Brave New World-Chapter 13

main points:

* Lenina is obsessed with John

* conversation between Lenina and Fanny who encourages her to do the first step

* after she has taken soma she´s willing to do so

* she tries to come up to John who refuses

* he wants to „earn“ her love; show that he´s „worthy“ of her

* Lenina is confused and also mad because he refuses her

* Lenina is unable to express her feelings and can´t find the right words for describing her emotions

* they are misunderstanding each other

* John is having an outburst and attacks her in his blind fury

* Lenina tries to escape by shutting in herself into the bathroom

* John receives a call and leaves

Chapter thirteen basically deals with the definition of „love“ based on different perspectives, in this case Lenina and Johns. To Lenina „love“ is first of all a desire, physically. Because of her conditioning she isn´t able to experience love to the fullest. A lack of emotions is mainly the reason why she is having another view on love. When something like „lovesickness“ occures (she is longing for John) she believes she is sick because she hasn´t experienced a desire like this before. This may also be the reason for her longing after John to be so strong; she really wants to „have“ him. When she finally reaches the point where she gets impatient, she resigns to her friend Fanny who finally encourages her to do the first step. After having taken soma she loses any sense of shame and fear. In this condition she is ready to approach John.

When Lenina enters his room she is trying to get any closer to him but John who has a completly different view on love, refuses. In this case the role of Shakepeare is very important. John identifies himself with Shakespeare´s heroes. To him, Lenina is his Juliet but they can´t be together as in real „Romeo and Juliet“. He thinks he has to „do something“; he thinks he has to earn her love before they can get any further. John is overwhelmed by his feelings and can´t stop quoting Shakespeare. Lenina on the other hand is confused and can´t even find the words for describing her emotional condition. On balance they are both misunderstanding eachother which finally causes John having an outburst (like Othello). In his blind fury he attacks Lenina.

John will never find his luck or real love in the New World; ´he as someone who was born and raised in a totally different world, and under different conditions (view on religion and culture). He is so strongly affected by Shakespeare that he clings to the values of Shakepearian gentleman, and therefor he has a different opinion and view on love.

~ von mi am November 29, 2008.