Short chapter, big irony (Brave New World- 9)

"Then suddenly he found himself reflecting that he had only to take hold of the zipper at her neck and give it one long, strong pull...He shut his eyes, he shook his head with the gesture of a dogs shaking its ears as it emerges from the water. Detestable thought! He was ashamed of himself. Pure and vestal modesty..." (Brave New World, page 145)


So, from this chapter and especially this quote, we are able to see the type of person that John is. While Bernard is away, he searches through Lenina's belongings. He admires all of her clothes and the smells that fill the air. He finally sees Lenina lying on the bed asleep. John stares at her and swoons over her beauty. While gazing upon Lenina, John begins to quote Shakespeare. Not only is he quoting Shakespeare, but he is quoting the love story of Romeo and Juliet. He admires the beauty in Lenina and he longs to be able to touch her hand. He also imagines unzipping her jacket. However, he immediately stops thinking these absurd, "detestable thoughts" because he does not want to ruin her. He looks at her as a pure woman. However, this is very ironic. Although John views Lenina in an immaculate way, she is in fact the very opposite. Simply knowing the society that Lenina lives in would allow one to know the type of person she is. She is not a pure woman of "vestal modesty" but instead, she is a "piece of meat" as Bernard would say. Lenina knows that she is a woman to be used for her sexuality and she has no reason to feel as if this is wrong. Yet, John sees the beauty in her sexuality. He sees the beauty in the femininity of Lenina and he does not want to destroy it by touching her or unzipping her jacket. In creating this irony, the author allows the reader to further establish the differences between the two societies presented at this point. The reader is able to see how the morals and thought processes of the Reservation world and the other world differ. Furthermore, the reader is able to discern whether or not these differences in thinking will have an effect on the characters in the book.