Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Two Similar Characters?

"What the two men shared was the knowledge that they were individuals.  But whereas the physically defective Bernard had suffered all his life from the consciousness of being separate, it was only quite recently that, grown aware of his mental excess, Helmholtz Watson had become aware of his difference from the people who surrounded him." - Brave New World, page 67.


In chapter four, the reader gets a further, more complicated insight into Bernard's personality as well as an introduction into a new character's (Helmholtz Watson) personality and problems.  We already knew that Bernard was different and because of it he suffered.  We learned that he was shorter than the people of his caste and in this chapter we discovered that it is difficult for him to gain respect from lower caste members who associate him with a lower caste.  Bernard wants nothing more than to be able to enjoy the life he "rightfully" deserves with ALL the benefits of being an Alpha.  His dissatisfication with the system is what led him into befriending Helmholtz.  Helmholtz just longs for more meaning to his life and believes that he has much more to offer.  Clearly, the only difference between these two people is the basis for their dislikes and compared to Helmholtz, Bernard is merely immature, childish, and quite a complainer.  More importantly, I feel, is the notion that there is obviously a flaw in this "perfect" society.  Not everyone is content on how they stand in life.  This is mostly confirmed by an earlier scene where one Epsilon cries longingly, "Roof!...Oh, roof!"  It shows how conditioning cannot totally elliminate a person's need for space, beauty, and most importantly, air!

1 comment:

  1. I also see Bernard and Helmholtz as being almost united in misery. They are mainly friends because they are both disliked by others of their caste. I agree that the society that is "perfect" contains flaws in several aspects of the lifestyle and the way they do things.

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