Brave New World #4

Phelps, Entry #4

    Dear Bethany, I think the people of the society do have morals but they are perverted or hidden by the soma. For example. Bernard and Helmholtz have the urge to go help John when he was in the riot even though it would not benefit them at all. When Bernard sees John in the riot he was, "urged by a sudden impulse, ran forward to help them; then thought better of it and halted"(214). I just think it is instilled into them as a society to be selfish or to do things that benefits themselves or the society. Plus, they are pretty drugged with the soma all the time-- and even get soma rationing. I think the soma buries the moral law inside them so they do not see anything wrong. Also, do you think that the lower castes get rationed soma and the upper castes don't because the Alphas are smarter and have to be drugged more? I think that's why they freaked out so much when Bernard was not taking soma or sleeping with girls because they were afraid he was too aware.

    I think the author chose to have John recite Shakespeare because he uses a lot of devices to appeal to people's emotions. The people from the society do not understand what the big deal about love is-- because they've never experienced it. Helmholtz, unable to comprehend Romeo and Juliet, thinks, "getting into such a state about having a girl-- it seemed rather ridiculous"(184). I think the people in the society are almost not taught to have feelings for each other and sex is such a common things and nothing special. We also see this when Lenina does not understand why John won't "have her". John quotes Shakespeare and says, "If thou dost break her virgin knot before all sanctimonious ceremonies may with full and holy rite"(191). He thinks that they should get married before sleeping together, thus adding another contrast between his morals and the morals of the society. I think John's "love" for Lenina is under false pretences. I don't think he really loves her-- I think he just likes her because she's pretty or something. Also, I think Lenina seems to like guys who are "different" like Bernard and John. Maybe it is because subconsciously she is unsatisfied with the society. What do you think? Do you think John really loves Lenina or Lenina really likes John?

     One thing that I found very disturbing in the section was the scenes at the "Senility ward"(198), which is like an old folks home for people that are dying. I was very disturbed by the "death conditioning". Basically, they just had kids hang around the dying people so they would get used to death and not be frightened by it. The nurse did not understand why John was so upset that his mom was dying because she had been death conditioned. The nurse says,"undoing all their wholesome death conditioning with this disgusting outcry-- as though death were something terrible, as though any one mattered as much as all that!"(206). I think as well as being death conditioned they are also conditioned not to get attached to people because she did not understand that John will miss his mother when she's gone. What do you think about the death conditioning? 

    I also think we learn in this section that John does not like London and definitely did not live up to what his mother had told him about it. He thinks to himself, "that beautiful, beautiful Other Place, whose memory, as of a heaven, a paradise of goodness and loveliness, he still kept whole and intact, undefiled by contact with the reality of this London"(201).