Brave New World, Chapter 7 By Daniel Kirmani & Noah Olsen

Tomorrow’s presentation will be on ch 7 of Brave New World, a chapter where Bernard brings Lenina to a New Mexican Savage Reservation, and Lenina is shocked by the customs and appearances of the non-conditioned ‘Savages’, and is introduced to a woman who came to the Reservation from the outside world.

The chapter begins with Lenina and Bernard arriving in the mesa of the American West, along with a guide. Lenina found the landscape ‘queer’ along with the outfits and  body paint of the Native Americans indigenous to the Reservation. The natives then begin a sacrificial ritual involving whipping and snakes, which shocks Lenina, who is also revolted upon seeing the effects of aging and disease for the first time.

The visitors meet a man named John, who doesn’t appear to be Native American. He mentions how he wished to be the sacrifice instead, but was denied because of his race. He then introduces them to his mother, a Beta-Minus who now is isolated inside the Reservation and starts to complain about her life and begins to start crying. Lenina, having never seen anyone cry, tries to be polite and nod at everything the Beta-Minus says even though all she could really think about is needing soma. It is made apparent to the reader that John’s father is Thomas, the Director of Hatcheries. Linda (the Beta-Minus) then explains to Lenina that she was punished for following her conditioning.

The story of chapter 7 serves to contrast the society of the World State with the society of the Savage Reservation, which is one with relative societal freedom, but experiences other negative aspects of life that the World State does not, such as age, disease, and alcoholism. Bernard and Lenina react in different ways when presented with such new ideas as religion and family, with Bernard being more open, and Lenina not taking a liking to them and calling such things ‘queer’.

Interactive Video:

Discussion Questions:

How do the ‘Savage Reservations’ of Huxley’s Brave New World parallel the ‘Indian’ Reservations of the modern US?