Brave New World : Summary

 

Chapter -1

Tour of the Hatchery and Conditioning Centre: Brave New World starts in the year 632 A.F. (After Ford) In this world, there is a Director who works at a place called the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. He is showing a group of male students around the building. This Hatchery is a place where they make people by growing them in a lab, not by normal birth. They make a lot of people live in Western Europe, which is called the World State. The tour starts in a room called the Fertilizing Room. Here, they take eggs from women and keep them in test tubes until they are ready to become people. These eggs will become part of one of five groups: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon.

Henry Foster, a worker, talks about how they make copies of the same person by splitting cells in a process called Bokanovsky. He also explains another process called Podsnap’s Technique. This special method makes eggs grow quickly, so instead of taking 30 years, they only take 2 years to grow. Next, the group goes to the Bottling Room. In this room, each egg is covered in a pig’s stomach lining and put into a bottle. The bottles are placed on a moving belt that takes them to the Social Predestination Room. In this room, they decide if the baby will be a boy, a girl, or a freemartin (a girl who cannot have babies).

The bottles are kept in a place called the Embryo Store for 267 days. Alpha and Beta babies are allowed to grow normally, but the other groups (Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon) are changed so that they will not be as smart or as strong as Alphas or Betas. Gammas are changed a little, and Epsilons are changed a lot. A woman named Lenina Crowne shows how she gives unborn babies medicine to stop them from getting sick, like from typhoid fever. Finally, the tour ends in the Decanting Room. This is where the clones, or copies, are taken out of their bottles and start their new lives.

 

Chapter – 2

Conditioning the Babies: In Chapter 2, the Director talks about the different ways they teach or “condition” people. They bring babies into a room called the Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Room. The babies are given rose petals and colourful books to play with. Suddenly, a very loud siren goes off, and the babies start crying. This is done to make the babies hate nature and books. Then, the babies get a small electric shock, which makes them hate these things even more. When the nurses offer the books again, the babies are scared and cry even louder.

The Director explains that they train Delta babies to dislike nature because relaxing in nature doesn’t help factories run. The World State wants people to use transport and play sports instead. So, the babies are taught to like travelling to the countryside, where they can play sports that need lots of equipment. Next, the Director explains a way of learning called hypnopaedia, or learning while sleeping. In another room, Beta babies are sleeping and being taught lessons called Elementary Class Consciousness. Under each baby’s pillow, a speaker quietly says information over and over again. The voice says that Alpha children, who wear gray, are great. It also says that Gammas, who wear green, are not very smart. The voice reminds them not to play with Deltas, who wear khaki, and that Epsilons, who wear black, cannot read.

 

Chapter – 3 

Social Control: The tour of the Hatchery continues as the Director leads the Alpha males through the grounds. They see children playing a game called Centrifugal Bumble-puppy and also engaging in sexual play, which is considered normal in their society. The Director starts giving a history lesson about why sexual play among little children is accepted now, but he is interrupted by Mustapha Mond, who is the Controller of Western Europe.

Mustapha Mond takes over the lesson. He talks about how life was different in the past before their society was created. He explains that life was hard before, but now, in the World State, life is easy because there is no struggle. After the Nine Years’ War, the leaders of the World State gave people things like happiness by consuming products, a drug called soma, and chemicals that stopped ageing. The people accepted these things because they wanted an easy life, and they worked to support the system.

At the same time, the story shows two different conversations. One is between two women, Lenina Crowne and Fanny Crowne, and the other is between two men, Henry Foster and the Assistant Predestinator, which Bernard Marx overhears. Both conversations are about the sexual rules of their society. The women and men have different opinions, but Bernard feels disgusted because he thinks the men are treating women like objects.

Lenina mentions to Fanny that Bernard asked her to visit the Savage Reservation, and she thinks Bernard is interesting. Fanny is shocked because Bernard is smaller than most Alpha males, has a bad attitude, and seems unhappy with society’s rules. Meanwhile, the men talk about going to the Feelies later. These are special movies where people can see, smell, and feel things like in real life. Throughout these conversations, there are sayings or clichés that encourage people to buy new things, like “Ending is better than mending” and “I love new clothes, I love new clothes.”

