In a work of fiction, a writer uses different characters to evolve a story and convey his idea through their personality. Without characters and their development, the story cannot progress. Characters in Brave New World of Aldous Huxley not only shows his vision of the future state but also satirizes the current inclinations of the western countries to apply science and technology for social edification. Some of the major characters of Brave New World have been discussed below.
Characters in Brave New World
Character #1
Bernard Marx
Bernard Marx, one of the major characters, appears when the trip to the Hatcheries and Conditioning Center is underway. He works there as a sleep-learning specialist and belongs to Alpha-plus class in the World State. Despite his elite status, he feels like a misfit in that society. His maladjustment to this social setup is attributed to the accident of alcohol in his blood which stunted his growth. Also, his independent thinking gives him mental autonomy which shows him partly feel like human beings.
Several of his behavioral traits show that his conditioning stays incomplete despite belonging to the elite class. That is why he emotional as well as indifferent to most of the solidarity services and sports. Even, he avoids taking soma and does not tolerate Lenina enjoying life with others. He causes the downfall of the director but also goes into exile for his own behavior. His final meeting with Helmholtz Watson proves a nail in his coffin as he is banished from the World State forever.
Character #2
John the Savage
John, another major character of the novel, is an illegitimate son of the Director and Linda, John has stayed on the Savage Reservation in the first part of the novel. It is fascinating to note that John is not native to any of these places; he is an outsider at the Reservation and in the World State. Except for reading Shakespeare and quoting it extensively, John seems to have little knowledge of the morals and moral codes except what he has learned about Malpais. He could not, however, understand how his mother is a prostitute when the Malpaisian males also want to enjoy with her time despite pledging monogamy.
Though he visits the World State, he does not leave his values of poetic understanding. He rejects the technological and scientific advantages of the World State and loves human freedom and honor. During his isolation, he commits suicide as he fails to integrate with the society.
Character #3
Helmholtz Watson
Belonging to the Alpha class, Helmholtz Watson is a career educator in the College set up for emotional engineering. He is a friend of Bernard Marx. Bernard Marx desires to be like Helmholtz who is not only strong and attractive but also very intelligent. Despite having the same dislike for the World State, their reason behind dislikes is different. Similarly, he is also like John and loves poetry and criticizing the World State. He is later exiled for reciting a poem and helping John to waste soma. He finally leaves for the Falkland Islands, thinking it as a great opportunity toward freedom
Character #4
Lenina Crowne
Lenina is a nineteen years old girl. Professionally, she works as a fetus technician in the Hatchery and Conditioning Center. She feels lucky to be among the freemartins of the World State. She is promiscuous in the free society of the World State and develops relations with everyone she meets. However, she chooses to stay have relationship with Henry Foster for a few months. She suppresses her emotions with soma. With Bernard Marx, she enjoys life at Reservation and returns to the World State. She also tries to seduce John, but he rejects her forward thinking. Her fate seems unknown when the novel ends.
Character #5
Mustapha Mond
He is one of the ten controllers of the World State and is not only civilized but also intelligent and knows how to keep the World State stable. He knows what people should know and what not to keep the society stable. He is also aware literature and art must be sacrificed for the greater good of the society to increase the happiness of others. Although a trained physicist, he loves to make people happy through his unique historical refrain of “History is bunk” and the suggestion of using soma. Mustapha Mond has his own concepts about courage, chastity and other moral values. He claims that these values are not beneficial for the greater good of society. He also permits Bernard to bring John and his mother to London.
Character #6
Henry Foster
Henry is a complete Alpha male and in a relationship with Lenina for a few months and then leaves her. He is often discusses Lenina’s physical features with his colleagues. Bernard becomes angry over this unexpected behavior of Foster. Despite his intelligence, he is considered a traditional member of the elite class. He is different from Bernard and Helmholtz and appears to be an ideal citizen of the World State.
Character #7
Linda
Linda belongs to the Beta-minus class of the World State. She is John’s mother and worked in the Fertilizing Room of the hatchery in the World State. She meets with an accident and is lost in the Reservation during her visit with the Director. Later she gives birth to his son, John the Savage. Although she stays in Malpais and becomes a prostitute, she doesn’t adjust herself to the environment. She constantly recalls the World and soma until her death, finding no comfort except through Pope’s mescal. She ends her life by taking a higher dose of soma after John warns her that it is a poison.
Character #8
Thomas
Known as the D.H.C. or the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, Thomas is also called Tomakin. He appears in the earlier chapters of the novel delivering a lecture to the students about his department. He belongs to the Alpha class of the World State and is charmless and pedantic and also finds Bernard’s behavior non-conformist and tries to send him to Iceland. However, Bernard’s revelation of him fathering John the Savage on Reservation puts him in an awkward situation. He finally resigns from his post out of shame.
Character #9
Fanny Crowne
Fanny is the friend of Lenina Crowne and presents herself a conventional woman of the World State. Although she has the same last name as Lenina, she is not her sister and also advises Lenina to be promiscuous, and that should not stay with one man. Although she seems fully conditioned, it is surprising that she advises Lenina about lovers, specifically, in the case of John the Savage.
Character #10
Benito Hoover
Benito meets Lenina, as he likes her for being pneumatic. He belongs to Alpha class of the World Society with a hairy body and good nature. His name shows the amalgamation of two other figures from history; Benito Mussolini and Herbert Hoover.