CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - THE LAST ONE!
Summary: Helmholtz and Bernard wanted to say goodbye to John before they made their departure to their island exiles. When they find him, he is very pale due to his self-cleansing intake of mustard and hot water. Bernard confesses that he is sorry for everything that had happened and even though they were all sad at their predicament, internally they were happy for one another. John then tells them that he asked Mustapha Mond if he would be allowed to go the islands with them, yet was declined, due to him wanting John to continue in the experiment. But John'd be damned if he were to be some experimental being, therefore he states that he too is leaving tomorrow.
John takes a long adventure and finds a lighthouse for him to begin his life of solitude. (Good luck with that...) While at the lighthouse, he engages in a lot of self torture that he believes is bringing him closer to God, cleansing him of the filth that he attained in the New World, and helping him to be 'good'.
Later, John starts to think about what he's going to do, somewhat of a plan. He had previously bought some blankets, rope, string, nails and other essentials and with his remaining money he hoped that he could last with it over the winter. For the spring and summer months, he has begun a garden and began to fashion arrows and a bow for food!
But alas, John has been spotted! (OOOH NOOO!) Some land-workers driving around spotted him whipping himself one day and that's all that was needed to get the word out to the rest of London!
Only three days later John is visited by a News reporter that is curious (along with the rest of the society) about a Savage's life and his solitude. John answers with some Zuni words and BAM! swiftly kicks the reporter away. Nevertheless, he is swarmed by more reporters, each given their own kick in the behind.
After a while, John is alone again, and continuing his garden work. He has lots of time to let his mind wonder which sadly bring him to Linda...but even worse, he has thoughts of Lenina! They shock him so much since he swore he would forget about her, he flails himself into a thorny bush and grabs the whip yet again to punish himself.
For the past three days, John has been watch by Darwin Bonaparte who has been collecting footage of John's behaviour and puts it into a movie. It's a hit! John is then a famous social icon without even knowing it and tons of people come to see him. The massive crowd outside his house baffles him as they throw him snacks as if he were an animal. He yells at them to go away, but it only pleases them and encourages them to engage in a cheer. "WE WANT THE WHIP!" "WE WANT THE WHIP!" They get the whip alright, but it is not John who gets whipped, it is Lenina! He spies her coming off a helicopter with Henry Foster in the midst of all the commotion of the crowd. He breaks through the mass of bodies and attacks her, but everyone else begins chanting Orgy-Porgy!!!
Regaining consciousness after a large soma-induced orgy, John wakes up with terror! He proceeds to go atop the lighthouse and hang himself... :(
Vocabulary:
Unanimity - (n.) -The state of being unanimous/harmony/agreement.
Literary Elements:
Allusions:
Hamlet ---> "A good kissing carrion."
"Sleep. Perchance to dream, for in that sleep of death, what dreams?"
Macbeth ---> "And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death."
King Lear ---> "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport. Thunder again; words that proclaimed themselves true-truer somehow than truth itself. And yet that same Gloucester had called them ever-gentle gods."
Measure for Measure ---> "Thy best of rest is sleep and that thou oft provok'st; yet grossly fear'st thy death which is no more."
Trolius & Cressida ---> "Fry, lechery, fry."
Why Chapter is Important:
It's apparent that John is unfit for society through most of the chapters he is involved in. Through all the events that happen in this chapter, it appears he has had enough and can see only one last way to liberate himself from this horrible world.
Consumerism is really huge in this chapter when everyone rushes to see this new movie-star Savage. They honestly don't care about his unstable emotions but only of fulfilling their own enjoyment through seeing this primitive creature. The outrage about the feely made about him, the 5 reporters that come to see him, John is a very popular person and cannot stand it.
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