John’s formal acceptance of all the horrors of sickness, poverty, and fear — capped by Mond’s terse “You’re welcome” — ends the chapter. Analysis In this chapter, Mond continues his discussion of the practical philosophy of the world he controls. With Bernard and Helmholtz gone, Mond and John concentrate on […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 17Critical Essays Literary Predecessors of the Aeneid
The foremost influence on Virgil was Homer, the Greek poet who composed the Iliad and the Odyssey. By Virgil’s time, Homer was acknowledged as the greatest of all poets, and Virgil studied Homeric epic poetry in order to develop his own artistic techniques. Writing the Aeneid, Virgil consciously competed against […]
Read more Critical Essays Literary Predecessors of the AeneidSummary and Analysis Chapter 16
Analysis In this chapter — the aftermath of the soma riot — Mustapha Mond discusses the importance of happiness and stability, even at the cost of truth and freedom. In a sense, this is the conversation both John and Helmholtz have been waiting for — the explanation of everything dissatisfying […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 16Virgil Biography
The eldest of three sons — his brother Silo died in childbirth, and Flaccus, his other brother, lived only to young manhood — Virgil came from a prosperous family. His father, an industrious potter and cattle farmer, married his landlord’s daughter, worked at beekeeping, and invested in the lumber industry. […]
Read more Virgil BiographySummary and Analysis Chapter 15
Suddenly inspired, John calls to the Deltas to give up the drug. When they fail to respond, John seizes the soma and throws it out the window, causing a riot among the Deltas. Bernard and Helmholtz arrive to save John, and they become involved in the riot themselves. When the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 15Character Analysis Turnus
Turnus’s character as antagonist serves a similar purpose in the second half of The Aeneid as did Dido’s character in the first half. Turnus’s militant fury is the counterpart to Dido’s erotic fury. Like Dido, Turnus is an individualist who follows his own will to the point of excess, and […]
Read more Character Analysis TurnusCharacter Analysis Dido
Because Juno and Venus manipulate Dido and Aeneas, Dido becomes infatuated with Aeneas. She neglects the building projects that are underway in Carthage and the city’s defense is not maintained. Virgil warns that love out of control can cause disorder, both physically and emotionally. He notes, “What good are shrines […]
Read more Character Analysis DidoSummary and Analysis Chapter 14
The children annoy John, making it impossible for him to speak with his dying mother. When Linda wakes from a soma dream and mistakes her son for Pope, John’s misery turns to fury. At the moment of death, Linda’s terrified eyes seem a reproach to her son. John leaves the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 14Summary and Analysis Chapter 13
The chapter ends with a phone call for John with the news that his mother is dying. Analysis In this chapter, Lenina determines to approach John for sex directly, rather than continuing to wait for him to take her. In her attempted seduction, Lenina uncovers a disturbingly violent side to […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 13Character Analysis Aeneas
In his role as dutiful servant of fate and of the gods, Aeneas never loses sight of his goal. Aeneas is “a man apart, devoted to his mission, a dedicated man.” He tells Dido that he is “duty-bound.” Aeneas faces adversity without ever losing faith in the will of fate. […]
Read more Character Analysis Aeneas