A scene is a passage in a work of literature that occurs in one place at one time.
What is the most important scene in chapter 4 (page 57) through chapter 5 part 2 (page 99) of Brave New World?
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Describe the scene with detail including any of the following literary elements: characters, setting, events, allusions, puns. Then analyze how the scene is significant.
(In other words explain how the scene contributes to the satirical, dystopian society; or in other other words (wink, wink) how the scene fits in with Huxley making fun of where he thinks modern life is heading.)
Post your response in the comment box.
17 comments:
The scene that is most important within the pages of fifty seven and ninety nine of “Brave New World” is when Bernard goes to his Solidarity Service Day. This scene is important because it shows just what solidarity means in this new world. Solidarity is not being alone with oneself, but being alone with a small group. Upon entering the room Bernard sits down and once everyone enters there is an equal amount of boys and girls. Now one must not forget the quote “Everyone belongs to everyone else.” ,because this is a key factor in making this scene important. In this scene you see the extent to which these people go to belong to everyone else. Something that would not have been and is still not seen as sociably acceptable and this is where Huxely is able to use satire. The thing is that Bernard does not like to use Soma and does not like the idea of hooking up with someone, but Huxely shows how great of power the higher ups hold on society because even Bernard gets caught up in the hubbub of this weird almost religious rite. Bernard becomes a hypocrite something that everyone can identify with this type of character. The other idea of this rite, this orgy is that to some extent it does resemble religious events of the past which is a satire because Huxley says there is no religion in this new world. Though it is still completely opposite from Christianity and we can see this when the characters say,”Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun, Kiss the girls and make them One. Boys at one with girls at peace: Orgy-porgy gives release.” (Huxley. Brave New World. Pg.84.) This is event is also significant because it is foreshadowing the dance that happens in the reservation. Though the events have some differences such as the religion aspect it shows that though the people believe they are superior in all aspects they still lack in some. There is also the satirical aspect of making all the girls one, but yet everyone is always suppose to have more than one person so the statement is contradictory to previous statements that were already made. It also says that the boys are one so therefore if they are one then to some degree they still hold the idea of being with one person though their conscious finds it disgusting their subconscious believes the idea. Huxely shows how shallow Bernard is by the way that he has Bernard categorize women. This is ironic because Bernard is always being judged and it hurt him, but he does it back and maybe this is Huxely trying to show us that this is also why Bernard is not attractive. Another satire hidden within the scene is when they are convinced that someone is coming and Bernard knows no one is. It resembles the idea of Jesus coming back from the dead many believed he came while others believed he did not. Huxely is doing this to make a satirical reference about religion. Huxely is able to show the irony of the new world in this scene therefore making it the most important scene between pages fifty seven and ninety nine.
Grant Weaver
E Block
2/7/10
There are many important scenes between pages 47 and 99 in Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World, but the most important one is the scene in which Bernard is taking part in his Solidarity Service. This scene is important because it continues to poke fun at where Huxley believes society is heading, but before we can understand the importance of this scene it is important to see what this scene is composed of.
The Solidarity Service takes place in the Fordson Community Singery. As “Big Henry” strikes nine (says Ford nine times), Bernard realizes that he is late. As he enters room 3210 he sees Morgana Rothschild, the uni-browed pest. The group soon starts, and the President of the Group makes a “T” across his chest. The synthetic music starts and they start to sing, after taking some soma of course. They start to chant, praising Ford and emphasizing the significance of the number twelve. The group continues to chant, and they start to walk in a circle, claiming to hear “him” coming, feet pounding, walking up the stairs. Even Bernard gets excited. They continue to chant, taking about how they are all one being, chanting over and over “Orgy-Porgy Ford and Fun”. Soon the scene ends, but the hypnopaedia of early childhood is reinforced.
This scene is significant for two major reasons. One is story wise, it reinforces the hypnopaedia keeping the people of the World State happy and complacent by slipping in key phrases that reinforces ‘Community.Identity.Stability”. The other reason this scene is important is because it contributes to Huxley’s satirical, distopian society. This scene plays off of modern religion, twisting and contorting it, showing how it can be taken by a government force and used to pass along hidden messages and brainwash the masses. Also by throwing in things like “Big Ford” he takes the modern symbols of life and poke fun at what they could become.
Huxley is an expert at using simple scenes to pass along several meanings, and this is no more apparent then in the scene where Bernard Marx is taking part in his Solidarity Services.