 

Chapter – 4 

Chapter 4 – Part 1

Bernard and Lenina’s Plans for the Reservation: After work, Lenina and Bernard are in the elevator going to the roof. Lenina tells Bernard that she will go with him on vacation to the New Mexico Savage Reservation in July. Bernard is surprised because she says this in front of everyone in the elevator. He wonders why she is talking about it in public. Lenina doesn’t understand why Bernard is acting this way and tells him to remind her a week before they leave. The elevator operator announces they have reached the roof and opens the door. He excitedly says, “Roof! Roof!” as if he is seeing the sun for the first time, but then he is called back to work on Floor 18 by the loudspeaker.

Outside, Lenina rushes to meet Henry Foster at the helicopter pad because they are going to play a game called Obstacle Golf. Bernard stays behind and sees Benito Hoover, another Alpha, who looks at him. Benito notices Bernard looks sad and thinks it is because Bernard is short. Benito believes Bernard is short because alcohol might have been added to his blood when he was developing. Annoyed, Benito chews some sex hormone gum. During the helicopter ride, Lenina shows how well her hypnopaedia (learning while sleeping) works. She talks about how ugly the colour khaki is and says she’s happy she isn’t a Gamma who wears green.

Part 2: Bernard Marx feels unhappy with Benito Hoover, Lenina, and his life in general. Lenina upsets him when she says hello to him in front of others and then quickly leaves to meet Henry. Benito tries to help by telling Bernard to take some soma (a drug that makes people happy), but Bernard doesn’t like using the drug to cover up his feelings.

Since Bernard is an expert in hypnopaedia (learning during sleep), he knows that people are taught to think that being tall means being better. Because Bernard is as short as a Gamma male, he feels like people in all the groups make fun of him, not just the higher groups like Alphas and Betas.

Bernard goes to meet his only friend, Helmholtz Watson. Helmholtz is a strong and smart Alpha male who works as a writer for propaganda and teaches at the College of Emotional Engineering. Bernard goes to the Bureaux of Propaganda to pick up Helmholtz. When Helmholtz comes out, three attractive girls ask him to join them for a picnic, but Helmholtz is frustrated and says no. He even slams the helicopter door in their faces.

Bernard and Helmholtz go to Bernard’s room to talk. Helmholtz tells Bernard that sometimes he feels like he has something important to say, but he doesn’t know what it is. While they are talking, Bernard suddenly feels scared because he thinks someone is at the door, but no one is there. The section ends with Helmholtz feeling sorry for Bernard and wishing that his friend had more confidence.

 

Chapter -5 

Chapter 5 – Part 1

Lenina and Bernard’s Separate Evenings: The chapter starts with Henry and Lenina leaving the Stoke Poges Club House after they finish playing a game called Obstacle Golf. On their way to Henry’s apartment in Westminster, they fly over a place called the Internal and External Secretion Trust. This is a dairy farm where cows are used to make hormones for people’s skincare and health products, and they also provide milk for babies. They also fly over the huge Slough Crematorium, a place where dead bodies are burned. The crematorium collects phosphorus gas from the bodies to use as fertilizer for plants.

After arriving at Henry’s apartment, they eat dinner in the communal dining hall, a shared eating area for everyone who lives in the building. After dinner, they have some soma (a drug that makes them feel happy) with their coffee. Then, they walk across the street to the Westminster Abbey Cabaret to enjoy an evening of dancing to music played by the Sixteen Saxophonists, a band that plays synthetic (fake) music. After a fun night, when the club closes, they feel happily tired. They walk back to Henry’s apartment to spend the night there.

Part 2: In this part, we see the other side of the World State’s idea that “Everybody’s happy now.” Bernard Marx goes to his Solidarity Service, which he attends twice a month. He rushes into the big Fordson Community Singery and is glad that he is not the last one to arrive. He sits down and looks at the other people in the group. There’s Morgana Rothschild, a woman with thick black eyebrows that make her look less attractive, and Fifi Bradlaugh, who is very pretty. There are also Joanna Diesel, Clara Deterding, and the last woman, Sarojini Engels, who sits down right before the meeting starts. She sits between Jim Bokanovsky and Herbert Bakunin. The president of the group starts the meeting by making the T sign on his stomach.

The music begins with a fake (synthetic) song called the Solidarity Hymn. The president makes the T sign again. The group then passes around tablets of soma (the happiness drug) and a cup of strawberry ice cream mixed with soma. They chant things like “I drink to my annihilation” and “I drink to the Greater Being.” As they sing the Second Solidarity Hymn, the soma starts to work, and they all chant “Oh, Ford, Ford, Ford” and then “Listen! The feet of the Greater Being.” Each person jumps up and yells, “I hear him,” while loud cymbals and horns play. They dance around the room to a song called “Orgy-Porgy.” Bernard pretends to join in with their dancing and shouting, but he doesn’t really feel excited. Even though everyone else feels united, Bernard feels more lonely and different from the others than he did before the meeting.

