Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Is the ending to Brave New World at all optimistic? For any of the characters?
- Did you notice that some characters drop out of the action? Like Bernard, for example: we don't know what really ends up happening to him. Does this suggest he's ultimately not that important?
- Does the novel have any other loose ends it fails to tie up? If so, does that seem intentional, and what effect does it have?
- Let's talk about structure for a minute: what's up with some chapters (4, 5, and 6) having multiple "parts"? And why all the cutting back and forth between different conversations in Chapter 3?
- How do Chapters 16 and 17 function within the rest of the novel? (These are the two philosophical chapters, where John and Mustapha finally get to spar verbally.) Does it seem unreasonable to have so much heavy thinking instead of action?
- Huxley says in his foreword that Brave New World isn't about science in itself, but instead about the way that science affects people. What's the difference? How does this dilemma play out in the novel?
- Brave New World is incredibly steeped in references of all kind—just read "Allusions" and you'll see what we're talking about. What does this do for the novel?