John (the savage)

 

John was born in an Indian savage reservation. His mother Linda once lived in the civilized world and his father is still the director of the hatchery and conditioning centre.

Bernhard and Lenina, two main characters, decided to visit the savage reservation and they discovered, that Linda was impregnated by the D.H.C and that John does not adjust well to this kind of civilization. He expects the new world to be wonderful. The savage believes in God, the family and other values, but people in Brave New World don’t do that.

John in fact grew up with three cultures. The Utopian culture of his mother, the Indian culture he lived in it and the culture of Shakespeare. The last culture also influences his language, that’s why he speaks Shakespearian English.

Because of religious beliefs, he loves hurting himself. John is a masochistc person by nature, suffering is his way of life.

Brave New World is a hedonistic society and so it’s obvious that John the savage doesn’t fit in. A masochist who is thrown into a hedonistic society must suffer.

People in Brave New World are made in bottles and conditioned to do predestined work. People have no families and marriages don’t exist. John is very confused about the fact that this wonderful new world any blood-relationships are forbidden.

The drug called soma is also a very nasty thing for him. If somebody gets angry or depressive, the wonder drug soma is prescribed to heal the problem…This society is a nightmare for him, but there are some people, who worry about him. Lenina is one of them. The savage likes her very much, but these feelings are a big problem for him.

John is influenced on the one hand by Shakespeare and on the other hand by the rituals from the reservation and so he cannot hide his feelings for Lenina. John desires Lenina and he feels terribly ashamed to be attracted by her but he cannot influence his instinct.

This girl is the complete opposite of an “Shakespearian virgin”.

John does not like the civilisation and becomes more and more disgusted with each day. After the death of his mother, John goes crazy. He lectures the epsilons during a soma distribution process but this doesn’t work. Finally he flees to a lighthouse near London.

He prays to God and also whips himself. Reportes start to surround the lighthouse to make pictures for newspapers of John whipping himself.

Lenina arrives too. John sees her and goes mad again. He hits her with his whip. The next morning he realises that he cannot survive in this world and so he commits suicide.