The three characters central to the plot of Huxley’s novel Brave New World all have different interpretations of what it means to be free. The ideas of Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson are impacted in different ways from those of John the Savage due to their different cultures and upbringings. Despite having similar lives, Marx’s perspective of freedom comes from insecurity, while Watson’s vision of freedom comes from an excess of security; being too perfect. Looking cumulatively at their idea and the societies that shaped them, their ideas lead one to question the state of freedom today, and what influences might affect a person’s thinking. Together, their three perspectives of freedom illuminate both the themes and warnings of the novel while offering insight about what shapes a mind.
Marx understands freedom in a fundamentally different way than Watson or the Savage. While their sense of liberty and morality came from a place of self-sufficiency and understanding, Marx was only able to think for himself because he was insecure. He realizes that the social engineering instituted by the World State is not only intrusive and unfulfilling, but is destroying their freedom. Marx resents that everyone must be part of a collective social body in order to function. He sees that the determinism of having a pre-destined role in society, one that won’t make a difference either way, erodes his sense of self. In a world where his contributions to society are of equal necessity and therefore value to that of an Epsilon, what is he really worth? Another thing Marx understood to be a direct violation of freedom in his society was the hypnopaedia, or sleep conditioning. He expressed this to Lenina on their first date when wondering “what would it be like if I could, if I were free- not enslaved by my conditioning”(Huxley_). He realizes that because his core beliefs have been involuntarily thrust into his mind as a child, instead of gained through experience and guidance from parents and friends in voluntary interactions, he can never truly think freely. Despite this, Marx resents his individuality, proving that he doesn’t have a complete grasp on the concept on intellectual freedom. This is understandable, because the only way one can retain their soul in a world enslaved by pleasure is to be unhappy, and no one wants to be unhappy. When Marx becomes popular and accepted after bring back John the Savage, he begins conforming like a good little hive mind. The result is that he is still sad, lonely and generally unhappy, despite his professional success, drug consumption and promiscuity. In the end, Marx’s insecurity both saves him and dooms him: it allows him to be a real person, but ensures that he will never be able to do anything with his humanity because he will never be able to step out of line egregiously enough to accomplish anything.
In theory, Watson would never be able to understand freedom. Unlike Marx, who was forced into individuality because of his shortcomings, Watson was to perfect. Throughout the novel, he demonstrated a thirst for knowledge, and was dedicated enough to the pursuit of truth that he wasn’t afraid to upset his superiors. An example of this is when he wrote a poem about being alone. Despite the outstanding quality, especially when relative to the content most were accustomed to consuming, a poem of genuine merit and substance about introspection would not be tolerated. By using his gift, writing, to the fullest extent possible in a depraved society and writing a poem about being alone, Watson was committing an unspeakable crime. This is a notable manifestation of Watson’s understanding of freedom because it incorporates his desire to be free to write, research and think unencumbered by the oppressive hand of the state with his proactive rebellion(in contrast to Marx, who spends the majority of the book moping). Another way Watson understands freedom is the freedom to conduct research unmonitored and uncensored. In a scene where Mustafa Mond reads superlative research that is implied to have been conducted by Watson, he orders for it to be hidden, despite appreciating it’s quality. While he wasn’t present for the scene, one can infer that Watson would like for others to be able to see his work, and be free to seek progress and truth with him. A final example of how Watson understands freedom is the freedom from vices. Near the start of the book, he mentions to Marx that he gave up soma and promiscuity because he felt it gave him more time to focus on what mattered. He realized that the state subsidized distractions were just that: distractions. The citizens of the World State are trapped not by guns, but by their vices, conveniently provided by the state. By rejecting this and putting his superior mind to work, Watson frees himself from a self-inflicted prison, and gains a new perspective on liberty.
The final character with an understanding of freedom is John the Savage. The Savage is a unique character because he was born on the savage reservation, brought up with traditional values, and then experiences the culture shock of the World State. This impacts his perception of freedom, and opens his mind to the unorthodox ways the World State uses to deprive its citizens of freedom. One way John sees freedom is the freedom from social engineering and rigid societal structures. While the World State doesn’t force its citizens to take part in anything, it is unofficially enforced by an almost cult-like social structure. Deviating from this results in ostracization, gossip, massive media attention and even deportation. That certainly doesn’t sound like freedom. The results of the Savage’s rejection of these values are manifested in another one of his main themes: the freedom to be unhappy. Surrounded by drugs, promiscuity and odd new distractions, John has his traditional religious values of happiness through work and suffering challenged at every turn. When he stays true to himself through it all, he is forced to talk to the World Controller himself, Mustapha Mond. They have a heated philosophical debate, covering topics such as stability and notably the freedom to pursue truth and beauty. For John, this is essential. Raised on meaningful works of art and religion, this is integral to his character and has shaped his worldview tremendously. He takes every day as a gift and is searching for meaning through hard work, introspection and prayer. This is the antithesis of everything the World State stands for. One man would be a comparatively small threat if only he was not correct. Despite all the technology and drugs in the World State, the smallest happiness for John would be more monumental than an entire bottle of soma, because it would be real. Humans are not inherently stable creatures, and are drawn to heros in high art and religion, something John understood. The result of this understanding does not end well for him, but showcases a final example of his knowledge of freedom. Freedom from society is the last thing John seeks, and the one that ends him. His idealistic personality would have him take the real, imperfect form of happiness and all its baggage, or nothing. So he choses suffering, away from society, away from the girl he loves. Unfortunately, the poor fellow is hounded by the media and the citizens until he snaps, and ends up killing himself, finally freeing himself from the brave new world.
Marx’s, Watson’s and John’s understanding of freedom illuminated the novel Brave New World in many different ways. While Marx and Watson were stunted by their conditioning and the stifling society of the World State, John provided a contrast of someone with pure convictions who was sure of his ideas.