The New World's Lack of Moderation

Many of the conflicts John faces are of his own making. His extremist ideas and strict moral codes cause more emotional turmoil in himself than any other character in the book. He is unable to see that his anger and frustration is caused by himself and not the scapegoat he has created out of Lenina. He is blinded by the ideals he places on others and is then upset when they do not meet his expectations. An example of this would be when he first meets Lenina. He compares her to an excerpt from Shakespeare and recites “who, even in pure and vestal modesty/still blush as thinking their own kisses sin” (144). He has barely met her, yet he pushes the virginal qualities that he wants in a partner onto her. When he inevitably realizes she is nothing like he thought, he angrily attacks her and calls her a whore.

He is not the only character with extreme thoughts. Not a single person in the book has a middle ground. They see things in black and white, or don’t care at all. Helmholtz, the supposed leader of the rebellion, isn’t even open to the thought of marriage or monogamy when he hears of it in Romeo & Juliet. Mustapha understands the same concepts John brings up but argues against them for the New World. Every conflict in the novel could have been resolved if everyone were more open-minded. 

- Angeleen So