Omniscient Narrator

How does the third-person omniscient narrator have an effect on the novel?

Understanding the narrator of a novel is a essential in order to understand what is going on. Properly interpreting the narrator, can give the readers inferences on the validity of his/her narration and the sanity of the narrator, by exposing to the audience any deceiving views the narrator may obtain. In Brave New World, there is an omniscient third person narrator, because of this the audience can generate a trust with the narrator since he knows everything about everyone. The narrator not only knows what people think but also knows why they thinks that certain way. The well rounded narrator that has witnessed all the characters development and experiences, allowing him to have an unbiased view towards a certain topic, because of his constant exposure to different perspectives. 

The technique of free indirect quotation is used by Huxley in order for the narrator to truly express to the audience that he/she knows a lot about the certain character. This in depth analysis of the character done by the narrator, almost fools the audience into thinking that they are reading a specific characters though processes in a certain situation. Even though the narrator is unclear, the novel has a constant shifting point of view. The novel can include point of views of characters such as: John, Lenina, Bernard, Helmholtz, etc. It is clear when the point of view is from a specific character because Huxley has clearly created very diverse main characters that all have very different thinking processes and beliefs. So when the narrator is narrating with a John's point of view, it is clear to the audience what John thinks about the Brave New World, for example it is his point of view when he arrives for the first time to the new society. We interpret what he thinks of the world through quotations of Shakespeare, and the narrators descriptions of his actions. Another plus, to the shift between the narrators point of view, is that the audience gets a bit of insight to most of the main characters point of view. This is a way for there to be absolutely no bias in the way the story is being told, because it leaves it all up to the audience to decide with who's point of view they want to go with.

In the end the narrator provides for an accurately told story with now shortcuts, or any attempts of trying to influence the readers attitude towards the topics addressed in the novel. The third person omniscient narrator helps the unbiased truth be told by giving multiple point of views that come from diverse characters that many times have nothing in common other than living in the same time period. The characters can be free to interpret whatever they like about the novel, since nothing is telling them what to think. This style of narration is very unique, because it can allow the audience to infer weather Brave New World is a Utopia or Dystopia. 

Social Conformity

Why is it humans have the need to belong to a social group? Why do people need, to many times change their thoughts in order to gain the feeling of belonging? The novels Brave New World and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest depict this strange but constant necessity through Aldous Huxley's and Ken Kesey's characters. In both novels the majority of the characters conform to what society expects of them. There are the conformers and the conformists, and the only way the conformers plans of having everybody do as told, is if those they plan on conforming are unaware of the different lives they could be living if they had not chosen to live by the rules created by society. The use of fear, power, pleasure, and technology, are ways in which people can manipulate others into thinking that they have no options other than listening to Nurse Ratched, or following the new rules of the New World. It is not until someone with multiple, distinct experiences enter society and brings the process to a cold stop.

The technique to manipulate the populations is different, weather it is in the Ward or in an entire Country. Nurse Ratched uses her oppressing power and fear in order to get people to do what she wants them to do, and the leaders of the Brave New World use technology and pleasure to blind the citizens from the other possible lives they could be acting out. The conforming characters form both novels, are discretely forced to diminish their questioning about the certain roles they ought to fulfill according to society. In the Ward, the strict television schedule, and the terror created by using treatments such as the electroshock therapy as a punishment, or the strength of the black boys, scare the patients into believing they have no choice to do other than what is expected, and if they do not fulfill their roles they will end up like the other patients in wheelchairs, that are considered vegetables. Unlike Nurse Ratched's method of using fear as the primary tactic to force people to conform, the Brave New World incorporates the stimulus that makes people conform as a normal and daily routine. There is no room for questioning, because there is nothing to question about, everything seems absolutely normal for the citizens because it is what the population has been exposed to for long periods fo time. They are genetically designed to fit specific roles in society, so the social groups are already predestined. The Alphas hang out with the Alphas, and the Betas hang out with the Betas. Those with similar genetic makeup form the different groups, and have never experienced any other situation, that makes them question their roles as Betas for example. Why would someone that feels so comfortable cleaning floors, want to be like a scientist that finds new ways to generate babies? Also the use of soma grants citizens instantaneous gratification. So if one is ever feeling down, they simply take soma and they are instantly back on their feet ready to do what society needs them for. This method of gratification will eliminate sad people, and why would happy people question the society they are living in? 

