The Savage Ethics of Brave New World by Andrew

The Savage Ethics of Brave New World by Andrew - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

Morally absolute characters who challenge the system tend to be a weakness of mine. Because of circumstances that shaped their belief system, they often stand alone as innovative and revolutionary. This is why, time and again, I am drawn to John the Savage, the antihero of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

The civilization of Brave New World is a utopia, where people are conceived by artificial means. Genetically programmed to serve in a predetermined role, they live out their lives from the lowest public servant, called Epsilons, to the topmost intellectuals in science, the Alphas. Moreover, society is devoid of romantic life, and so poly-amorous relationships abound with no thought of jealousy. Spiritual worship gives way to technological worship: "our Ford" replaces "our Lord". And no emotional problem is too big to handle, for the drug soma quells those petty human frustrations.

John's very existence exposes the amorality of Brave New World's manufactured society. Born naturally on a reservation, to a mother who was a Beta outcast, John was a product of a primitive environment. As such, he learns of spirituality and clear-cut concepts of right and wrong. He is drawn to the biblical construct of God, is able to express love, and possesses his own moral compass.

These ideals are all but nonexistent in the advanced society of Brave New World. As expected, his belief system eventually causes him to incite rebellion. He is exiled away from other “free thinkers”, because his beliefs; indeed, his very existence, threatens the stability of the system.

John progresses into something of an idealist. And this is precisely what I admire about him. Even in the face of a soulless society, John refuses to compromise his moral or spiritual beliefs. He does not submit to the social programming of advanced civilization, but rather represents humanity, as it once existed.

The reader can certainly sympathize with his plight. When I read Brave New World for the first time, I could identify with how misunderstood John must have felt. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the scene where John’s mother dies from a soma overdose. He grieves for her, but none of the hospital workers understand why he cries. For they have no family; they were engineered like everyone else, and so familial attachments are foreign to them.

John’s loss underscores the absence of family values in this new society. I often argue that it foreshadows what humanity could become, if stripped of its mores and folkways. We need only look at the American divorce rate to know that family values are not as revered as they once were.

And, with all the new behavioral drugs on the market today, I cannot help but wonder if we too are becoming a soma generation of sorts. I do not discount the medical benefits of psychiatric drugs like Xanax or Adderall; I have seen children and adults improve in thought and deed when these drugs are used responsibly. But I have also witnessed a growing number of families who try to “medicate” an problem in the hopes of it going away. Every time they come up short, for the underlying issue is continually ignored.

John recognized this, which is why he sparks a riot in throwing out trays of soma, telling the recipients it is “poison”. Like Christ with the money changers, he throws out their vice in an attempt to cleanse the temple.

And like Christ, he is crucified for it, in a manner of speaking. He is exiled to a lighthouse atop a hill. Though he is not actively killed, he finds himself an object of ridicule. Upon his realization he will never be able to function in this Brave New World, John the Savage, a man out of time, hangs himself.

Suicide notwithstanding, this is probably what I admire most about this character. There seems to be this inevitable tendency in society, whether real or fictitious, to produce a sort of Christ-like figure, if you will. This person is a bolt that fell out of the machine, and as such, is somewhat removed from society. He can see things the way they really are, and commands others to challenge a system that is corrupt or morally lacking.

And in most cases, this type of character is martyred for their beliefs. Their death then elevates their cause to a crusade, inspiring the masses to reexamine society. As a result, a new system of beliefs, grounded in human rights and spirituality, takes charge.

I admire people like John. In some ways, I grieve with them. They endure unspeakable injustices; suffer horrible losses, yet they persist on with their vision. And while their mission may not succeed until after death, they do eventually get their point across. We need only remember people like Martin Luther King, Jr., or events like the American Revolution, to know this is true.