Brave New World

by

Aldous Huxley

John (the Savage) Character Analysis

John is born to a woman from the World State, Linda, who gets stranded in a Savage Reservation in New Mexico. His father is the Director. He spends the first 20 years of his life on the Reservation, and though the Reservation natives treat him as an outsider, he still picks up their religious and moral values (like the importance of self-denial and a belief in monogamous marriage), and develops a love of Shakespeare, whom he quotes frequently. John is eager to see the World State, since his mother describes it as a paradise, but once there, he thinks that World State culture is immoral, infantilizing, and degrading to humanity. He is attracted to Lenina, but he is repulsed by the promiscuous sexuality she’s been conditioned to practice, and he turns on her when she tries to seduce him, repeatedly hurling the Shakespearean insult “strumpet.” After Linda dies from soma abuse, John stages a brief rebellion in the hospital vestibule. When he’s arrested, he debates Mustapha Mond at length about the importance of truth versus happiness and stability, arguing that he’d rather be unhappy and free than living under World State slavery. Accordingly, he soon moves into a remote lighthouse, where he can be alone and self-sufficient, practicing austerities like whipping himself if he becomes too cheerful or daydreams of Lenina. When the World State media and curious spectators start flocking to the lighthouse, including Lenina, he ends up sparking a massive orgy. The next day, he hangs himself in shame.

John (the Savage) Quotes in Brave New World

The Brave New World quotes below are all either spoken by John (the Savage) or refer to John (the Savage). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Dystopia and Totalitarianism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

"O brave new world," he repeated. "O brave new world that has such people in it. Let's start at once."

Related Characters: John (the Savage) (speaker), Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne
Related Symbols: Shakespeare
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

“Put your arms around me...Hug me till you drug me, honey...Kiss me till I'm in a coma. Hug me honey, snuggly...”

Related Characters: Lenina Crowne (speaker), John (the Savage)
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

"Free, free!" the Savage shouted, and with one hand continued to throw the soma into the area while, with the other, he punched the indistinguishable faces of his assailants. "Free!" And suddenly there was Helmholtz at his side–"Good old Helmholtz!"—also punching—"Men at last!"—and in the interval also throwing the poison out by handfuls through the open window. "Yes, men! men!" and there was no more poison left. He picked up the cash-box and showed them its black emptiness. "You're free!"

Howling, the Deltas charged with a redoubled fury.

Related Characters: John (the Savage) (speaker), Helmholtz Watson (speaker)
Page Number: 213
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

“The world's stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get... And if anything should go wrong, there's soma.”

Related Characters: Mustapha Mond (speaker), John (the Savage)
Page Number: 220
Explanation and Analysis:

You've got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art.

Related Characters: Mustapha Mond (speaker), John (the Savage)
Related Symbols: Shakespeare
Page Number: 220
Explanation and Analysis:

“Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.”

Related Characters: Mustapha Mond (speaker), John (the Savage)
Page Number: 221
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

“There's always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears—that's what soma is.”

Related Characters: Mustapha Mond (speaker), John (the Savage)
Page Number: 238
Explanation and Analysis:

"In fact,” said Mustapha Mond, “you're claiming the right to be unhappy.”

“All right then,” said the Savage defiantly, “I'm claiming the right to be unhappy.”

Related Characters: John (the Savage) (speaker), Mustapha Mond (speaker)
Related Symbols: Shakespeare
Page Number: 240
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Brave New World LitChart as a printable PDF.
Brave New World PDF

John (the Savage) Quotes in Brave New World

The Brave New World quotes below are all either spoken by John (the Savage) or refer to John (the Savage). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Dystopia and Totalitarianism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

"O brave new world," he repeated. "O brave new world that has such people in it. Let's start at once."

Related Characters: John (the Savage) (speaker), Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne
Related Symbols: Shakespeare
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

“Put your arms around me...Hug me till you drug me, honey...Kiss me till I'm in a coma. Hug me honey, snuggly...”

Related Characters: Lenina Crowne (speaker), John (the Savage)
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 15 Quotes

"Free, free!" the Savage shouted, and with one hand continued to throw the soma into the area while, with the other, he punched the indistinguishable faces of his assailants. "Free!" And suddenly there was Helmholtz at his side–"Good old Helmholtz!"—also punching—"Men at last!"—and in the interval also throwing the poison out by handfuls through the open window. "Yes, men! men!" and there was no more poison left. He picked up the cash-box and showed them its black emptiness. "You're free!"

Howling, the Deltas charged with a redoubled fury.

Related Characters: John (the Savage) (speaker), Helmholtz Watson (speaker)
Page Number: 213
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

“The world's stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get... And if anything should go wrong, there's soma.”

Related Characters: Mustapha Mond (speaker), John (the Savage)
Page Number: 220
Explanation and Analysis:

You've got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art.

Related Characters: Mustapha Mond (speaker), John (the Savage)
Related Symbols: Shakespeare
Page Number: 220
Explanation and Analysis:

“Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.”

Related Characters: Mustapha Mond (speaker), John (the Savage)
Page Number: 221
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

“There's always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears—that's what soma is.”

Related Characters: Mustapha Mond (speaker), John (the Savage)
Page Number: 238
Explanation and Analysis:

"In fact,” said Mustapha Mond, “you're claiming the right to be unhappy.”

“All right then,” said the Savage defiantly, “I'm claiming the right to be unhappy.”

Related Characters: John (the Savage) (speaker), Mustapha Mond (speaker)
Related Symbols: Shakespeare
Page Number: 240
Explanation and Analysis: