The Winner Takes it All

What happens at the end of Brave New World?
John dies but then what? What are the consequences of his death?
After finishing Brave New World I felt very unsatisfied with how it at ended. From the beginning of the book we are meant to be horrified by the New World Order. The clinical way they discus mutilating young children leave us (or at least me) upset. They as we see the ways they have stripped away personal freedoms I once again felt very uneasy. As much as I hate to admit it, the New World Order is extremely efficient in their heinous actions. Their society is built in a way that it's nearly impossible to escape their conditioning and to become a free-thinking individual. They mention in the book how each subconscious propaganda is broadcasted over 150 times. Personally I hated the New World Order but their methods were effective. Throughout the book I was hopping that we could see the New World Order crumple or at least some sign of resistance. However at the end of the book nothing had changed. John had died but the society had continued to move on. T With John, Bernard, and Helmhotlz gone then there doesn't seem to be any more disruptions in for this society. So with John dies everything goes on as normal. The true "winner" in Brave New World would be the New World Order

Comments

  1. Ayat JaberFebruary 18, 2019 at 2:54 PM

    That's exactly the reason I didn't like this book: nothing happened. The society didn't change. No one cared that John died, or even really listened to what he had to say. They shut out his ideas with soma or Mond's persuasive logic, and the only ones he had to actually talk to where Helmholst and Bernard, who ended up leaving him behind as he was unable to go with them to the island. I didn't like this utopia at all either, but their methods were effective because nothing happened. Maybe after John's death something happened, but we won't ever know. I wish Huxley had made an uprising of some sort instead of ending the book this way.

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  2. HadiyahFebruary 20, 2019 at 12:13 PM

    I didn't really like the ending either because I wanted someone to be able to change things for the better, but it makes sense that nothing happened. They have so carefully designed their society so that everyone is "happy" and stable. They got rid of individuality and took away people's worth because they are so replaceable. Since everyone is replaceable and no one really cares about anyone else, it makes sense that neither John, Bernard, or Helmholtz made an impact. An uprising just doesn't seem possible in this society.

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  3. Samantha ChurovichFebruary 20, 2019 at 3:00 PM

    I can definitely see where you're coming from. As Ayat said, really nothing happens, and that's frustrating! Especially towards the end, I felt like BNW lost a complex, moving plot and instead became more character-focused... which is admittedly not my favorite style of novels. Honestly, either for better or for worse, I was hoping to see some progress made by the characters and/or the World State. However, like you mentioned, perhaps this was the point? The New World Order reigned victorious in maintaining absolute control because their efficient system. Although the latter makes for a fairly glum ending, I am still trying my best to find meaning in it.

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  4. Minji ChoiFebruary 21, 2019 at 6:54 PM

    I would agree that the "winner" of the story is the society. It was almost a no-brainer because as you mentioned, the society showed no signs of being affected by any of the seemingly "rebellious" characters. While I also agree that I was also looking for some kind of resistance, I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't have made sense for there to be one because there wasn't enough build-up, and I think Huxley meant for the society to be portrayed as powerful and untouchable.

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  5. Ayah JaberFebruary 23, 2019 at 12:40 PM

    I see where you are coming from, but I also think that the ending is sort of rad in the sense that readers are always expecting the ending to be so drastically different from the way the book started (either an issue is solved, or another issue is introduced, etc etc.) BNW ended the way it started, and through I personally am not a fan of those kinds of novels, I can understand and appreciate it.

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  6. samilFebruary 24, 2019 at 3:20 PM

    Personally, I see Huxley using BNW as more of a political commentary; and thus has no need to wrap up the book and provide it some conclusive plot ending. In terms of what we walk away from the book feeling and the thoughts it provokes, I think John dying and the machine of the New World Order moving on fits and is effective. By leaving the book without a bow-tie ending, I think that we are stimulated to think more deeply about the real world and consequences around us.

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  7. CatalinFebruary 25, 2019 at 7:24 AM

    What really struck me about the World State in BNW was that whenever you thought that some character could step up and rebel against the government, there was always a really good excuse for them not to. It became really clear that no one could really rebel because they were all engineered in one way or another, either with genetic engineering as embryos or through the hypnopaedic conditioning, to be completely loyal to the World State.

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  8. Dante FreundFebruary 26, 2019 at 8:23 AM

    I feel that the ending is much more poetic then a grand "oh we saved the world" cliche. We are used to books and movies ending on very happy notes, and the absence of this in the world Huxley created is intentionally discomforting.

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  9. Alex HiggsFebruary 27, 2019 at 6:32 AM

    To be honest it was sort of a relief to not follow the way "normal" books work. Although in my heart I was sad that it wasn't a "happy ending". In the end the "good guys" can't always win, and that's life and an important lesson to learn.

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  10. AlbertFebruary 27, 2019 at 7:27 PM

    I think the ending was almost profound in a way. The lackluster finale of the book makes you consider John's death with a more critical lens. Personally, after the ending, I started to think about whether John's death was any different from continuing to exist in the Brave New World's society. He would be miserable in the society actively suppressing all of the values that he had held dear to his heart or simply meeting death. I don't know. I liked the ending. It leaves you on a uneasy but contemplative note.

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  11. Ahmad BobatFebruary 28, 2019 at 10:29 AM

    I agree as well. This books ending was shit. There was tons of potential in the beginning, with Bernard questioning how the world in run, Hemholtz doing the same, and even the director and Mond had places where they showed interest in what the world was like prior to the World State. The book reached its climax, with the intoroduction of John. Their whole world was pulled into Johns story. Authority was starting to be questioned. But then, nothing happened. It is as if the auther reached his deadline and gave up.

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  12. KevinMarch 2, 2019 at 5:04 PM

    I agree that the way the WS is designed is really quite intelligent in not providing people a way out, as evidenced by the ending. Certainly, soma plays a huge part in this, by keeping the people temporarily happy and under control. Without it, I think the WS might collapse, as citizens would really have no reason not to revolt.

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  13. JackMarch 2, 2019 at 6:08 PM

    Here's the thing: in my opinion, BNW is pretty much all around unlikeable, but there's also not really another way it could be. All the characters are unlikeable, and that's kind of the point. Huxley is pointing out how his world makes people like that through no fault of their own. And the ending sucks, both narratively and just in terms of being even mildly satisfying or uplifting. But his point is that this world will never end, and there's really no other way it could go. I guess the fundamental problem with BNW in my eyes is that it's trying to shock the reader to get it's point across, but the ways it chooses to shock the reader also have the unfortunate side effect of making the book kind of un-enjoyable/unsatisfying.

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  14. Sparsh S.March 7, 2019 at 10:26 AM

    The ending is very unsatisfactory as it goes against the status quo. The protagonist is always supposed to come out on top or at the very least change society in some way, but in BNW no such thing happens. I believe Huxley intentionally used this tactic to emphasize the theme seen throughout the novel. The ending demonstrates that the definition of a utopia is subjective; one may believe society is perfect while the other is horrified at it. In the end, it does not matter as society will continue on whether you like it or not.

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  15. Sarah H.March 8, 2019 at 7:17 PM

    I think the beauty in BNW lies in its very unsatisfactory ending. As much as we would have loved to see a revolution rise up and defeat the powers that be, BNW tells a story that has been repeated throughout history: the destruction of cultures. Throughout human history as each tribe, country, or empire sought to expand their power they also sought to destroy their societies. For example, take America's expansion into the west and the boarding schools they created to Americanize their children. BNW is certainly not the first society to rob their people of their past and they most likely won't be the last.

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  16. Nicole SoutheyMarch 10, 2019 at 9:32 AM

    Although unsatisfying it was technically what would be the most likely had this been a real society. I think especially in a society where people are born listening to subconscious messages to change their ways of thinking 3 people who don't fit the mold of the society are no problem to deal with. The new world order is very well thought out so to have John come and disturb decades of industrialized society would be a little cheesy in my opinion.

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  17. MaddieMarch 10, 2019 at 11:52 AM

    I agree that the ending was very unsatisfying. Plus, I also thought it would’ve been nice to see some problems throughout the society, like a rebellion or something. Though, I think the book does work the way it was written.

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  18. GrantMarch 10, 2019 at 1:21 PM

    I think the ending was unsatisfying but i needed to happen. the book isn't a typical tale of the good guys win and bad guys lose, it is a window into a soul crushing society that could happen to us unless we watch out. To me it seemed like a warning more than a feel good story; so the ending fits, even if it doesn't feel good.

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