Because the novel uses an omniscient (all-knowing) narrator, we are able to see and understand different characters’ reactions to the same event. In the table below, record how each character reacts to Bernard’s fame, and what it tells you about them.
Character
feels….
What it says about him/her/them
Bernard
John
Helmholtz
D.H.C.
Lenina
The people
1. How does Bernard’s reaction to his fame contrast with Helmholtz’s? What does this tell you about each of them?
2. Do you most closely agree with Bernard’s or Helmholtz’s perspective and why? Explain your response.
3. Think of an event in your life where you strongly disagreed with something that someone else did. What was the vent, and why did you disagree? How was the situation resolved?
4. Do you feel that Bernard or John is a more reliable narrator? Explain.
5. How do you think Huxley’s background affected the perspectives shown? Consider Huxley’s personal history, the Industrial Revolution, and World War I. (FYI: This is called Biographical, HIstorical, New HIstorical Criticism.)