Brave New World
Literature Notes
Plot summary
Introduction
1. Tour of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre
a. Explanation of reproductive strategies used in Brave new world, including
Bokanofskification.
b. Psychological conditioning explained.
c. History of world state is explained (9 years’ war resulted in complete erasure
of all history and new world developed.
2. Lenina agrees to go on vacation with John
a. The social relationships between characters are explained as Lenina is
encouraged to be promiscuous and Bernard is disgusted by Henry Foster and
Benito Hoover talking about her like “meat”
3. Bernard and Helmholtz socialize about their dissatisfaction with the brave new world
4. Henry and Lenina go on a date
5. Bernard attends a Solidarity Service
Vacation and revelation
1. Bernard and Lenina vacation at the Savage Reservation
2. Bernard meets John and Linda (and connects the dots that the director is John’s
father)
3. John recounts his life story to Bernard
4. Bernard returns to London with John and Linda
London
1. The director confronts Bernard and he exposes Linda and John.
2. John experiences life in London and is disgusted by the industrialization
3. John refuses to attend Bernard’s party and Bernard drops back to the bottom of the
social ladder
4. Helmholtz and John discuss Shakespeare
5. Lenina attempts to have sex with John and he rejects her
6. Linda dies
7. John starts a riot
Judgement and Exile
1. Bernard, Helmholtz and John meet with Mustapha Mond and Mustapha reveals the
façade of the BNW
2. John and Mond debate
3. John commits himself to exile
a. John forces himself to suffer to purify himself from experiencing the BNW, he
chooses to feel pain and suffering (in contrast to BNW choice to never feel
pain)
b. The BNW citizens become obsessed with observing him
c. They come to his sanctuary to watch him like an animal in the zoo
, d. He sees Lenina and whips her, the crowd turns this into an Orgy Porgy and
John is subjected to the Orgy and soma
e. John commits suicide.
Themes
Totalitarianism
Quote What it shows (1 sentence) Alternate
uses
Community, The world state motto, shows their Dystopia
Identity, Stability core values in the BNW
Generalities are The world state would rather people Individuality
necessary evils have general ideas than full knowledge
because it prevents them from seeking
more information and knowing too much.
As little of [an idea] ^^
if they were to be
good and happy
members of society
All conditioning aims No one is unhappy because everyone is Emotion
at…: making people like conditioned to be content
Individuality
their unescapable social
dystopia
destiny
Books and loud The associations made in Science and
noises, flowers and conditioning to prevent people from technology
electric shocks reading and enjoying nature
Dystopia
Moral education, The morals in brave new world are
which ought to never nonsensical, but they are truths
in any circumstances, because they are conditioned.
to be rational.
History is bunk Shows the erasure of history and Dystopia
culture in BNW
I am free, free to Lenina’s justification when Bernard Individuality
have the most says she is not free. Shows that
Dystopia
wonderful time!! people are conditioned to believe
they are happy and free Emotional
desensitization
, It is their (alphas) Shows the expectations of people
duty to be infantile, in BNW to be “infantile” and behave
even against their promiscuously
inclination
These drums beat out Lenina felt comforted by the fact that
just the same rhythms the drums mirrored orgy porgy drums.
Shows how the world state uses drums to
soothe people and condition them.
Oh, I wish I had my Shows Lenina’s reliance on soma and Emotional
soma the conditioning that people naturally seek desensitization
their soma
Death conditioning Self-explanatory. Emotional
begins at 18 months desensitization
dystopia
We don’t encourage Shows that the world state tries to Individuality
them to indulge in encourage community and eradicate
solitary amusements isolation
As though death were The nurse’s inner monologue as she is Dystopia
something terrible in dismay over John’s sadness over his
mother’s death
Happy and good. The mantras said to the wild deltas to Dystopia
Happy and good. sedate them from their riot. Shows how
Emotion
the world state uses messaging
throughout life to control people.
They’re so Mustapha Mond’s justification for Dystopia
conditioned that they why everyone is happy. Conditioning
Individuality
practically can’t help makes it so that no one feels they
behaving as they aren’t unhappy and that they don’t
ought to behave long for more
Universal happiness Justification for how universal Emotion
keeps the wheels happiness furthers the economy in
steadily turning BNW
God in the safe and Shows control of media Dystopia
Ford on the shelves
The greatest care is How the world state prevents wars Emotion
taken to prevent you and also shows the type of
Dystopia
from loving anyone too relationships encouraged in BNW
much
A society of Alphas How the world state creates the caste Dystopia
couldn’t fail to be system so that people are always doing
Individuality
unstable and miserable the jobs that others don’t want to. Shows
the fundamental flaw they saw in
Literature Notes
Plot summary
Introduction
1. Tour of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre
a. Explanation of reproductive strategies used in Brave new world, including
Bokanofskification.
b. Psychological conditioning explained.
c. History of world state is explained (9 years’ war resulted in complete erasure
of all history and new world developed.
