Brave New World

Novel | Aldous Huxley

Evaluate the symbolic significance of John the savage in the novel “Brave New World.”

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Evaluate the symbolic significance of John the savage in the novel Brave New World Brave New World is one of the most famous novels written by Aldous Huxley In this novel John the Savage is one of the most symbolic and tragic characters He stands between two worlds It is the primitive world of nature and the artificial world of machines John becomes the voice of truth and morality in a society without love or faith He symbolizes human emotion individuality and spiritual freedom that the World State has destroyed Through him Huxley expresses the moral heart of the novel Symbol of Natural Birth and Humanity John is the only character in the novel who is born naturally All others are created in laboratories His natural birth makes him a symbol of real humanity In the artificial world of bottles and machines he represents the miracle of life He loves

his mother Linda while others never know their parents His family bond shows human emotion that science has replaced John s very existence questions the cold mechanical life of the World State Symbol of Knowledge and Literature John learns about life through The Complete Works of Shakespeare His reading gives him moral and emotional depth He quotes A man can smile and smile and be a villain This line shows his ability to see false appearances His love for Shakespeare stands against the shallow entertainment of the World State He finds in literature the truths of love sorrow and honor that people in London have forgotten Thus John becomes a symbol of wisdom and lost culture in a world of ignorance Symbol of Rebellion and Freedom John rejects the artificial pleasures of the World State He refuses soma free sex and blind happiness He says What would it be like if I were free not enslaved by my conditioning This quote though spoken by Bernard reflects John s struggle for freedom John s rebellion is both moral and spiritual He wants the right to feel pain love and sorrow His desire for truth makes him a living protest against scientific slavery Symbol of Moral Purity and Faith John believes in spiritual values that others ignore At the Solidarity Service people shout Oh he s coming to worship Ford instead of God John sees this as blasphemy He believes in purity prayer and discipline When Lenina tries to seduce him he cries out in pain and anger His moral purity stands as a beacon of light in a dark world His faith and conscience symbolize the human soul fighting against corruption Symbol of Tragic Truth and Sacrifice John s end carries the deepest symbolic meaning He says I ate civilization By this line he means that he is poisoned by its sin He cannot live among people who have no feeling or faith His whipping and final suicide show the death of true humanity in a heartless world John s tragedy is the tragedy of mankind which is destroyed by its own progress Through his death Huxley demonstrates that science without morality leads to despair Now we can say that John the Savage is a powerful symbol of human conscience and natural truth He represents the soul that suffers in a world ruled by machines and pleasure His love for literature purity and freedom makes him the true civilized man among savages His tragic death reminds readers that a society without faith emotion and morality can never achieve real happiness or peace

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