The most important scene in pages 57-99 is when Bernard and Lenina are in the helicopter during an afternoon together. The scene truly shows the difference between a person that has been conditioned and sleep-taught to believe in everything about the world she’s in and a person who doesn’t buy into the whole thing. Bernard and Lenina are in his helicopter after seeing the Women’s Heavyweight World Championship. The weather had suddenly changed and Bernard wanted to hover close to the storm. Bernard thought the scene was comforting, while Lenina described it as horrible. Lenina turned on the radio to block out the horridness of the storm, but Bernard turned it off to “look at the sea in peace.” To justify his reasoning for enjoying the storm to Lenina, Bernard said that “It makes me feel as though I were more me… more on my own, not so completely a part of something else. Not just a cell in the social body.” Then he asked Lenina if it made her feel the same way, but Lenina was crying saying “It’s horrible, it’s horrible.” He asked Lenina if she wanted to be free, and she replied “I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time.” The whole time, Bernard is trying to make her realize that she is just a number that has been conditioned to believe certain things. He was trying to see if there was something else inside of Lenina that wasn’t affected by the hypnopædia, but he only got the reaction that was programmed into her. This scene is the basis of what Aldous Huxley is trying to show. Huxley thinks that eventually, people are going to be manufactured just like products and they are going to be programmed to believe the same things. This scene is a comparison between the ideas that are conditioned into everyone’s head, and the ideas of someone who is basically looking from the outside in. Bernard is perfectly aware of what is being done to the people and is purposely going against it: he doesn’t take soma, he doesn’t like to be in large groups, and he has feelings for women other than sexual feelings. Lenina, on the other hand, is exhibiting the thoughts that she has been forced to believe due to sleep-teaching. She even says things like “Everybody’s happy nowadays,” and “Everyone works for everyone else.” In the end, Bernard ends up taking soma and going to bed with Lenina, which shows that there is still a part of Bernard that is programmed by the World State.
The scene that is most important is between the pages 57-99 where Bernard and Lenina are in the helicopter flying over the ocean. This is important because Bernard actually feels something different than how he thinks he should feel. Lenina feels horrible about the storm but Bernard actually feels comfortable and secure about the storm. This scene sort of has Bernard questioning about how they live and how everyone is programmed and feels the same thing. He wonders why everyone is always happy and never really mad and everyone takes soma and he doesn’t like taking soma. Bernard doesn’t want to be like everyone else so he goes against what everyone else does and is suppose to do and how they act. Bernard doesn’t like being with a lot of people which Lenina does. This scene shows how Bernard is afraid to be caught criticizing the World State but he tries to get it through to Lenina but she doesn’t get it. Huxley’s thinks everyone is eventually going to think the same thing and become like products and Bernard gets this idea. Even though Bernard doesn’t want to be like this, he still took soma at the end of the chapter even though he doesn’t like to.
The scene that is most important is between the pages 57-99 where Bernard and Lenina are in the helicopter flying over the ocean. This is important because Bernard actually feels something different than how he thinks he should feel. Lenina feels horrible about the storm but Bernard actually feels comfortable and secure about the storm. This scene sort of has Bernard questioning about how they live and how everyone is programmed and feels the same thing. He wonders why everyone is always happy and never really mad and everyone takes soma and he doesn’t like taking soma. Bernard doesn’t want to be like everyone else so he goes against what everyone else does and is suppose to do and how they act. Bernard doesn’t like being with a lot of people which Lenina does. This scene shows how Bernard is afraid to be caught criticizing the World State but he tries to get it through to Lenina but she doesn’t get it. Huxley’s thinks everyone is eventually going to think the same thing and become like products and Bernard gets this idea. Even though Bernard doesn’t want to be like this, he still took soma at the end of the chapter even though he doesn’t like to.
