Brave new world - reading log 2, the conflicts

There are several conflicts, which I see while reading the novel. An internal conflict I see while reading is Bernard, the main character, who as an outsider struggles with how he should act to fit in the society. Even though he knows how to act, he feels as if it is not the way people are supposed to act. He follows, in some extent, the way he feels is the right way to live. However he later realizes that he cannot go on and live without sexual relationships, though when he has been on a "date" with Lenina he is not in the mood to perform any sexual act. He is neither out and consuming like they are supposed to. Furthermore, being different is not helping him get women to like him and want to spend time with him.

Being different also leads to an external conflict between him and the Director. Before Bernard goes to New Mexico, the Director had warned him, that if he did not want to be sent to Iceland he had to accept the norms of the society. When the Director had told Bernard about an incident involving him when he went to NM a couple of years earlier, and when Bernard realized what the outcome of that was, he knew he had an upper hand against the Director. The outcome, the Directors travel companion giving birth to a child, of which he was the father, was in no way accepted in the society. Taking the companion and her son back with him back to London, Bernard had the ability to destroy the reputation of the Director. Bernard did do that when the director was about to tell him about he, Bernard, being transferred to Iceland, which did not happen.

Being the guardian of a beast Bernard became noticed. He later felt bad that he used the beast to get the attention of people. This internal conflict of his occurs when he becomes more involved in the society and acts like the other people. He struggles wether he should keep his up his meetings with other people or if he should act like he always has.

Another conflict I find rather interesting is the conflict between the new world and the old. This is very obvious when John is describing his childhood. His mother Linda, the Director's former lover, was raised and brought up in the new world, her ideas of what is acceptable is different from those in the old world. Many times did she sleep with different and married men. As a consequence she was punished by the wives of the men and was whipped. John, who had not done anything, was ignored by his peers and became whipped as he walked in on the women whipping his mother.