Brave New Essay

Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.  Do not merely summarize the plot. (Found this prompt on Allison Brown's blog but I'am going to change it up and describe how it affects two characters; Bernard and John)


      Where you come from profoundly shapes who you are. Whether it's the community of people you interact with or the physical environment in which you live, they've all helped mold you into the person you are today. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Huxley creates a futuristic society filled with advanced scientific practices.  Things like books and nature are shunned while polygamy is encouraged. This society has a great impact on human individuals such as Bernard Marx and John the Savage.
         From the second Bernard Marx was hatched he was conditioned into the top caste class of Alphas whom of which are designed to be the perfect human beings. Unlike the other Alphas, however, Bernard is short like the lower class castes which makes him feel weak and inadequate. Insecure due to his inferior physical stature, Bernard Marx spends most of his time alone criticizing the world. In Brave New World, spending time alone is rather peculiar so the other characters keep a safe distance between themselves and Bernard, aiding in Bernard's insecurity. Nevertheless, when Bernard sees the opportunity to call out the Director, he immediately takes it and soaks up the attention. "'And I had six girls last week', he confided to Helmholtz Watson. 'One on Monday, two on Tuesday, two more on Friday, and one on Saturday. And if I'd had the time or the inclination, there were at least a dozen more who were only anxious...'" This shows how the caste system of this world greatly affects the personal identity of Bernard Marx.
          Only having heard stories of this World State, John the Savage is exhilarated to have the opportunity to visit. Having said that, after a few days of exposure to the citizens' ways John is horrified and disgusted. "'Don't you want to be free and men? Don't you even understand what manhood and freedom are?' Rage was making him fluent; the words came easily, in a rush. 'Don't you?'" Alternating from his religious savage reservation to this new world, John finds himself going against his values and morals when he gives himself away to Lenina. Disgusted with himself, John rebels against the World State and throws soma bottles out the windows in hopes to free the people. He purges and whips himself in order to cleanse his body of the sins he's committed and of the negative society he has associated with. In the end, John is unable to deal with his guilt of giving into the new world's ways and having sex with Lenina, that he commits suicide so that he can free himself. 
          The World State's caste systems subdued its citizens and left them with no identify. The biologically engineered bodies and excessively conditioned minds of the people left no room for individual thoughts. Unable to deal with these ways of the new world or the fact that they have changed their personalities, Bernard and John rebelled. In conclusion, the psychological and moral traits of both Bernard Marx and John the Savage were significantly influenced by Huxley's new world.