Brave New World Belonging Quotes

John never quite settled down into a true home in Brave New World. The meaningful relationships he tried to establish with Linda, Lenina, and his Indian tribe didn’t work out. Without true connections to people, John’s real home was within himself in a place where he could be by himself. When John finally had hopes of living this way in the lighthouse, he had his hopes ruined by the people responsible for his lifelong solitude. The tragic story of John illustrates many of the author’s most important messages. Without meaning shared with others, how did John find meaning within himself? John was alienated in three places throughout his life, all in differing degrees: the Indian reservation outside of his family’s home, his family’s home within

However, John’s forced exposure to Linda’s sexual relationships placed him far away from that true home within himself, amounting to exile. This exposure was very central in formulating John’s rejection of sexual behavior outside of marriage, thus rejecting a major component of civilized society itself. John transformed this rejection into anger when he thought of the men who visited his mother: “He hated them all – all the men who came to see Linda” (Page 125). As a result, these experiences enriched John by giving his life more direction and leading him to place more value on personal connections with women. When tempted by Lenina’s aesthetic beauty, he erupted, “’Detestable thought!’ He was ashamed of himself. ‘Pure and vestal modesty…’” (Page 145). John was also enriched by reading The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. He felt the book was meaningful to him “because it meant more, because it talked to him; talked wonderfully and only half-understandably” (Page 132). The book encouraged him to read quality works and place more emphasis on understanding and attaining high art. In addition, it made him a more intelligent and morally-directed

London did not live up to John’s high expectations, leaving him to believe that he would never be inside a community, even within his dreams. The behavior of the civilized people ran counter to all of his philosophies and morals. John articulated his frustration with this difference in one telling conversation, “’But you always came before, John.’ ‘That’s precisely why I don’t want to come again.’” (Page 172, John refusing to meet guests). As demoralizing as the experience within London was, it gave John an important glimpse of reality. Righteously so, John elected to live on his own, to his doom, rather than sacrifice the values of meaning that he had hoped to give to