Essay

In the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, he writes a story in where a society has different standards and some people don’t fit in properly. One of the character named Benard  is an Alpha, being the highest caste of the society, doesn’t necessarily fit in. There are rumors that take place in which Benard was poisoned with alcohol and made him not meet the same look alike as the other Alphas. Besides from looking different, he feels as he doesn’t belong there. Benard has gone through some character 

changes throughout the book. 

      Benard has been different since the beginning but he changes when he slowly starts to figure out stuff. In chapter 3, Benard overheard a conversation that Henry foster and assistant were having about Lenina. They were talking about having sex with her as is she were an object. Benard was furious but doesn’t confort them. "’Talking about her as though she were a bit of meat.’ Bernard ground his teeth. ‘Have her here, have her there.’ Oh, Ford, Ford, Ford. He would have liked to go up to them and hit them in the face–hard, again and again.” Benard was frustrated that Henry and the assistant talk about her as a one night stand as well as not being able to be with her. As he is finally able to take her out on a date to go around, Lenina feels uncomfortable about going to talk and just looks at nature. Benard loves looking at nature even though the society is trained to fear nature. Lenina doesn’t like talking and looking at the view, she wants to have a physical interaction. "’I want to look at the sea in peace,’ he said. ’One can't even look with that beastly noise going on.’ ’But it's lovely. And I don't want to look.’’But I do,’" he insisted. ’It makes me feel as though …’ he hesitated, searching for words with which to express himself, ’as though I were more me, if you see what I mean. More on my own, not so completely a part of something else. Not just a cell in the social body. Doesn't it make you feel like that, Lenina?’ But Lenina was crying. ’It's horrible, it's horrible,’” Benard is different but still has a way in expressing himself by what he says. In expressing himself even more, he exposes his true identity. The truth about him being different can get him in trouble so he tries to pretends to fit in. Benard is invited to go to service and to go through a ceremony. They take in soma and begin chanting words. Benard isn’t fulfilled with service as the other people are. “She was full, she was made perfect, she was still more than merely herself. ‘Didn't you think it was wonderful?’ she insisted, looking into Bernard's face with those supernaturally shining eyes. ‘Yes, I thought it was wonderful,’ he lied and looked away; the sight of her transfigured face was at once an accusation and an ironical reminder of his own separateness.” Benard doesn’t like going to service because he doesn’t  see the purpose in going. Benard struggles in everyday life with being different for the others in which they make fun of him. This cases him pain and the society only gives happiness. Benard changes when he finds out that John gives him power to the people in the World State. They have to go through Benard in order to John. Benard becomes famous in John and John sees the society in which he lives in and judges them hardly. Since John lived in the Reservation, he sees things differently. Benard doesn’t like that John has a voice because it worries that it’ll make Benard look bad. Mustapha Mond had a conversation with Benard, John, and Helmholtz. “Bernard started and looked horrified. What would the Controller think? To be labelled as the friend of a man who said that he didn't like civilization–said it openly and, of all people, to the Controller–it was terrible. ‘But, John,’ he began. A look from Mustapha Mond reduced him to an abject silence.” Benard is scared of what the Master Controller might think of him. Benard being from nobody to somebody. 

      Benard throughout the book  changed but still has a part of his inner self that still follows him. “No social stability without individual stability,” says Huxley.