Exam: Brave New World

Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

The excerpt below is taken from Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Answer the three assignments.

Assignments:

1) Summarize the excerpt in no more than 200 words.
2) Explain Linda’s social status in the reservation.

3) Discuss the relation between the World State and our society in Germany in the year 2009.

Poor Linda lifted her

face and with closed eyes ecstatically contemplated the

bright remembered image. “And the river at night,” she

whispered. Great tears oozed slowly out from between her

tight-shut eyelids. “And flying back in the evening from

Stoke Poges. And then a hot bath and vibro-vacuum

massage... But there.” She drew a deep breath, shook

her head, opened her eyes again, sniffed once or twice,

then blew her nose on her fingers and wiped them on the

skirt of her tunic. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said in response

to Lenina’s involuntary grimace of disgust. “I oughn’t to

have done that. I’m sorry. But what are you to do when

there aren’t any handkerchiefs? I remember how it used to

upset me, all that dirt, and nothing being aseptic. I had an

awful cut on my head when they first brought me here.

You can’t imagine what they used to put on it. Filth, just

filth. “Civilization is Sterilization,” I used to say to them.

And “Streptocock-Gee to Banbury T, to see a fine

bathroom and a W.C.” as though they were children. But of

course they didn’t understand. How should they? And in

the end I suppose I got used to it. And anyhow, how can

you keep things clean when there isn’t hot water laid on?

And look at these clothes. This beastly wool isn’t like

acetate. It lasts and lasts. And you’re supposed to mend it

if it gets torn. But I’m a Beta; I worked in the Fertilizing

Room; nobody ever taught me to do anything like that. It

wasn’t my business. Besides, it never used to be right to

mend clothes. Throw them away when they’ve got holes

in them and buy new. “The more stitches, the less ritches.”

Isn’t that right? Mending’s antisocial. But it’s all different

here. It’s like living with lunatics. Everything they do is

mad.” She looked round; saw John and Bernard had left

them and were walking up and down in the dust and

garbage outside the house; but none the less confidentially

lowering her voice, and leaning, while Lenina stiffened

and shrank, so close that the blown reek of embryopoison

stirred the hair on her cheek. “For instance,” she hoarsely

whispered, “take the way they have one anoher here. Mad,

I tell you, absolutely mad. Everybody belongs to everyone

else – don’t they? don’t they?” she insisted, tugging at

Lenina’s sleeve. Lenina nodded her averted head, let out

the breath she had been holding and managed to draw

another one, relatively untainted. “well, here,” the other

went on, “nobody’s supposed to belong to more than one

person. And if you have people in the ordinary way, the

others think you’re whicked and anti-social. They hate and

despise you. Once a lot of women came and made a scene

because their men came to see me. Well, why not? And

then they rushed at me ... No, it was too awful. I can’t

tell you about it.” Linda covered her face with her hands

and shuddered. “They’re so hateful, the women here.

Mad, mad and cruel. And of course they don’t know

anything about Malthusian drill, or bottles, or decanting,

or anything of that sort. So they’re having children all the

time – like dogs. It’s too revolting. And to think that I ...

Oh, Ford, Ford, Ford! And yet John was a great comfort

to me. I don’t know what I should have done without him.

Even though he did get so upset whenever a man ...

Quite as a tiny boy, even. Once (but that was when he was

bigger) he tried to kill poor Waihusiwa – or was it Popé? –

just because I used to have them sometimes. Because I

never could make him understand that that was what

civilized people ought to do. Being mad’s infectious, I

believe. Anyhow, John seems to have caught it from the

Indians. Because, of course, he was with them a lot. Even

though they were so beastly to him and wouldn’t let him

do all the things the other boys did. Which was a good

thing in a way, because it made it easier for me to condition

him a little. Though you’ve no idea how difficult that is.

There’s so much one doesn’t know; it wasn’t my business

to know. I mean, when a child asks you how a helicopter

works or who made the world – well, what are you to

answer if you’re a Beta and have worked in the

Fertilizing Room? What are you to answer?”

(762 words)

by Daniel Eiken