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Motifs
Definition of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal a deeper or hidden truth... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to... read full definition
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Children and Gardens:
At multiple points in Chapter 3, Huxley describes the playtime behavior of children in the dystopian society of the novel, utilizing pointed imagery. In the following passage, Huxley couples that imagery with oxymoron:
The tropical sunshine lay like warm honey on the naked bodies of children tumbling promiscuously among the hibiscus blossoms.
The imagery of these children playing erotic games without shame in their gardens calls to mind the state of prelapsarian (pre-Fall) Eden in the Bible. In the biblical story of Adam and Eve, before Eve is tempted by Satan, neither she nor Adam know shame. They are too engaged in "erotic play" in their garden, unperturbed by their own nakedness. It may be oxymoronic (and even disturbing) by readers' standards to consider a child capable of "tumbling promiscuously," since the carefree nature of "tumbling" doesn't align with the obvious adult connotations of promiscuity. But the sentiment expressed is consistent with a society where "everyone belongs to everyone else." Unfortunately, the happiness, contentedness, and subsequent lack of shame these children feel comes at a steep cost: they must be genetically engineered, from conception, to only feel those emotions, never any other ones. These children do not feel shame, yes, but they barely feel anything.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—The Night Sky:
In Chapter 5, as Lenina and Henry Foster leave the dance they attended together, both look to the night sky and contemplate it. Where one might ordinarily expect some exclamation of appreciation or joy at the sight of the moon and stars, Lenina and Henry feel no such emotions. Huxley describes the characters' relationship with night sky using oxymoron:
Obediently, with all the others, Lenina and Henry left the building. The depressing stars had travelled quite some way across the heavens. But though the separating screen of the sky-signs had now to a great extent dissolved, the two young people still retained their happy ignorance of the night.
The phrase "depressing stars" would seem to contradict itself. Who in modern society has ever looked to the heavens and not experience a moment of joy at the sight of such beautiful astral bodies? Under this totalitarian regime, however, the ruling class actively discourages and works to prevent the working class from appreciating nature's beauty. If an emotion cannot be exploited or purposed toward industry, then it is dangerous and must be discarded. So, the World Controllers have conditioned Lenina and Henry—and others like them—to view actual nature as obscene. They can no longer appreciate beauty, only engage in dull hedonism.
Related Themes:
