In the novel Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley, the main conflict is Character versus Society. The protagonist of the story is Bernard Marx, who in the beginning of the story is unhappy with how his life is going. He feels like there is more to life than being intimate with someone and taking soma. Since the society stands for having multiple, non-emotional relationships and a never ending social life, one never has the time to reflect. Bernard went against the society’s views when he asked Lenina about weather she ever feels as if she want to be more than “just a cell in the social body”(78).
As an answer to the question she started crying. Even though Bernard is able to think about such theories and question the society Lenina, who has been properly conditioned wouldn’t even dare to question such things, especially since they are about the society she lives in. This shows how much effort the society put in it’s people to condition then, in order for them not to be able to think for themselves. Another time when Bernard tries to change his life and also opposes society is when he uses the savage to gain popularity.
He is trying on improving his life quality, but he is going against society indirectly because, John is actually corrupting Helmholtz and Bernard with Shakespeare. Going against society in these direct and indirect ways, has changed the protagonist’s view on the society. Instead of not wanting to be part of it and looking for ways to find what was being hidden from him, towards the end of the novel he was enjoying life fully, and when he has been told that he will be exiled he wished he wasn’t going to be because he was actually starting to take pleasure in his new life.
