In a society of perfectly flawless people, Bernard’s flaw — his short stature — marks him for ridicule. The rumored cause, alcohol in his blood surrogate, links him chemically to the lower castes and undercuts his Alpha Plus status. Bernard himself is painfully aware of others’ responses to his un-Alpha-like […]
Read more Character Analysis Bernard MarxSummary and Analysis Chapter 18
In a lighthouse outside London, John undergoes purification for “eating civilization.” Fasting, whipping himself, and vomiting, John strives to exorcise the guilt he feels for Linda’s death and his horror of sexual contact with Lenina. Reporters, film crews, and then crowds intrude on his privacy. When Lenina herself approaches him, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 18Critical Essays The Aeneid as a National Epic
During the century prior to Augustus’s rule, the Roman republic was ravaged by a constant series of civil wars, which caused large human and financial losses. Finally, under Augustus, the state was unified once again. With the restoration of peace and order, and with the government taking an active interest […]
Read more Critical Essays The Aeneid as a National EpicSummary and Analysis Chapter 17
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 Dido