The big worry for conformers like Nurse Ratched and the leaders of Brave New World, is if someone exposed to a different society has joined or infiltrated the conforming population. McMurphy, and John are the people that a conforming society fear the most. McMurphy introduces to the other patients the possibility of freedom, by telling stories he truly believes because he has actually experienced life outside of the ward. McMurphy reminds the patients of the freedom they too once felt before becoming a part of the Ward's system, weather it was by taking them on the fishing tip, or teaching them to stand up for what they believe in by for example, encouraging Bromden to raise his hand in order to vote against Nurse Ratched and watch television. John also brings to the society an entirely different perspective of life. He comes from the savage word, in which his views on life originated form Shakespeare's work. John is a character that has experienced, and knows what others can be doing with their lives, and he could be responsible for sharing this information with the conformed society. He has the most sane view on life, even though it comes from the many times violent works of Shakespeare, John is probably the human being that has the most balanced perspectives. McMurphy and John both open room for questioning, and are the first characters to stand-up against society. 

Without being a part of a group, one is automatically an outcast. John and McMurphy are originally outcasts, but that is because they have a different view of life then what they are told to believe in. The need to belong also contributes to people conforming because many fear that if they don't conform, they will be rejected by society and become outcasts. People like John and McMurphy that don't fear acting on what they believe in, are necessary in order to break the chain of social conformity. If these people never show up in certain societies, we would still fear being alone and alter our beliefs in order to become part of a bigger thing. 

A.F.

Why does the author emphasize by repetition, "A.F., "Year of Our Ford", "My Ford" constantly throughout the novel?

Religion has always been a source of controversial views, and some can say that religion is a faith one can not believe in, because there is no factual evidence of any of the characters the religion mentions ever having existed. The whole point of the Brave New World is to unite everybody. How could everybody bond if religion, is a leading source for anger and fear, fights and discussion? This is why Huxley incorporated, "A.F", "My Ford", and "Year of our Ford" in his writing. The only way the characters would actually unify in his novel in a way that would make sense to the audience, is by having all praise the same being, and something with factual evidence of existing. Something real.

Humans, tend to need something other then themselves, to blame for there failures and positions in life, and to thank for there accomplishments. The Brave New World, could not simply eliminate this very common practice among humans. Instead, they converted all the older religions into one that people can not doubt. In this new world, people can not question who they are praising for because there is proof, of his existence. Also, the affects "Ford" had on the people is still notable, the people live off of all of his creations. The consumer society, thinks of industrialism as their life guidelines. If everybody abides the rules and follows the same rules of industrialism, there is no room for controversial thoughts on who and how they should praise. The simplest answer is that they praise what they can actually see and feel. If everybody believes the same thing, why would there be any sorts of discussion among the people. Also, in the case for people who do not necessarily need superior power to comfort them, the new world uses technology to satisfy the people. Soma is something that brings instantaneous happiness, and who created soma? Industrialization. And who started this new industrial world? Ford. 

Just as Huxley exposes the religion of the novel to the audience via repetition, this suggests that the population were exposed to their new religion in the same way. Nowadays, the majority of people, are taught about multiple religions, and how they are all different, and there really is no right or wrong one. If from the day you were born only and strictly taught about Ford, and how he is responsible for all the pleasurable things in the Brave New World, people will automatically begin to think he is some sort of figure that they should be following. By using religion not only to unite the people, but also as a tactic to have everybody conform with societies rules, people have nothing to question, and eventually end up doing exactly what society expects them to do.