Brave New Conditioning

Conditioning... sounds like these kids are getting all sweaty with the lifting of heavy weights, sprinting and whatnot... Oh!... not like that?... Right... I got whatcha need here... please, have a look...

Everyone seems to be disgusted with how the people of the BNW "civilized" society are conditioned. Really, the only reason for this is because we have also been 'conditioned,' for we have been taught a sense of morality and common sense by our parents/guardians and the rest of society. It's just that our common sense and whatnot is different than that of the "civilized" in BNW, but rather closer to those of the "savages." With this, we draw a much deeper connection with John rather than Lenina.

Lenina is a civilized Beta who was conditioned through hypnopaedic methods, without her approval, like everyone else in order to keep a stable society. She learns to worship Ford, throw away her clothes, and take soma whenever she is unhappy; all because of the hypnopaedia, death conditioning, and whatever else they do to those kids.

John is born in the savage reservation under a civilized woman, Linda. Without the huge laboratories and supervisors, he is able to take in a conditioning that is more suitable and natural to us readers. He learns, all voluntarily, of God through the Christian influenced works of Shakespeare. He also learns to accept marriage and love, not only from Shakespeare, but from the Indians he is surrounded by. Because he is outcast from the rest of the Indians, he is able to feel unhappiness, loneliness, and thinks of death and the afterlife.

Altogether, their views utterly differentiate, which causes them to not understand each other. Lenina feels she can jump all over him, get it on, and then move on to another guy. However, John has learned of marriage, love and chastity, so he believes her to be a whore. All that John speaks of when quoting Shakespeare to Lenina is found romantic by most readers, yet she finds it queer.

Their conditioning patterns have allowed them to believe the opposite of each other because the "civilized" and "savages" have different belief systems. The two characters belief systems are based upon those of their societies. In one, they shadow their parents and those around them; yet in the other, they do not get the chance to mimic others... damn hypnopaedia.

If that's not enough for you, I'd be happy to talk more about it with you at some other time... I'm tired of typing... and I'm missing my shows...

Until next time... have a good one... I'll catch you on the flip-flop... Later