Brave new world - reading log 1

A SQUAT grey building of only thirty-four stories. Over the main entrance the words, CENTRAL LONDON HATCHERY AND CONDITIONING CENTRE, and, in a shield, the World State’s motto, COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY.

These are the first lines Aldous Huxley introduces his novel Brave New world with. I for one did not find them particularly captivating. However the words written in the capital words seem a little bit catching and somehow caught a part of my interest maybe because they might have a primary part further in the novel. Moreover they raised some questions, for instance what is a hatchery and conditioning centre.

 ‘’Brave New World’’ is a very odd title for a novel and I have not found any clear evidence of why the Aldous Huxley has chosen that title. However I am almost certain that the part, ‘’new world ‘’ had something with how the society has evolved and gone through an enormous transformation. As for the ‘’brave’’ part, I believe that it comes from someone who will be doing a very brave thing, for instance have the courage to stand against the society’s oppression.

The first part of the book starts with a director giving students a tour inside the center where people are made. The Director explains how the hatchery and conditioning process works. The Director also mentions that the purpose of this is to create new castes: namely the Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons, all in ranking order. The Alphas are the superior while the Epsilons are the inferior. Those who belong to the lower castes only live to serve the higher castes.

The tour ends with Mustapha Mond, the World Controller of Western Europe, comes and teaches the group of students about how the world have evolved and came to be as it is. During the stories told by Mustapha Mond, some characters are presented, Lenina Crowne, Henry Foster and Bernard Marx.

So far the two main characters in the book are Lennina Crowne and Bernard Marx.

Bernard Marx is an Alpha-male, however he is slightly smaller than the average Alpha. His behavior is also not appropriate for Alphas. As a result, he has very little company and that causes him to feel like an outsider. It is rumored that during the process where he was made someone injected him with alcohol and thereby he did not become as developed as the rest of the Alphas. Bernard is in love with Lenina but he doesn't like her sleeping with other men even though "everyone belongs to everyone else"

Lenina Crowne is a young, popular, beautiful, blue-eyed nineteen years old girl. She is a member of the Beta’s caste, the second best cast after Alpha. She works as a nurse at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre.