Huxley wrote,"Too little bone and brawn had isolated Bernard from his fellow men..." (Pg 67)
Bernard Marx is self conscious about his physical. He wonders if his fellow men look down on him even though he is in the higher rank. Bernard is different because for an Alpha Plus; he is suppose to have certain physical characteristics. For example, his shortness is viewed as a sign of a fault because he should actually be taller. The reason I relate to him is because I'm 18. Being 18 in the 11th grade is an assumption that I probably failed a grade, even though I didn't. People expect for me to be smarter because of the slight advantage I have to the rest of the class; but i really don't think my "advantage" would reflect that much in my grades but instead in other things. For example, I find myself thinking about things more and being more mature then other people in my grade. Bernard is also having
issues with what he is capable of doing and what people think about him since he is shorter than expected.
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I empathize for you, especially since I'm actually one of the kids that failed a grade. I knew Bernard was self conscious, but what you suggest may be a level of actual pain he feels. Do you think he is feeling down on himself? It's obvious he knows he's different and therefore he is separated. Do you think Bernard see's that as a bad thing. While he is physically different he is also mentally a lot more advanced. Like you he see's a lot more than most people like him. Why do you think people automatically jump to conclusions and think people failed? Isn't that a bit cynical?
ReplyDeleteSo is thinking about things more and being less impulsive a sign of maturity? Look at the later discussion of how Bernard doesn't want to act like a child all the time, but the society expects him too? How do your experiences, since you are older, allow you to see how some of your peers act the way they are expected to -- perhaps less mature -- because of their age?
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