 

Chapter – 6 

Chapter 6 – Part 1

Traveling to the Savage Reservation: The chapter starts with Lenina having second thoughts about going to New Mexico with Bernard because she thinks he is strange. Bernard doesn’t enjoy activities like swimming at the Toquay Country Club or playing Electro-Magnetic Golf at St. Andrews because they involve being around a lot of people. Lenina, on the other hand, dislikes the idea of being alone and talking in quiet places. She asks, “Talking? But what about?”

In the end, Lenina convinces Bernard to fly to Amsterdam to watch a women’s wrestling match. On their way back, Bernard hovers the helicopter over the ocean, which scares Lenina. She hates the big, empty space of the sea and the dark, cloudy sky. Bernard, however, loves the feeling of being alone and hates the idea of being just a small part of society. Lenina feels happy in the way the State has conditioned her to be, but Bernard thinks this conditioning is like being trapped in a prison.

They argue about their different views. Bernard likes the real world, even if it makes him unhappy, while Lenina prefers the fake happiness that comes from soma. Bernard wishes they had acted like adults and waited for true passion before sleeping together instead of giving in to their immediate desires.

Part 2: Bernard goes to the Director’s office to get his signature on the permit for his trip to the New Mexico Reservation. At first, the Director seems unhappy with Bernard. But when he sees where Bernard is going, he forgets the rules and starts talking about his own past. The Director tells Bernard that he went to the same place 20 years ago. He took a Beta-Minus woman with him, but during a hiking trip, the woman got lost. After two days of searching, she was never found, and people thought she had died.

The Director admits that he felt sadness and loss, which are forbidden emotions in their society. He also says he still dreams about the woman. Realizing he made a mistake by talking about the past, the Director quickly gets angry at Bernard. He scolds Bernard for not acting like a proper Alpha and threatens to send him to Iceland if he continues to break the rules. Instead of feeling scared or upset, Bernard feels more confident after the Director’s harsh words. Later, he lies to his friend Helmholtz, saying that he told the Director to “go to the bottomless past” before proudly walking out of the office.

Part 3: Bernard and Lenina take the Blue Pacific Rocket to New Mexico and stay in a fancy hotel in Santa Fe for the night. Lenina is very happy because the hotel has everything she loves—beauty products, relaxing items, and her favourite games. There is also synthetic (fake) music playing in the room, which makes her even more excited. The next morning, they meet the Warden of the Reservation to get their permit signed. While the Warden talks on and on about the Reservation, Lenina takes a soma tablet to relax her mind. Bernard, on the other hand, worries that he left his cologne machine running at his apartment and that he’s wasting money.

After their meeting, Bernard calls his friend Helmholtz, who says he’ll check on the cologne machine for him. Helmholtz also tells Bernard that the Director has decided to send him to Iceland as punishment. Bernard gets very angry and upset with both himself and the Director, so he takes four doses of soma to calm down. He falls asleep during their plane ride to Malpais, the village in the Reservation. While Bernard is asleep, the Gamma pilot shows Lenina the electric fence that keeps the “savages” inside the Reservation and kills any wild animals. When they land, the pilot reminds them that gas bombs have been dropped over the years to make sure the people in the Reservation aren’t dangerous.

 

Chapter- 7 

Meeting John and Linda: Lenina dislikes the Pueblo village very much. The dust, bad smells from garbage, dirty animals and people, and unwashed blankets make her feel horrified. Bernard just says that the Indian culture has been around for thousands of years, so the people must be used to it by now. Lenina is shocked when she sees the old, wrinkled faces of the thin, unhealthy people. She wishes she could take soma to help her deal with her disgust, but both she and Bernard forgot to bring it.

The sound of drums reminds Lenina of the fake music from the Solidarity Services and cabarets, which interests her. She is fascinated by the Indian ceremony until she sees a young man being sacrificed. He walks through a pool of snakes while being whipped until he falls down and dies. Feeling sick from all the blood, Lenina and Bernard go back to the adobe house where their guide had left them. Inside, they meet John the Savage, a handsome, golden-haired white man who dresses like an Indian and speaks using quotes from Shakespeare. Lenina is attracted to John’s looks but is shocked when he uses the word mother and when she meets a dirty, overweight white woman.

