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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Darkness:
Throughout Brave New World, darkness is associated with degradation or lower-caste status. Anything "black" or "dark" is unsavory—Epsilon workers, for instance, wear dark-colored garments. This helps to reinforce the correlation between social hierarchy and race, a consequence of prejudice that, while perhaps reduced in this new civilization, still exists within the structural framework of society and leads to the debasement of those in lower castes.
In Chapter 8, for instance, John looks out into the desert and sees the mesa's shadow, immediately associating its darkness with death and suicide:
The moon was behind him; [John] looked down into the black shadow of the mesa, into the black shadow of death. He had only to take one step, one little jump… .
At times, the association between darkness, death, and those who are "lower" in social status (including John himself) is more direct. Lower-caste people are often described as "black" or "dark," while upper-caste people rarely are. Take, for example, the following description of Delta workers from Chapter 11:
‘Each process,’ explained the Human Element Manager, ‘is carried out, so far as possible, by a single Bokanovsky Group.’ And, in effect, eighty-three almost noseless black brachycephalic Deltas were cold-pressing.
Upper-caste people are rarely described so generally by their physical characteristics. But lower-caste people, including the indigenous people imprisoned in the "Savage Reservation," are predominantly described this way. Such generalized racism serves the purposes of the totalitarian state, in effect distancing the upper caste from the lower caste and dehumanizing those who are lower by eliminating their individuality.
Related Themes:
Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—Darkness:
Throughout Brave New World, darkness is associated with degradation or lower-caste status. Anything "black" or "dark" is unsavory—Epsilon workers, for instance, wear dark-colored garments. This helps to reinforce the correlation between social hierarchy and race, a consequence of prejudice that, while perhaps reduced in this new civilization, still exists within the structural framework of society and leads to the debasement of those in lower castes.
In Chapter 8, for instance, John looks out into the desert and sees the mesa's shadow, immediately associating its darkness with death and suicide:
The moon was behind him; [John] looked down into the black shadow of the mesa, into the black shadow of death. He had only to take one step, one little jump… .
At times, the association between darkness, death, and those who are "lower" in social status (including John himself) is more direct. Lower-caste people are often described as "black" or "dark," while upper-caste people rarely are. Take, for example, the following description of Delta workers from Chapter 11:
‘Each process,’ explained the Human Element Manager, ‘is carried out, so far as possible, by a single Bokanovsky Group.’ And, in effect, eighty-three almost noseless black brachycephalic Deltas were cold-pressing.
Upper-caste people are rarely described so generally by their physical characteristics. But lower-caste people, including the indigenous people imprisoned in the "Savage Reservation," are predominantly described this way. Such generalized racism serves the purposes of the totalitarian state, in effect distancing the upper caste from the lower caste and dehumanizing those who are lower by eliminating their individuality.
Related Themes:
