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The journey in Brave New World – that is, the journey that moves the plot forward—is the journey of the main characters (and you the reader) toward an understanding of the problems of the allegedly-perfect World State. And there are many. So what happens when the characters wake up to those problems? Nothing pretty, says Jenny in this Recap.

Video Transcription:

Here’s a handy reading tip. If you think of the plot of Brave New World as happening in two halves, it’ll be a lot easier to remember.

Two halves: Before The Reservation and After The Reservation. That’s the way this book divides up.

Before The Reservation, we spend most of our time getting to know the society of Brave New World.

We learn about the highly-developed process of genetic engineering that has developed a caste system of people ranging from Alphas to Epsilons.

We learn that the society discourages individuality in all its forms—from having faith and experiencing real emotions to having monogamous relationships.

And we meet several key characters—Bernard Marx, who challenges the rigid, drugged-up, sexed-up world he lives in, and Lenina, the woman he brings with him to the Reservation.

After The Reservation, we get more into the philosophical foundation of The World State. Bernard brings John, a white man born on the Reservation, back with him, and we watch as John struggles to understand a completely foreign—and utterly repulsive—conformist society and its citizens.

Ultimately, John can’t come to terms with this brave new world he’s encountered, and after a failed attempt to separate himself from it, he commits suicide.