Reading Questions
As You Read…
Several characters, particularly Lenina Crowne, recite nursery rhymes and proverbs
they learned through hypnopaedic conditioning. Create a running list of these
sayings, and use them to draw conclusions about the values of the World State.
Chapter 1
1. The World State’s motto is Community, Identity, Stability. What do these three
concepts have in common?
2. Brave New World is a dystopia about a society that claims to have established a
utopia. Identify the first moment in the novel that strikes you as disturbing or
horrifying. (There is no specific correct answer.) Explain why.
3. In the decades since Brave New World, we have coined a word for what goes on
in the Central London Hatchery. What is it?
Chapter 2
4. What is the purpose of the Elementary Class Consciousness lesson, and of
hypnopaedia in general? What subtle or unseen forces attempt to shape values
in our own society?
5. “to the astonishment of his crash and crash”—Explain in one sentence what
Huxley is expressing with this seemingly nonsensical phrase in chapter 2.
Chapter 3
6. Identify at least three distinct rhetorical strategies Huxley uses in the paragraph
immediately following “history is bunk.” Remember that a rhetorical strategy
does not need to be a specific device we have named and studied.
7. Briefly analyze Mustapha Mond’s purpose in his discussion of “home” and how he
uses rhetorical strategies to achieve it. (NOTE: The narrator adopts Mond’s
perspective for much of this passage, so you may consider non-dialogue text.)
8. As seen in this chapter, “pneumatic” is a compliment in Brave New World. What
does it actually mean, and what does that imply about humanity’s self-image?
9. What are the expected sexual norms in the World State, and how does Lenina
deviate from them?
10. Amidst a whirlwind of intersecting conversations, we hear a great deal about the
origins of the World State. By what various methods did the government do away
with the institutions of the old world? What did they use to replace them?
Chapter 4
11. What hypothetical example of a “dirty joke” does Lenina give in this chapter?
Why is this a dirty joke, according to what you know about the World State?
12. Describe Helmholtz Watson’s fundamental problem as he articulates it in this
chapter.
Chapter 5
13. Explain the phrases “depressing stars” and “happy ignorance of the night.”
14. What specific aspects of society heighten the division of classes?
15. What do you make of the acute detail devoted to the senses, particularly sounds
(as in the description of the synthetic music) and sights (especially colors)?
16. What is soma and what are its effects? Why does the government permit, indeed
encourage, its citizens to use it?
17. Identify several instances when "Ford" is used in the same way as "Lord" or
"God." What might Huxley be suggesting?
Chapter 6
18. What makes Bernard so "odd" by the standards of the time? In what ways are
Bernard's thoughts and behaviors similar to Winston's in 1984? Find three quotes
from Bernard that exemplify his “oddness.”
Chapter 7
19. Compare the description of Malpais to the description of London at the beginning
of chapter 1. Pay particular attention to word choice.
20. Analyze Huxley's diction and syntax in the paragraph beginning "But a little later
it was reminding her a good deal less of that innocuous function." In what ways
do his rhetorical choices contribute to the mood and tone at this point in the
story?
Chapter 8-9
21. What play does John happen to open to in the Complete Works of William
Shakespeare?!?! Who is speaking in the passage he reads, and about whom?
22. Quote two passages in which Huxley uses rhetorical strategies to communicate
the effect that Shakespeare’s language has on John.
23. How and why are Bernard and John similar?
24. John is, in some ways, tied to two disparate cultures; however, certain similarities
do exist between these two “worlds.” Identify and explain a few of these
similarities.
Chapter 10
25. How does the definition of orthodoxy in BNW compare with that in 1984? Refer
particularly to the paragraph beginning, "I know. But that's all the more reason
for severity." How does your own interpretation of orthodoxy compare?
Chapter 11
26. What has led to the change in the temperament of Bernard? What does this
suggest about Bernard's personal priorities? About the society's priorities as
evidenced through Bernard?
27. What causes the Savage to vomit? Why do you think he vomits immediately after
quoting, “O brave new world…”?
28. What causes the Beta-Minus geography students to laugh?
29. How do Lenina's and the Savage's reactions to the film emphasize their cultural
differences?
