Thursday, July 7, 2011

A Trip to the Zoo (Chapter 11/ Pages 153-171)

"It was John, then, they were all after."

~ Brave New World, page 156

In the novel, John is often called a Savage because of his previous life on the Indian Reservation. Everyone wants to see him, to observe his odd behavior and hear his blasphemous ideas. It's funny that they all call him a savage, as they would an animal, because they all treat him like an animal; he might as well be the zoo's new exhibit. And Bernard knows that he holds the key to that exhibit, so he uses John to gain social status.

However, it's also rather funny that they would be treating him like the animal. In a way, he is much more civilized than they are. John can utilize his human quality of restraint and self-denial, unlike the citizens who have been taught to act on instinct, impulse, and immediate gratification. So now who is the real animal?

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