In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley there are many important scenes that contribute to the satirical and dystopian society he hopes to portray. Between pages 57 and 99, the most prominent scene is when Lenina Crowne and Bernard Marx are in the helicopter together during their date. After attending a women’s heavyweight championship, Bernard and Lenina fly threw the beginning of a thunderstorm over the Channel. During this scene, Lenina is terrified of the storm and desperately wants Bernard to fly them out of it. But Bernard is fascinated by it and says, “It makes me feel as though I were more me… more on my own, not so completely a part of something else.” From the beginning, we can see that Bernard doesn’t truly believe in, or agree with the whole idea of being sleep-taught, or conditioned the way Lenina has been. Bernard wants to be his own person and his own individual and he doesn’t want to get caught up in the world’s views. Lenina soon turns the radio up to drone out the scene of the storm and the sound. However, in attempts to convince Lenina that he believes the storm is peaceful, he turns off the radio and drones her out. Bernard thinks the people living in the World State have been programmed into thinking in such ways. He understands that people living in 632 A.F, are just going to continue to believe the things they believe, and he is just simply yearning to be go against it, while being an individual. A way he goes against the World State is by not agreeing to take any soma. The “happy drug” the majority of the World State takes, to rid them from any bad emotions or feelings. Aldous Huxley, in this section is trying to portray desire of one to be an individual in a society where everyone is the same. Huxley, during the time he wrote his book believed that the future would, in some way relate to what he wrote about. He thought that people would be manufactured into believing and thinking the same things. He created Bernard to demonstrate the hope of one who still wants to be himself. Later on in this chapter, Bernard gives in to the world and agrees to take soma. After sleeping with Lenina he is ashamed with himself, and wishes he just could have acted as an “adult.” Throughout this scene Aldous Huxley perfectly portrays similarities between the thoughts and views of the different inhabitants living in the World State. Bernard is someone who wants to feel passion yet in a different way, while Lenina just wants to abide by the rules and go along with what she thinks is a utopian society.
The most important scene in chapters four and five would be the helicopter scene. This is because when Bernard and Lenina are in the helicopter and the storm is in affect, Bernard begins to feel comforted. In contrast, Lenina becomes uncomfortable and frightened. This scene is vital in the novel’s development because it is the scene in which the characters are defined. Bernard is comforted by the storm because like the storm, Bernard is gloomy and sad. Not given the freedom to express his “odd” feelings, he relates his state of mind to the storm; dark, gloomy, and miserable. Lenina, frightened by Bernard’s feelings as an “individual”, insists that Bernard take soma to comfort himself and to make him happy. Bernard however, is unlike Lenina and does not like taking soma. Bernard understands the concepts of the World State and knows that the objective of the World State is to create a utopia where all people are the same. Although Bernard is against the use of soma, he ends up taking it which shows that he is not yet strong enough as an “individual” to overcome his strong feelings against the World State’s way of life.
Evan Kidder
2/7/10
E block
It is foolish to say that one scene in the previous chapters was the most important. In my opinion there were two heavily influential scenes. The first one being Bernard when he is at the solidarity service and it shows the brainwashing and the everyone belongs to everyone else attitude. I also highlights how Bernard has a different mentality than everyone else and how alone he truly is,. It clearly states in the book that Bernard just goes along with the charade even though he truly feels out of the loop,this will perhaps lead to some conflict later on in the book. The other scene is when Bernard and Lenina are hovering above the ocean and Bernard is talking of the storm in the distance and how it makes him feel. He openly expresses his feelings to Lenina. But Lenina wants to hear no such thing and once again Bernard’s place in the world is highlighted. He proves that he thinks differently because he’s an outsider and that he is able to reject social norms. The Storm is also symbolic of the possible conflict that Bernard could be involved in.
Tom Martin
Block E
In Brave New World, several vital scenes that contribute to the dystopian society portrayed by Huxley occur throughout pages 57-99. The most important scene would have to be the one that takes place in the helicopter, during Lenina and Bernard’s date as they are flying over the ocean. The two were flying through an ongoing thunderstorm, one which Lenina was very afraid of, mostly because Lenina is afraid of anything out of the ordinary that she knows as the World State. But Bernard is once again fascinated by something he can’t compare to anything else that he lives through. He states it makes him feel more than himself and yet still he feels he is his own self, on his own. This illustrates Bernard’s thought process even more as he does not want to be a part of the World State, the society whose morals he does not believe in, such as being sleep-taught or conditioned. He wants to just be himself, an independent. Fully in the moment, Bernard tries to convince Lenina that the storm is peaceful and means no harm. His efforts to infiltrate the dead-set minds of the people living in the World State, the example given being Lenina, are unsuccessful though. The citizens of World Sate are all conventional, and made to believe only what they are taught and forced to, nothing else. Bernard is already a rebel in his own right, for he does not take any of the “happy drug”, soma. For if he did, he wouldn’t be having these thoughts and feelings. He’s being his own person as previously stated. And that is the point that Aldous Huxley is trying to present in this scene, the desire to be unique in a society where everything and everyone’s the same. He also is noting here that this is not always the easiest thing to do, and sometimes, it is human to end up not being strong enough to take on the challenge. That we can, and in some form or another, will give into the pressures of a dystopian society. This is seen in this chapter when Bernard gives into the pressures and ends up taking soma. He is ashamed by himself furthermore, as he also ends up sleeping with Lenina. He is going against completely what he said he would not succumb to, which is being a law-abiding “human” of the World State.
