The values of the Savage Reservation are exactly the things which are banned in the developed world. Marrige, love, family, and thought are huge aspects of everyday life in the reservation, and something Lenina has never experienced in her whole life. The imense pride of Americans in their country astounded me when I visited out neighbors to the south, they belived in and could recite every word of their constitution and national anthem. Even the food and drinks were severely different in the Savage Reservation for Lenina. She was not accustomed to these simple dinners that were the same every day. When I was in Indianapolis, I tried real iced tea and had to explain what a poutine and macadamia-nut cookie was. Experiences like this changed how I seen my life and others around me.

Beating drums, naked dancers, black snacks, and whips. To me it makes my worst nightmares come true. I completely understand why Lenina covered her eyes and begged them to stop, I would have been terrified as well. This sacrificing ritual clearly meant everything to the natives of the Savage Reservation yet caused a great deal of pain and agony to Lenina, and even myself. Growing up in anti-abusement societies, both Lenina and I finally agreed on something in this book, the whipping of the young boy was horrible and sickening.

The many different stages to this festival have obviously been carefully thought out and display very strong feelings. I interpreted this ceremony step by step. The drums, first and formost, display the rythm of the heart of every person in the reserve, everyone becoming one, similar to the Solidarity Services in the ‘new world.’ The dancers each representing the differences we all share, from different sexes to body shapes to personalities. The snakes… The horrible snakes representing our sins and faults. And finally the whipping of the young boy, the ultimate sacrifice, shows everyone must succumb to pain. This pain caused by our similarities, differences, and sins. A ritual of life.

John is the ugly duckling of the Savage Reservation. He has been an outcast his whole life, from his different skin tone to his mother’s reputation. As he relives some of his past for Bernard, John explains how he had to suffer from neglect and poverty in his own house and community. HIs mother loved him, but also blamed him for the way they were living. Mitsima tried to teach John about they way they lived on the reserve, but when it came to important rituals, even Mitsima chose a native child to be sacrificed. When Pope and the other men came, they ignored or removed John from the entire house. John was living through hell.

Linda vowed to herself she would try to teach her son everything she could about the world, although she couldn’t answer when John grew up and began to ask questions, like how helicopters fly. This is when John began to look to the elder reserve natives to explain his questions. He has had to learn to accept both worlds, for there was no way to chose one over the other. He has the values his mom taught him, like “everyone is everyone else’s” but also the values taught to him growing up in the reserve, like marrige. These completely contrasting beliefs would have me confused out of my mind.

In the plane above the Savage Reservation, Lenina and Bernard were entering into a whole new world, or exiting their new version of the world. The fences that separated village areas from village areas made me think about the fences used to keep dinosaurs in their cages in Jurassic Park. High voltage kept every person and everything in and let nothing out. Lenina and Bernard were used to a kind of freedom of movement, they could go anywhere in their world because they were Alphas, but to come into a world of containment must have been crazy.

The ‘crazy’ people that occupied the village Bernard and Lenina visited reminded me greatly of our civilization and the reserves we have for our Native Americans. From families and diseases to the rituals and ceremonies we celebrate, these ’savages’ were the only people in this book that make sense to me. I hope Bernard and Lenina realize this life they are living is, although dirty and abandoned, the proper way of life. Should the book make a turn for the better, it will be when Lenina and Bernard are in the Reservation.

A little too much alcohol in blood surrogate and all of a sudden, he is stopping over the storming sea and wanting nothing more than to talk. I can see, with her up-bringing, why Lenina would be so confused and concerned. Bernard is completely acting out of the ordinary and doing everything against what he has been taught, and just as if we did the same, he was considered crazy and rumors were spreading like wild fire. Lenina is more accepting of Bernard than I ever would be in her shoes.

Lenina was only acting as she had been taught and conditioned, but I think she will realize where Bernard is coming from when they visit the Savage Reservation. I can feel Bernard’s frustration with Lenina and her pneumatic way of life. No woman should ever give herself away as easily as she does, it is morally wrong to me and just plain disturbing. At the Savage Reservation I think Lenina will finally figure out how wrong she is living her life, and want to become more like Bernard. It would be the kind turn around this book needs if Lenina joins Bernard in his attempt to right society again.

I would be completely embaressed for all of the characters in Brave New World should they have been real. No one in this book knows the way they are acting is completely self-demeaning. The entire base of this book seems to be rested upon the ideas of promiscuity, lack of self pride and dignity, as well as a lack of respect for every gender, age, or rank. Everything that we consider wrong in our society today is the ideal way to live in Brave New World’s society.

Young children are encouraged to experiment sexually, adults are expected to go out with hundreds of people a year and not stay with only one of opposite sex for any extended period of time. The higher the rank of the person, the more this is encouraged. Anything I have ever believed in, from faithful marriges to self-respect and dignity are frowned upon in this book. Brave New World would be a dangerous read for some people, many would be offended by its contents and completely object to so much as acknowledge its existance.

Soma is a very complex and confusing aspect of life in Brave New World. In today’s world, there are many illegal drugs that can be very close in comparison to soma, they are a ‘vacation’ from everyday life. These anti-depresent similar drugs are used by the people of Brave New World so they do no have to think, and never figure out the truth of their lives. I see these drugs as an evil way to keep people in the dark without them knowing.

Drugs like these do exist in our present day, and they are a controversial topic. I know drugs today are the cause of many problems with young people, like the worries of our future because adults only see these young people who have addictions to drugs. I have an aunt who seen people coming into the clinic she was a nurse at when they were high, and has had horrible nightmares about them as they were in such bad shape. I am very lucky to have the family I do, because they have influenced me to stay away from those kinds of things.