BNW

3. In chapter seventeen, John is arguing the right to be human. The problem for him with the World State is that it fails to embrace all human emotion. In life, the bad is just as important as the good, and to be truly human one has to embrace both.
On page 239, John says “What you need…is something with tears for a change. Nothing costs enough here.” He is not speaking of monetary cost, but emotional cost. To John, life is not worth living without the tears. The most meaningful things are the ones that do not come easily. I’m sure part of his philosophy comes from his extensive knowledge of Shakespeare. The constant allusions to Hamlet define John’s views on life. Hamlet is a tragedy, no doubt, and John is much like Hamlet. He would rather suffer the blows that life throws to him, or make a valiant attempt to defeat them. There is no other way to live life. One must take what they are given, no matter how bad or good it may be.
Mond stands in stark opposition to John. Life in the World State is just as it should be, without the inconveniences that John so passionately believes in. Mond, too, has read Shakespeare and therefore knows John’s side of the argument. He agrees that there is something in living dangerously, but technology comes in to eliminate the “inconveniences” of doing so. The world he has created is one free from unhappiness, and it is perfect in his eyes. The World State is set up to run flawlessly, without all the troubles of humanity.