“I am I, and I wish I weren't.” Each individual within society is in a constant battle with being moral or immoral, which is shown in our actions and points of views. John the Savage in “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley has all of the necessary skills to be a part of the futuristic society presented by the new world, but yet he still doesn’t fit in. He is looked down upon those living within the “World State” , which causes them to alienate John without even realizing that he is just as qualified as they are. This elicits pathos and sympathy from the audience since Huxley developed John as a character who is relatable and understandable through the struggles and cliches that he must go through such as fitting in and finding out what your true morals are compared to society’s ideals.
“If one's different, one's bound to be lonely.” Huxley immediately provides the audience with sympathetic feelings toward John the Savage through his name. The usage of the word savage causes the audience to feel bad for him since he is being called something that he is not. He is being called that due to the fact that he stands up for what he believes in even if it’s against society’s morals and shares his faults openly. The explicit imagery of his mother being beaten to a pulp tears through the emotions of the audience and causes John to be portrayed as a mistreated individual dealing with incredibly difficult issues, which elicits compassion and sympathy. In addition to his flashbacks, John the Savage is extremely passionate and that is shown within his actions. The death of his mother is a perfect example of how he isn’t afraid to express how he feels unlike those around him since that isn’t socially acceptable due to the fact that the “World State” doesn’t believe in the concept of family. His emotions pour out of him uncontrollably and leave him in an emotional vulnerable state in which causes him to act irrationally. His emotions take over his logical thoughts and that is why he ends up killing himself since he is unable to deal with the pain and grief. His suicide leaves the audience in that similar vulnerable state since they were able to relate with his emotions on a deep level, leaving the audience with the urge to save him, but weren’t able to in time.
“I'd rather be myself," he said. "Myself and nasty. Not somebody else, however jolly.” The characterization of John the Savage created by Aldous Huxley in “Brave New World” develops sympathy and various other emotions through literary techniques such as imagery, allusion, and synesthesia. He may have been called a “savage”, but he was not considered one from the audience’s point of view.
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