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If you’ve ever felt alone, misunderstood, or even a little bit isolated, you’ll probably relate to one of Brave New World's motifs. Check out this Recap for more on alienation.

Video Transcription:

Have you ever noticed how sometimes you can be completely surrounded

and still feel utterly alone?

Stinks.

That’s what’s called alienation. And in Brave New World, alienation is a motif.

This is pretty scary, right?

Well then, imagine this.

And then imagine what it’s like to be surrounded by people who are supposed to be exactly like you, but who aren’t really like you at all. Talk about alienating.

Alienation plays a key role as a motif in Brave New World not just because Bernard, Helmholtz, and John all experience it at different times and in different ways. It also plays a key role because it reinforces the way liberty has become corrupted.

Take Helmholtz. He’s been designated an Alpha Plus and has been conditioned to conform. But he’s too intelligent. And his intelligence makes him feel alienated.

Ironically, this alienation is actually a form of freedom: Helmholtz literally can’t conform. He’s an individual whether he likes it or not.

And yet, in a society as rigidly mapped out and controlled as the one in Brave New World, psychological alienation can ultimately only lead to literal alienation. Helmholtz is exiled before order is even momentarily threatened.