The woman is John’s mother, Linda, who turns out to be the Director’s girlfriend, whom everyone thought was dead. Linda explains that the Director, whose name is Tomakin, is John’s father. She tells them about her terrible life after the Director left her behind. Like Lenina, she hates everything about the place, especially the wool and deerskin clothes that never wear out and the way the Indians treat her because they only have one partner. She complains about having to drink mescal (a local alcohol) because there’s no soma here. Most of all, she feels ashamed because, even though she used contraception, she still got pregnant as a Beta who used to work in the Fertilizing Room.

 

Chapter – 8  

John’s Story: In Chapter 8, John the Savage tells Bernard his life story. His earliest memory is of being in bed with his mother, Linda, while she sang to him. He was very young then because Popé, a man who spent a lot of time with Linda, picked him up with one hand, took him to another room, and locked him out of the bedroom. John remembers that Linda was often sad because the Indian women were mean to her. After that, Linda started spending most of her time drinking mescal (a local alcohol) with Popé.

One time, John tried to protect his mother when the women were whipping her, but they hit him, too. When he tried to comfort Linda, she got angry and yelled that she didn’t want to be called his mother, saying only animals give birth to their young. But afterwards, she felt bad for saying that and hugged and kissed him. John was happiest when Linda told him stories about the Other Place (the world she came from) and when an Indian man named Mitsima told him Indian myths and stories about the Christian God.

Linda started to teach John how to read, but he didn’t learn much until he was about 12 years old, when Popé gave him a book called The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Whenever the other boys threw stones at him, or when he was not allowed to take part in Indian ceremonies, John would read Shakespeare. Mitsima also taught him how to make pottery, and that made him happy. Bernard asks John if he would like to go back to the Other Place (the World State) with him and promises that Linda will go too. John gets very excited and quotes a line from Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, saying, “O brave new world that has such people in it!” He is eager to leave and says, “Let’s start at once.”

 

Chapter – 9

Bernard’s Plan to Bring John to London: Bernard spends the morning working on his plan to save his job. He talks to Mustapha Mond, the Controller, about the scientific reasons for bringing Linda and John back to the World State. He is careful not to mention the Director’s story about the girl he lost. Mustapha agrees and sends the paperwork to the Warden. When Bernard goes to the Warden’s office to pick up the signed forms, he acts important and pretends he has a close relationship with the Controller, even though it’s not true.

At the same time, John tries to get into the guesthouse, but the door is locked, and no one seems to be there. When he sees Lenina’s suitcase, he breaks in and looks through her clothes, enjoying the feel of the fabric and the smells that remind him of her. Then, he finds Lenina asleep in the bedroom. He kneels beside her and starts reciting lines from Romeo and Juliet, talking about how beautiful she is.

 

Chapter -10 

The Director’s Public Humiliation: The Director picks one of the busiest times of the day to announce that Bernard is being sent to Iceland. At 2:30 in the afternoon, he goes to the Fertilizing Room with Henry Foster. The Director tells Henry that he chose this spot because it’s where many Alpha and Beta workers are present.

When Bernard arrives, the Director greets him and then calls for the attention of all the workers. He announces that Bernard is being exiled because he does not respect the balance between intelligence and responsibility. The Director says that Bernard’s focus on his individuality instead of society makes him an enemy of the state. When asked if he wants to say anything in his defense, Bernard replies, “Yes,” and brings in Linda and John.

Linda recognizes the Director and tells everyone that he is John’s father and that she is John’s mother. The workers are shocked by the appearance of Linda, who used to be one of them, and by the word mother, which is considered dirty. When Linda calls the Director John’s father, the workers are first silent, then they burst into laughter. Humiliated and embarrassed by this, the Director quickly leaves the room.

 

Chapter – 11 

John’s Fame and Bernard’s Popularity: In Chapter 11, John the Savage becomes famous. People are curious about him because he is different from the usual test-tube-born population. He is invited to see different places that show him the culture of the World State. John and Bernard visit a weather observation deck and a helicopter factory. At the factory, John sees many Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon clones who all look the same. The sight of so many identical people makes him feel sick, and he throws up.

