CHAPTER 13

1) Summary:

The Chapter 13 of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley deals with a conversation between Henry Foster and Lenina. Henry is worrying because Lenina isn’t in a good sentimental condition,  in fact she loves John and doesn’t know if this feeling is corresponded. Lenina talks to her friend Fanny who is worried about Lenina and does not want that Lenina goes to the Savage. Subsequently deals the talk between the Savage John and Lenina in which John tells Lenina that he loves her. But when Lenina takes off her clothes, John changes and a big quarrel starts. In the quarrel the Savage says to Lenina that she should go or he would kill her. Lenina runs into the bathroom and locks the door behind her. She doesn’t comes out till John gets a phone call and leaves the room for going to hospital.

2) Themes / Topics:

-         the feelings between Lenina and John

-         the quarrel between them

-         situation of fair by Lenina

-         the phone call for the hospital (important for the following chapter)

3) Characters:

1. Foster: Foster is an expert on statistic within the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. He’s worring because Lenina isn’t in a good sentimental condition.

2. Lenina: Lenina is a young and friendly woman who is uncommonly pretty. She falls in love with the Savage and visits him. At John she tells him that she likes him very much. When John says that he loved also Lenina, she begins to take off her clothes. After the changing of John she becomes afraid of him and flees into the bathroom. She is very sad about the refusal and she doesn’t leave the bath till John goes away.

3. John Savage: John comes from the normal world and doesn’t like soma, because it’s a drug. Soma plays a big and important role in Brave New World. In Chapter 13 he is happy when Lenina rings at the door bell. He also falls in love to her like Lenina to him. He would do everything for her. But when Lenina undresses herself, he chenges and gets very angry. He orders her to leave the flat and go out of his view or he would kill her. After the phone call he is worried and leaves the flat very quick.

4. Fanny: Fanny is the best friend of Lenina and she doesn’t want that Lenina goes to the Savage because she is worried about her.

4) Some relevant quotations:

-         “ An hour later, in the Changing Room, Fanny was energetically protesting. ‘But it’s absurd to let yourself get into a state like this. Simply absurd.’ she repeated. ‘And what about? A man – one man.’ ” (p 170)

-         “ ‘How much I love you, Lenina? He brought out almost desperately. ” (p 173)

-         “ ‘ I love you more than anything in the world’, he said.” (p 174)

-         “ ‘Whore!’, he shouted. ‘Whore! Impudent strumpet! ” (p 176)

5) Observations about the style:

The style of the writer is principally assembled on dialogues.  In a first time the dialogues are between Henry and Lenina, in the second part of the chapter between Lenina and Fanny, and in the end between Lenina and the savage John.

6) What the chapter represents in the whole story:

 As to the answer to “what the chapter represents in the whole story”, we can say that it represents a crucial point in the relationship between Lenina and John, because they are in love with each other but the savage decides to break with Lenina because he considers her behaviour very immoral.

7) Personal comments:

In this chapter aren’t particular style, in fact we can only notice that the chapter is suddivided in three dialogues: Henry-Lenina, Lenina-Fanny, Lenina- The Savage. I think that this chapter is important only because there are the declaration of love between Lenina and John.                       

                                               BY FRANCESCO & REBECCA