Brave New World #2

Throughout reading chapters 1-11 in Brave New World I have created some questions that have provoked thought.

1. Why haven't others in the society, or the Reservation acknowledged the issues in society?
 2. Why does John quote Shakespeare in his daily life, and in conversations with others?
 3. Why is John afraid to have sex with  Lenina, when he obviously loves her?

These answers have not yet been proven, but I do have thoughts as for what the answers are.

 1. Other people can not realize the issues in the society because they have been brainwashed, and are engulfed in the happiness the World State provides for them. For example, Bernard notices these differences because he is more capable, and different then the others. When living on the Reservation he noted, and enjoyed watching the relationships between a mother and a baby. Things they did not get to see in their society normally because of the nursery. However, Lenina is the opposite, and she does not enjoy life on the reservation because it is different then the life she was taught happiness was in. She portrays her unhappiness when she says, "Queer, Very Queer. This was her ordinary word of condemnation, "I don't like it" (117). This shows how different they are, and why more people are not capable of noticing the issues in the society.

2. John quotes Shakespeare in his daily life because he grew up in a secluded environment. He was raised on an Indian Reservation where he did not learn much about how normal people acted. He was not allowed to participate in the Indian celebrations, so he was isolated even more on top of that. His only touch with society was when his mom's boy-toy brought home a Shakespeare book, and he became obsessed with it. He is able to describe all of his bottled up emotions through the writing of Shakespeare, and he is desperately looking for a sense of belonging with society, so he falls to his feelings and does not know any other way to portray them then quoting Shakespeare. He displays his obsession with Shakespeare when he says, "On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand...." (153). This quote again reiterates his inability to portray his emotions without the use of Shakespeare.

3. John does not want to have sex with Lenina because he wants to have a normal, true relationship with her. I suspect part of his desires for a consistent relationships lie with the failure he noticed his mother have throughout his childhood. Another part of it is that John recognizes the fact that Lenina will never live a life that he would expect of his wife, or girlfriend. She will also be carefree and ignorant. He knows the relationship with her will never work, but she can not understand this due to her brainwashing by the World State. John does not want to have sex with her because of these reasons, and he just wants a normal relationship.