Friday, July 22, 2011

Brave New World: 14

" 'But what is it, John?' she whispered. He did not answer, but only stared into her face with those mad eyes" (194).

The above quote is the beginning of a good situation turning sour. Everything was going great between John and Lenina who finally expressed their feelings for each other. At the point of the above quote, the different backgrounds of the two people becomes extremely evident. Lenina has always gone for whoever she wants. The whole process goes really fast and happens on a whim. For John, he was brought up on Catholic values that save sex for after marriage. He is aghast at Lenina's actions and does not want to be a part of it. John wanted Lenina to marry him, but marriage does not exist in the society they are in. One of the two will have to submit to the others wishes so that they can be happy and love each other.

The chapter also ends in suspense. It ends with a phone call to John and phrases like "I'll go at once" and "Oh, my God!" This leaves readers in suspense, wondering what has happened and what will happen in the coming chapters. The phrase "Oh, my God!" also demonstrates the different backgrounds because Lenina and all others use the phrase "Oh, my Ford!" when expressing astonishment. I personally think that "Oh, my Ford" sounds completely ridiculous, but that just be because I grew up hearing "Oh, my God(gosh)."

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