Next, they visit Eton, a school for Alpha and Beta boys and girls. In a geography class, John gets upset by a video about his reservation. The video shows Indian people repenting their sins by lying on the ground in front of a statue of Jesus on the cross and whipping themselves. John is also told that the students only read books approved by the World State, and they are not allowed to read Shakespeare. In the Hypnopaedic Control Room, John sees how students are conditioned while they sleep. Instead of being impressed by all this technology, John feels confused and sad.

Bernard, on the other hand, is enjoying being popular as John’s guardian. People want to be invited to his parties, and girls are happy to spend time with him. Bernard writes reports to the Controller, explaining John’s reactions to what he sees, including John’s hatred of soma and his dislike of how the World State makes people act like children. That evening, John goes with Lenina to watch a Feelie, a movie with sensory effects. But John dislikes the movie and its effects.

 

Chapter -12 

John’s Rejection of Society: Bernard’s popularity disappears when John the Savage refuses to leave his room and join another social event. John yells in Indian phrases that Bernard doesn’t understand, but when John spits on the floor, Bernard gets the idea. The Arch-Community-Songster of Canterbury is angry, thinking Bernard tricked him into coming to the party.

At the same time, the Headmistress of Eton and the Director of Crematoria and Phosphorus Reclamation talk with Fanny Crowne about rumours that Bernard’s fertilizing fluid might be faulty. Henry Foster shows what he really thinks of Bernard by saying that the former Director was planning to send Bernard to Iceland.

Lenina is sad and confused because she doesn’t understand why John acts like he likes her but then avoids her when they are alone. That evening, she had planned to tell John that she liked him more than any other man, but instead, she ended up leaving with the Arch-Community-Songster, feeling disappointed.

Upset by being rejected, Bernard becomes grumpy again and blames John for his problems. John responds by saying, “I’d rather be unhappy than have the fake happiness that you have here.” Helmholtz proves to be a good friend by spending time with Bernard and having honest conversations with him. Helmholtz and John get along well by sharing poetry and Shakespeare, but this makes Bernard jealous.

 

Chapter- 13 

Lenina’s Attempt to Seduce John: Lenina is very confused about her feelings for John the Savage, and she can’t stop thinking about him. At work, she gets annoyed with Henry for asking about her mood and tells him to be quiet. She can’t remember if she gave an embryo the right serum for sleeping sickness but sends it down the assembly line anyway. The story hints that this mistake will cause problems years later. After work, Lenina tells her friend Fanny that John is the only man she wants. Fanny thinks this idea is silly and tries to convince Lenina to be with other men as well. Lenina admits that she only cares about John and that even Soma can’t help her forget him. Fanny suggests that she should try to seduce John.

Lenina goes to visit John without telling him beforehand. She asks him how he feels about her. John replies, “I love you more than anything in the world” and tries to explain that he wants to prove his love by doing something heroic. But Lenina ignores what he is saying and starts to seduce him. John is shocked and horrified by her actions and calls her a “Whore! Impudent strumpet!” and slaps her. While Lenina is in the bathroom getting dressed, John gets a phone call saying that his mother is dying. He quickly leaves the apartment to go see her.

 

Chapter – 14 

John Visits Linda in the Hospital: John the Savage arrives at the Park Lane Hospital for the Dying to be with his mother, Linda, before she dies. When he reaches her bed, he notices all the technology around her—there is fake music, constant noise and images from TVs, and soothing smells like verbena to keep dying people happy. But there are no family members or friends to mourn with her.

John holds Linda’s hand as she drifts in and out of consciousness, made numb by the soma in her body. He thinks about his childhood with her and feels sad. Then, a group of identical Delta twins comes in for Death Conditioning, and they interrupt his thoughts. The twins rudely stare at Linda like she’s an animal at the zoo, showing no respect for his dying mother. This makes John very angry, and he stops one of the young children from climbing onto his mother’s bed.

Afterward, John tries to remember the happy moments with his mother, but he can’t. Instead, he feels angry—angry at being left out, at his mother’s confusing love, and at Popé. He is upset that Linda doesn’t recognize him or help him escape from the painful reality of her death and the life he now hates in the Other Place, the world she loved but he despises. When Linda dies, the hospital staff doesn’t comfort John. Instead, they are cold and disgusted by his public display of grief. Angry and upset, John pushes the Delta twins out of the way and runs from the room.

