Following the Crowd- 20

"Drawn by the fascination of the horror of pain and, from within, impelled by that habit of cooperation, that desire for unanimity and atonement, which their conditioning had so ineradicably implanted in them, they began to mime the frenzy of his gestures, striking at one another as the Savage struck at his own rebellious flesh, or at that plump incarnation of turpitude writhing in the heather at his feet." (Brave New World, page 258)


The ending of this book thoroughly confused me. But from this quote, I think a theme was instituted. These people have had sayings drilled in their head starting at infancy of what they were supposed to do. Their whole life was planned out for them and they were not to differentiate from society. I think there is a theme of corruption  and perfection there. The people in power strive for a perfect world when in reality there is no such thing. 


I think John symbolizes the victim. He is someone who wanted to belong but wanted to belong to a society who did what was morally right. Whether he lived in the uncivilized or civilized world, he never fit in. I think there was the theme that everyone desires to belong to something and few people are brave enough to speak out against an injustice. John lived in a world that did not accept him and I think he realized that in the end. It was sad to see how the people treated him and it makes me realize how this kind of situation exists in our world today.