Although there are many important scenes in pages 57-99, one scene that I felt had the greatest importance was the helicopter scene. In this scene Huxley is showing each of points of view, completely opposite sides. Bernard is a “rebel” he isn’t taking his soma and is therefore disappointed with his life that is why he connects so much with the storm, they are both sad and gloomy and feel doomed. However Lenina is the prime example of the perfect World State citizen. Huxley uses this scene to really define the difference between the two personalities, and to show the absurdity of their civilization is headed, when Lenina begins to cry at the storm and the talk of Bernard’s true feelings. This scene is vital to the books development because it shows the satirical nature of World State and the difference between the inner psyche of people of our time and people of their time (A.F)
The most important scene from pages from pages 57 to 99 is when Bernard and Lenina are talking in the helicopter. I find it to be the first scene when emotion is put in. Before this everything was very systematic and happened without any thought. Bernard shows Lenina what he is really thinking when they are hovering. He shows anger and sadness which is unfamiliar in the story up to this point. He is supposed to be happy and not question anything. Of course Lenina is appalled by what Bernard is saying. Life has always been happy. The quick fix of Soma will do that to everyone. It becomes obvious and very apparent that Bernard does not want the Soma for he almost seeks joys from unhappiness. He seems to be at comfort when watching the ugliness of the storm from the hovering helicopter. He says “Don’t you wish you were free Lenina?” This reveals the true side of Bernard. He is unlike anyone else. He has the emotion that people don’t have in this society. The scene of Bernard and Lenina in the helicopter is crutial to the development of emotion in Brave New World.
All throughout Brave New World there are significant scenes. An especially significant scene in chapter 4 through chapter 5 is when Lenina and Bernard are in the helicopter. I think this is the most important scene because it shows that Bernard is not like the rest of the alphas. He shows a rebellious side to him by resisting the soma. Lenina seems to be taken aback by his behavior. She thinks that everything should be about happiness whereas here Bernard shows some anger and sadness. This is where as readers we really begin to see that Bernard is different. It seems possible that maybe when he was being conditioned or decanted something went wrong. Lenina knows that the soma would make everything better but Bernard will not take his soma. I think that makes this scene significant because there is clearly a reason he does not want the soma. Most world state citizens would take the soma to become happy but not Bernard proving that he is different from the others.
Solidarity Service, pg 78…
In chapter 5, part 2, the scene showing Bernard at the solidarity service helps show Huxley’s view on the dysfunctionality of religion in societies of his day. On the way to the service Bernard clearly sees the whole thing as a hassle and it seems like a complete waste of time. Also on the way, Bernard swears using the word “Ford” at the fact that he is late, this is odd seeing as the service is to worship god which in the World State is Ford. After he arrives late, Bernard is greatly relieved by the fact that he is not the last one to arrive and sits down quickly to avoid attention being drawn to him. This shows Bernard’s paranoia and nervous tension that he expresses throughout the book. The ritual is carried out, reinforcing several values seen in the World State. The people take somma, reinforcing that a gramme is better than a damn. Also enforced is the slogan “community, identity, and stability”, in the service they pray to the greater being to make them 12 in one, establishing their identity as a community. In this scene Bernard seems to be the only one not religiously moved by the service, the others seem to be the most at ease, and satisfied after hearing the greater being. Huxley seems to be satirizing the way people rely on religion to give them a purpose, and to relieve them of thoughts of death. Bernard describes Fifi Bradlaugh’s expression following the service as “the calm ecstasy of achieved consummation, the peace…” Huxley uses this scene to display how religion can cause people to not question authority, and find purpose in their lives that they are carrying out mindlessly. This scene is also important because it is very similar to the religious activity of the “savages” in the reservation that Bernard and Lenina visit.