 

Chapter – 15

John’s Revolt Against Soma: After John the Savage leaves the hospital ward following his mother’s death, he finds himself surrounded by a group of Delta females with ginger hair and Delta males with black hair. They are all lining up to get their soma (the happiness drug). John realizes that, just like his mother, these people are controlled by their caste conditioning and drugged by soma. This makes him very angry. Shouting that he will free them, John grabs boxes of soma from the distribution table and throws them out of a window. He yells at the Deltas for acting like children and accepting the life they’ve been forced to live. As the Deltas start getting angry and crowd around him, the police arrive along with Bernard and Helmholtz.

Seeing John in danger from the angry mob, Helmholtz runs to help his friend. Meanwhile, Bernard goes to the police, shouting for help to stop the riot. The police use soma and tranquilizer water guns to calm the crowd. At the same time, a recording called “Synthetic Anti-Riot Speech Number Two (Medium Strength)” plays, repeating calming words. The Deltas hear the familiar voice and start lining up again to get more soma. With the situation under control, John, Helmholtz, and Bernard are taken away by the police.

 

Chapter – 16

Mustapha Mond’s Explanation of the World State: John the Savage, Bernard Marx, and Helmholtz Watson are waiting in the Controller’s office for a meeting with Mustapha Mond to find out what will happen to them. John walks around the room and looks at the books. He finds a fancy black book called My Life and Works by Our Ford, but he isn’t interested in it. Helmholtz sits in a comfortable chair and drinks a cup of caffeine solution given to him by the butler. Bernard nervously picks up the most uncomfortable chair and sits there.

Mustapha Mond enters the room, shakes hands with the three men, and starts talking to John. He begins by saying, “So you don’t like civilization, Mr. Savage.” John honestly replies, “No.” They talk about why the World State doesn’t allow things like literature, art, or history that make people think deeply. Mond explains that because of the way people are genetically made and conditioned, they wouldn’t understand or care about things from the past.

John says he hates seeing so many identical clones, but Mond explains that every caste is important in keeping the World State stable. Mond also shares that he was once a scientist and wanted to explore pure science. However, the leaders didn’t like his ideas, so he chose to become a Controller instead of being sent to an island where he could continue his research. When Bernard realizes that he is going to be banished to an island, he panics and is taken out of the room and given soma to calm down. Helmholtz, on the other hand, is happy with the chance to live with people who are free to express themselves. He chooses to go to the Falkland Islands.

 

Chapter -17 

Discussion on God and Freedom: After Bernard and Helmholtz leave, John the Savage and Mustapha Mond continue their conversation privately. They focus on talking about God and religion. Mond opens a cabinet and shows John three books: The Holy Bible, The Imitation of Christ, and The Varieties of Religious Experience by Henry James. John and Mond debate whether people need God and a spiritual life. John argues that people need God as a constant presence, something that is always true and unchanging. Mond disagrees, saying that people in the World State don’t need God because their lives have no change. Thanks to conditioning and genetic engineering, people get instant gratification, so all their needs and desires are met right away. They don’t have to worry about sickness, ageing, losing money or family, or being alone. Since they don’t have these worries, they don’t need God.

Mond explains that the State gives people rules, jobs, and activities, and they are conditioned to accept these things, so they don’t need a higher power to guide them. John disagrees, saying people should have the freedom to choose whether they want to believe in a higher force like God. He says he chooses to believe in God and wants the freedom to live by his own choices, accepting both the happiness and the sadness that come with those choices.

 

Chapter -18

-John’s Solitude and Tragic End: Back at Bernard’s apartment, Bernard and Helmholtz find John the Savage looking pale and sick. He has been trying to cleanse himself from the bad experiences he had in the World State (the Other Place). Helmholtz and Bernard tell John that they are leaving the next day, and they say their goodbyes. The three friends hug, realizing that their friendship has made them happy.

John asks to live alone, away from everyone. He chooses a quiet lighthouse on the coast near Portsmouth and takes only the basic things he needs to survive until the next spring. He plans to hunt, fish, and grow real food instead of eating artificial food from the World State.

At first, John enjoys living alone, but people find out where he is and start coming to see him, treating him like an animal in a zoo. They shout at him and demand things. He scares away the first group of reporters, but someone films him whipping himself. After the video is released, even more people come to see him, mocking him and asking him to whip himself.

When Lenina and Henry arrive, John tries to scare Lenina away with his whip, but he is overwhelmed by her beauty and starts crying. The crowd gets more excited, taunting him, and the noise of the helicopter makes everything worse. This leads to a wild frenzy, with people taking soma and giving in to passion in a group orgy. The next morning, more people come to the lighthouse and find John hanging from the beams, having taken his own life.