Orthodoxy And Outcasts In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

Throughout time people have struggled to fit in. Individuals try to match the latest trends, beliefs, and styles to keep themselves from getting ostracized by society. Nowadays, people like this are referred to as “hipsters” or mainstream. This can be looked as Orthodoxy versus Outcasts. People who relate to social norms are orthodox, while the people who refrain from being normal or conforming to society are the outcasts. In the book, Brave New World, one of the most prominent themes is the tension between Orthodoxy, in this case authorized practices and beliefs, versus those who stand out in society. Sometimes the outcasts become lost in despair and decide to take their life. Aldous Huxley created Brave New World with a vastly unusual …show more content…
As noted before, since they are reproduced in a hatchery and forced to have certain beliefs, different views stand out immensely. The least unorthodox being Lenina because she only disagrees with having multiple sexual relationships by dating one man for several months, which is extremely unusual. Bernard Marx is an Alpha, additionally an outcast because of his inferior height. Making him stand out even more is his unconventional beliefs and values. He wants to have a sexual relationship with one partner, and he doesn’t like spending time in the company of other people. In the beginning of the book Helmholtz Watson appears extremely normal. As the book progresses, he begins to take on a bleak outlook on life because he isn’t allowed to write about anything meaningful. John, also known as the savage, is the most prominent outcast in Brave New World. He was born on the reservation and grew up reading Shakespearean novels, consequently he adopted the books customs as his own, which correlate opposite of the World State. John proved this when he said, “But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want goodness, I want