Monday, October 15, 2012

In Chapter 11, why is Helmholtz Watson sad when he listens to Bernard's boastings?(I had six girls last week) pp 156~157 Brave New World by...

In his satirizing of Bernard Marx, Huxley shows how
quickly people throw away their attempts to be authentic as soon as people start
treating them as of "outstanding importance."  When Bernard talks with Helmholtz of his
female conquests and growing popularity now that so many are after John, Helmholtz
listens to his boasting "in a silence so gloomily disapproving that Bernard was
offended":


readability="14">

"You're envious," he
said.


Helmholtz shook his head.  "I'm rather sad, that's
all," he answered.


Bernard went off in a huff. never, he
told himself, never would he speak to Helmholtz
again.



The man who was
insulted by the Director's lewd talk of Lenina now has many female partners now,
himself.  The man who wished to look at nature and enjoy the stars, now exploits the
natural man, John.  The man who wished to talk and have a meaningful conversation now
engages in sex with multiple, meaningless partners.  Helmholtz finds this behavior of
Bernard unauthentic and hypocritical since Bernard does
genuinely believe that there are things to
criticize.


However, Bernard is no Helmholtz.  He is weak;
he secretly has always desired to be accepted and respected, instead of having people
whisper behind his back about the alcohol that was accidentally put into his incubating
tube.  Bernard is also deluded:


readability="9">

Intoxicated, he was behaving as though, at the
very least, he were a visiting World Controller. Lighter than
air.



In his delusion, he
writes to Mustpha Mond, lecturing about the "Savage."  The idea of Bernard's lecturing
to him, gives Mond an idea about which he laughs.  Here, indeed, is foreshadowing of the
demise of Bernard.

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