2. Lenina agrees to go on vacation with John
a. The social relationships between characters are explained as Lenina is
encouraged to be promiscuous and Bernard is disgusted by Henry Foster and
Benito Hoover talking about her like “meat”
3. Bernard and Helmholtz socialize about their dissatisfaction with the brave new world
4. Henry and Lenina go on a date
5. Bernard attends a Solidarity Service
Vacation and revelation
1. Bernard and Lenina vacation at the Savage Reservation
2. Bernard meets John and Linda (and connects the dots that the director is John’s
father)
3. John recounts his life story to Bernard
4. Bernard returns to London with John and Linda
London
1. The director confronts Bernard and he exposes Linda and John.
2. John experiences life in London and is disgusted by the industrialization
3. John refuses to attend Bernard’s party and Bernard drops back to the bottom of the
social ladder
4. Helmholtz and John discuss Shakespeare
5. Lenina attempts to have sex with John and he rejects her
6. Linda dies
7. John starts a riot
Judgement and Exile
1. Bernard, Helmholtz and John meet with Mustapha Mond and Mustapha reveals the
façade of the BNW
2. John and Mond debate
3. John commits himself to exile
a. John forces himself to suffer to purify himself from experiencing the BNW, he
chooses to feel pain and suffering (in contrast to BNW choice to never feel
pain)
b. The BNW citizens become obsessed with observing him
c. They come to his sanctuary to watch him like an animal in the zoo
, d. He sees Lenina and whips her, the crowd turns this into an Orgy Porgy and
John is subjected to the Orgy and soma
e. John commits suicide.
Themes
Totalitarianism
Quote What it shows (1 sentence) Alternate
uses
Community, The world state motto, shows their Dystopia
Identity, Stability core values in the BNW
Generalities are The world state would rather people Individuality
necessary evils have general ideas than full knowledge
because it prevents them from seeking
more information and knowing too much.
As little of [an idea] ^^
if they were to be
good and happy
members of society
All conditioning aims No one is unhappy because everyone is Emotion
at…: making people like conditioned to be content
Individuality
their unescapable social
dystopia
destiny
Books and loud The associations made in Science and
noises, flowers and conditioning to prevent people from technology
electric shocks reading and enjoying nature
Dystopia
Moral education, The morals in brave new world are
which ought to never nonsensical, but they are truths
in any circumstances, because they are conditioned.
to be rational.
History is bunk Shows the erasure of history and Dystopia
culture in BNW
I am free, free to Lenina’s justification when Bernard Individuality
have the most says she is not free. Shows that
Dystopia
wonderful time!! people are conditioned to believe
they are happy and free Emotional
desensitization
, It is their (alphas) Shows the expectations of people
duty to be infantile, in BNW to be “infantile” and behave
even against their promiscuously
inclination
These drums beat out Lenina felt comforted by the fact that
just the same rhythms the drums mirrored orgy porgy drums.
Shows how the world state uses drums to
soothe people and condition them.
Oh, I wish I had my Shows Lenina’s reliance on soma and Emotional
soma the conditioning that people naturally seek desensitization
their soma
Death conditioning Self-explanatory. Emotional
begins at 18 months desensitization
dystopia
We don’t encourage Shows that the world state tries to Individuality
them to indulge in encourage community and eradicate
solitary amusements isolation
As though death were The nurse’s inner monologue as she is Dystopia
something terrible in dismay over John’s sadness over his
mother’s death
Happy and good. The mantras said to the wild deltas to Dystopia
Happy and good. sedate them from their riot. Shows how
Emotion
the world state uses messaging
throughout life to control people.
They’re so Mustapha Mond’s justification for Dystopia
conditioned that they why everyone is happy. Conditioning
Individuality
practically can’t help makes it so that no one feels they
behaving as they aren’t unhappy and that they don’t
ought to behave long for more
Universal happiness Justification for how universal Emotion
keeps the wheels happiness furthers the economy in
steadily turning BNW
God in the safe and Shows control of media Dystopia
Ford on the shelves
The greatest care is How the world state prevents wars Emotion
taken to prevent you and also shows the type of
Dystopia
from loving anyone too relationships encouraged in BNW
much
A society of Alphas How the world state creates the caste Dystopia
couldn’t fail to be system so that people are always doing
Individuality
unstable and miserable the jobs that others don’t want to. Shows
the fundamental flaw they saw in
