"But the spell was ineffective. Obstinately the beautiful memories refused to rise; there was only a hateful resurrection of jealousies and uglinesses and miseries."
~ Brave New World, page 203
John has had a very difficult and erratic relationship with his mother, so when she is dying, he has quite an experience in the hospital. He remembers his mother and the joy and support she brought him, but he also remembers the events that plagued their relationship - Pope, the other women, etc. It isn't animals or even inanimate objects in this case that are being personified. John's ideas are given human characteristics which make his emotions much more real to the reader. When the memories "refuse to rise," one can better understand the pain and frustration that John feels. It also gives the reader an image of the intangible ideas performing an action (which is interesting). The anthropomorphism intensifies the ideas and their emotional effect; they seem more vivid. All of this leads to John's emotional undoing when his mother finally dies.
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