Chapter 12
30. Bernard shifts from feeling alone to confident to alone again. What causes these
shifts? Are the forces internal, external, or both? What greater truths about
human nature might be revealed in these transformations of character?
31. In 1984 O'Brien claims that the motive of the Party is the accumulation and
perpetuation of power. What is the goal of the governing forces in Bernard and
Lenina's society? Reference the idea of the "Sovereign Good."
32. Do you agree with Bernard's assessment of friendship: "One of the principal
functions of a friend is to suffer (in a milder and symbolic form) the punishments
that we should like, but are unable, to inflict upon our enemies"?
33. Review Ampleforth’s appearance in Book 3 of 1984. In what ways is Helmholtz
similar to Ampleforth?
34. Why does Bernard want revenge on Helmholtz and the Savage?
Chapter 13
35. Why does the Savage want to do something "base" for Lenina? What does this
suggest about the Savage?
36. Huxley uses the word zip frequently during the scene between the Savage and
Lenina. Why might Huxley have made such a big deal of zippers?
Chapter 14
37. Why is the nurse at the Park Lane Hospital for the Dying surprised by the
Savage's distressed questions and expressions?
38. Analyze the narrator's tone in the paragraph that begins "The nurse stood
irresolute, looking now at the kneeling figure by the bed." Rather than using
dialogue or characters' thoughts, Huxley implies some of his personal ideas
through the narration itself in this paragraph. What is he suggesting here?
39. Why don't the Bokanovsky children know what the Savage is saying when he
says, "Oh, God, God, God…"?
Chapter 15
40. Analyze the diction Huxley uses to describe the twins in the vestibule of the
hospital. Based on the diction, what can you infer about the Savage's feelings
about the twins?
41. What becomes "luminously clear" to the Savage in this chapter, and what unfolds
as a result?
Chapter 16
42. According to the Mustapha Mond, why does this society have no use for old
things? Compare this to the ideas about the past expressed in 1984.
43. When the Savage asks why the citizens cannot read Shakespearean plays such as
Othello, Mustapha Mond replies, "Because our world is not the same as Othello's
world. You can't make flivvers without steel--and you can't make tragedies
without social instability." Why would tragedy—or great art in general—be so
difficult to create in the World State? What do you believe are the requirements
for creating great art?
44. In this chapter, Mustapha Mond describes experiments the government
performed in the past in Cyprus and Ireland. Explain these experiments and
what each one supposedly proved.
45. What sort of sacrifice did Mustapha Mond make in his past? How does this relate
to what is unfolding with Bernard and Helmholtz?
46. Mustapha Mond argues that science has offered great benefits to the society
depicted in Brave New World; however, he also claims, "We can't allow science
to undo its own good work." What does he mean by this? Do we need to "listen"
to this warning today?
Chapter 17
47. To what texts is Mond referring when he showcases his "collection of
pornographic old books"? Why is this description ironic?
48. Agree with/disagree with/modify Mond's statement: "God isn't compatible with
machinery and scientific medicine and universal happiness."
49. The Savage previously suffered because he did not fit in with the community in
Malpais; now he suffers because he cannot stand the overemphasis on
community and stability in the World State. What does this contradiction suggest
about the nature of human happiness?
50. This chapter ends with the Savage claiming he will willingly take old age,
ugliness, apprehension, too little to eat, etc. Why does he say this? Based on
previous evidence in the text, do you think he is fit to deal with all these forms of
unhappiness? Why/why not?
Chapter 18
51. Describe some of the instances of self-inflicted pain and suffering the Savage puts
himself through in this chapter. Why does he inflict pain and suffering on
himself? What bigger argument is he making?
52. Develop a theory about the behavior of the major players in the second-to-last
scene of the novel (see chart on next page). Why do they each behave as they
do, and in the case of John and the crowd, why does their behavior change?
John
Lenina
Crowd
Initial
Behavior
Explanation
Change in
Behav.
Explanation
53. Analyze the end of the novel. What larger point(s) might Huxley be making by
ending it this way? How does the ending of this text compare with that of 1984?