Chapter 10

Summary

The time is 2.27 at the Central Hatchery and everything is proceeding as always in embryo development and conditioning. But a worried and grave Director is coming into the Fertilizing Room where he meets Henry Foster. They talk about someone who wants to meet the Director in the room that has the largest number of high-case workers to make an example of the person who is coming. Foster says that one person is not a big loss, the community is what counts.

Then Bernard comes into the Fertilizing Room, he backs off. The Director asks that all the workers stop what they are doing right now and listen to him. He then starts itemizing examples of Bernard’s bad behavior. Then he turns to him and asks him why not pronouncing sentence now. That’s Bernard’s chance. He opens the door and John and Linda appear.

Because Linda looks very old already, a gasp of horror moves through the workers. When she recognizes the Director she asks him if he remembers her. “You made me a baby.” And she uses the word mother. The room becomes silent, the Director is shaken. Now John runs to him and falls on his knees saying “My father.” after being called. Everybody in the room laughs and the humiliated Director runs out of the room.

Characters

The most important characters in this chapter are the DHC, Bernard Marx, the workers in the “Bloomsbury Centre”, Linda and John.

The DHC at first shows up very self-confident. He blames Bernard having an unorthodox behaviour. But in the next second, when Bernard opens the door and Linda and John appear, he is as small as a little mouse.

Linda and John are the one who are able to more or less destroy the DHC’s perfect world. Because John is the DHC’s son and says falling on his knees “My father!” every worker in the room laughs. So the Director himself acted against the law and so is not better than the humans living in the Reservation.

Bernard actually gives the Director a last chance to show his control and his might by saying that Bernard will be put to the low-class workers and sent to the Iceland but in the next second he demonstrates his might and his control over the Director by opening the door and letting Linda and John in.

Important Quotes

An important quotation is the part when the director describes the revelation of the scandal: “He came in at once, paused for a moment just inside the door, looked round, then soft on his moccasined feet strode quickly across the room, fell on his knees in front of the Director, and said in a clear voice: ‘MY FATHER!!!!’”

It is important because it is the part where the Director gets smashed down psychologically and in front of the workers.


”This is a hive of industry!”
The Director’s metaphor is truer than he realizes. All social insects exist in a strictly regulated society, each ant, bee or termite living out its life while dutifully performing its job as predestined from the moment the queen lays the egg in its cell, each knowing its place. Any anomaly is destroyed because it is a threat to the existence of the whole. Huxley extends his metaphor through the next several paragraphs to emphasize his point. The Director sees Bernard as the anomaly in his hive and plans a public demonstration of what happens to those who disturb the harmony of the hive/society.

 

Function of the chapter

I think the chapter should show that even the Director has a secret. A secret no one is actually allowed to get to know but Bernard did it. He found the secret wound of the Director. The question is once again: “Is this system perfect?” Now this chapter shows that it is not. The humiliation of the Director shows at the same time that even an Alpha ++ does not perfectly fit in this system.

Also it is a touch of irony that the Director meets Linda in the Fertilizing Room, the same room where she worked when they met, and since it was his fertilization of her that caused the whole situation.

So this is the total reversal of fortune for the DHC who was presented in Chapters I and II as a man in control of his own destiny and a complete product of his society. In matter of minutes his life has become a matter for derision and scorn.

Observations about the style

 

The author uses a style more rough and boisterous when describes the moment of the revelation of the scandal.

Personal Comment

I think that the DHC in this moment is very embarrassed and this moment is a crucial point in the book, because for the first time the director that is a leader and that controls all the situation in this moment, now doesn’t control the situation and is a loser.

The DHC definitely is humiliated and is out of control. As I already mentioned he was THE controller but now Bernard takes over control. So I think that this chapter is the turning point in this book.

BY GIUSEPPE &ROBERT