Brave New World Opinions: Discuss & Debate

Opinion:

“The value of solitude is different for different characters. For John, Helmholtz, and to a lesser extent, Bernard, isolation is productive. Their feelings of loneliness and discontent actually bring them together for brief moments of solidarity. To some extent, all of them develop a deeper understanding of themselves from their moments of private reflection. But Bernard’s spiritual development is short-lived. We discover that all of his angst is not true belief in his self-worth but a way of compensating for his physical deficiency – his stunted height. Once he is threatened with exile, his big brave façade disappears. Helmholtz and John, however, have the courage to embrace their respective punishments (self-inflicted or otherwise) as an expression of their individuality. Helmholtz is fired up about living with fellow exiles on a stormy island and hopes that the adverse conditions will help him write expressively. John, however, makes the most out of his individuality. He turns his isolation from debilitating loneliness (on the Indian Reservation) to a proud assurance of his own uniqueness and self-worth. Early on, he dedicates himself to understanding himself in a spiritual way and believes firmly in the existence of God and the human soul. His reading of Shakespeare doesn’t hurt either. He believes suffering in solitude is the only way to make his I-am-an-individual statement while simultaneously purging his soul in readiness for heaven. His ultimate sacrifice comes when he renounces his human body, something his fellow citizens would never do, by killing himself – putting EVERYTHING at stake in his belief that there is an afterlife and that he will be rewarded for his virtue.”

posted by jasonwiener - 14 days ago

Citations/Sources:

http://www.shmoop.com/intro/literature/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-great-gatsby.html
http://www.shmoop.com/literary-devices/literature/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-great-gatsby.html
http://www.shmoop.com/character-roles/literature/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-great-gatsby.html