"Fake". A word commonly used among teenagers to describe a person who says one thing, yet proceeds to do another. Is someone who acts one way and feels a different way a coward? Or simply smart enough to protect oneself from the unpopular opinion of society which would lead to social suicide? Why not both? A character who immediately comes to mind is Bernard Marx, an a-plus alpha in the famous Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Ironic Bernard was a protagonist in a book titled, BRAVE New World when he proved himself the opposite. He felt this claustrophobic society was sickening, wrong, yet he never did anything about it. So the question resumes, was Bernard really disgusted by this didactic society or was he angry he was an alpha and treated like an epsilon?
There were many themes that could come out of Brave New World and to say Bernard was the only protagonist would be ridiculous. Bernard had complex characterization which led to many different point of views for the audience. Something that all audiences could agree on would be that Bernard did little to change anything he felt strongly about. The whole book was left for the audience to interpret for themselves, from the beginning with the fertilization lab to John the Savages' death. All the protagonists' had the same motif, to feel a certain way and ignore it. The only exception being John. Which leads to the main theme of the book. Being too scared to pursue a lifestyle that you truly long for, that would lead to your own happiness. Bernard wanted respect, Lenina wanted love, John wanted integrity.
Aldous created a society that thrived on sex and drugs. Today's media also tends to thrive on sex, drugs, and scandals. Aldous was pegged as a genius for being able to write this book which foreshadows today's society a bit too well. Not in the obvious way of a dictatorship which people tend to believe as "utopia" but deeper. People's longings, desires, cravings being unacceptable to society. Homosexuality, recreational drugs, art, anything anyone can create because that's who they are. If it makes you happy, is it truly unacceptable? Is it fair for people to have mental breakdowns for having to hide the things that make them who they are? Assuming John took his life because he was disgusted by who he was turning into, he was entertainment for the people of the society he so badly desired. Once he realized he didn't want it, it wasn't who he was, he took a stand. Which is more than we can say about Bernard, who was all but too happy to leave the people to fend for themselves.
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