Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?
The main characters of this novel were John, Bernard Marx, and Mustapha Mond. All of them were interesting and had unique cases, they were not so likeable as a character.
John
John becomes the central protagonist after Bernard and Lenina visits the Reservation. After this incident, Bernard, who was the primary character before fades. John is the son of the Director and Linda, and he is the only major character to have grown up outside of the World State. He has spent his entire life alienated from his village on the New Mexico Savage Reservation, and finds himself unable to fit in to World State society. John's desire first marks him as an outsider among the Indians, since he is not allowed to participate in their ritual. This also demonstrates the big cultural division between World State society and himself, since Lenina and Bernard see the tribal ritual as something very disgusting. Being rejected by both what we might call the "savage" Indian culture and the "civilized" culture of the World State, he is the definitive consequence of rejection and an outsider.
As to whom he is, John's views of the world is mostly based on his knowledge of the plays that Shakespeare has written. This knowledge guides him to state his emotions as well as providing language that allows him to face Mustapha's figurative type of speech. With Shakespeare's words, he can also establish a framework of criticizing the World State's values.
Shakespeare embodies all of the human and humanitarian values that have been abandoned in the World State. John’s rejection of the shallow happiness of the World State, his inability to reconcile his love and lust for Lenina, and even his eventual suicide all reflect themes from Shakespeare. He is himself a Shakespearean character in a world where any poetry that does not sell a product is prohibited.
John’s naive optimism about the World State is crushed when he comes into direct contact with the State. The “brave new world” that he thought gets increasingly bitter, ironic, and pessimistic tone as he becomes more knowledgeable about the State. John’s participation in the final orgy and his suicide at the end of the novel can be the result of an insanity created by the essential conflict between his values and the reality of the world (World State) around him.
Bernard Marx
Bernard is the primary character towards the fist part of the novel, before the introduction of John. He is an Alpha male who fails to fit in his society because of his lower physical stature. He holds eccentric beliefs about sexual relationships, sports, and community events. His insecurity about his size and status makes him discontented with the World State. His first entrance int eh novel is highly ironic. As the Director explains how the World State has successfully eliminated lovesickness, and everything similar to frustrating desire, Huxley gives us our first glimpse into a character’s private thoughts. Bernard is lovesick, jealous, and fiercely angry at his sexual rivals. Thus, while Bernard is not exactly heroic, he is still interesting because he is human. He wants things that he can’t have.
The major movement in Bernard’s character is his rise in popularity after the trip to the Reservation and his discovery of John, followed by his disastrous fall. Before and during his trip to the Reservation, Bernard is lonely and insecure. When he returns with John, he uses his newfoundtool of popularity to participate in all of the aspects of World State society that he had previously criticized before his trip. Essentially, he cravese to do the things that he had once criticized. After John refuses to be a tool of popularity, Bernard is back and lower to where he first started and is lonely and insecure then ever.
Mustapha Mond
Mustapha Mond is the most intelligent person of the World State. He is The Resident World Controller of Western Europe, one of only ten World Controllers. He reads Shakespeare and the Bible and he used to an independent-mined scientist. When his work was discovered, he was given the choice of exile or training to become a World Controller. He chose to give up science and now he censors and controls a totalitarian state. In his opinion, the ultimate goals of humanity are stability and happiness. Emotions, human relationships, and one's own expression is not tolerated. He also keeps a collection of forbidden literature, including Shakespeare and religious writings. The name Mond means “world,” and Mond is indeed the most powerful character in the world of this novel.
Although he was not mentioned as much as Bernard and John, as a World Controller along with his influence on the World State set the fundamentals for this novel.