A scene that holds great importance is the scene where Bernard and Lenina are in the helicopter together. Bernard and Lenina have such contrasting personalities and beliefs that are truly shown in the helicopter. When the storm comes Lenina becomes very frightened and is not used to the disorder of it. She is so used to being “sleep-taught” and taking soma. The storm is so different from these teachings that it ends up conflicting with her. Lenina is someone who goes along with all of the teachings in the World State. Bernard reacts in the complete opposite way of Lenina. He finds the storm calming and enjoys it. Bernard wants to be an individual and not go along with the World State. He does not take and soma regularly and feels guilty after using soma and sleeping with Lenina. He goes against all the teachings in the World Sate and wants to be his own person. In this way, Huxley is trying to show the different personalities of people. He believed the future would have many people like Lenina who would go along with everything they were taught and would not know what to do if there was no order to things. He shows there could be hope with Bernard. Huxley wanted to show that people like Bernard could still exist, wanting to be an individual. Aldous Huxley satirically shows the differences of personalities that he saw as the future in the world.
The solidarity service has to be the most important part of the story in the given section. This in my mind is uncontestable because it is a metaphor for the whole world state. It epitomizes what has been done to the chaos that was once society. It contains all elements. There is religion in praising Ford. Ford surrounds and engulfs these people who grown up thinking these subliminal blasts are typical. They worship the T-symbol made upon the president of the groups’ chest. Ford of course is central in the World State as it is. Another key element is all too present, soma; the chemical that has replaced alcohol and religion. This ceremony bears certain similarities to Catholic services, which ironically has both alcohol and religion. Finally, there is the all powerful hypnopædia, which is displaying how much power those phrases do have on people’s state of being. They also all wrap up into the main thesis of the story, “Community, Identity, Stability” if one accepts that they are assigned this identity that is being reinforced, and the subliminal messages and soma are contributing to their stability. I think Ford is trying to say something about religion in general. The way that all these citizens are going along with this without question seems to perpetuate the ideal that religion has lost its way. That a totally successful service could be held worshipping something(Ford) that doesn’t actually provide any logical comfort aside from a greater presence than your own, may to some point out that some Churches have forgotten what its all truly about. Ford doesn’t promise anything in the afterlife, or even any special help in the present, yet Huxley has made all these subjects follow him almost blindly. I believe many other meanings can also be drawn from this one important scene.
(This is Gilbert Browns his email wasn’t working)
The most important scene in chapter 4 through chapter 5 part 2 is when Lenina and Bernard are flying in the helicopter over the ocean. Bernard for the first time actually questions the unity and overall purpose of the world state by saying “More on my own, not so completely a part of something else. Not just a cell in the social body.” Even though there modo is, everyone works for everyone else. Lenina was so shocked she actually broke into tears. Bernard questions the meaning of being free, is it always to be happy and provided for or being free in your own way not in the same way as the social body. These questions are usually what fuel revolutions or revolts. I think Huxley is trying to say that even though the World State is clean, organized, safe, and always makes you happy, that in a way is a prison because everything is always provided for you and you aren’t allowed to do anything for yourself.
(I was not here friday and was not aware of this until monday. I will be more responsible and check the blog daily. Thank you Mr. Cook -mac)
The scene that is most important was the Solidarity Service Day. It was so ironic and unreal that Huxley wants the reader to feel uncomfortable yet find it also laughable. Bernard takes Lenina to the service which Bernard has to take place in every other week. They arrive to an equal number of people with a ratio of one female to one male. Obviously this leads to sexual acts and the consumption of soma. This shows the idea of the World State and the society that Huxley is mocking. It is the happiness that stabilizes their society and ensures “Community.Identity.Stability”. The taking of drugs and sleeping around is defined as acceptable to ensure their perfect society. Huxley is showing how unacceptable now in his time (and our time) could possibly be acceptable by letting religion and big government distort our morals and enforce to much influence. Huxley shows this by using satire and irony. The group leader of the service has a “T” on his chest that represents the cross and the religion christianity. Huxley is expressing his view of the failures of religion in his society at that time. The soma for instance can be seen as a way Huxley shows that religion and big government can cause people to not question the people in power and society. When they feel unhappy they take the soma which makes them forget their problems and experience peace of mind. If the society did not give them these pills they could possibly ruin the society as problems would be noticed by the people and questions would arise. This Solidary service allows Huxley to make fun of this society that ensures that no individuals question their purpose and the religion and government in his current society that could lead to the World State.
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