Brave New Worl Blog #2

1. Why does nobody like Linda?
Linda used to be apart of this society and was very well conditioned. No one seems to like her anymore. The reason for this is because she appeared ugly to others. "poor Linda - there was her appearance. Fat; having lost her youth; with bad teeth, and a blotched complexion, and that figure (Ford!) - you simply couldn't look atr her without feeling sick..." (Huxley 160) The one and only reason Linda was ignored and disliked by the society was becuase of her looks. For the most part she acted the same as everyone else. For example Huxley shows Linda telling Lenina all about how horrible the savage society is v.s the civilized society including how dreadful it is that everything is dirty, and how illogical it is that people mend all of their clothes. (129-130) What Linda groaned about matches up with the beliefs of the women of the conditioned society so the only reason they dislike her is because of her appearance.

2. Are there any harmful effects of Soma?
There is evidence for only one physically harmful thing Soma can do to somebody. As Dr. Shaw pointed out, "One day the respiratory centre will be paralyzed. No more breathing." (Huxley 161) Dr. Shaw was talking about Linda, who was taking too much Soma a day, so apparently the only physically harmful effect is over-dosing and being un-able to breathe. However, there is possibly another harmful effect of Soma. Soma could cause one to miss out in important daily activities that could cause people to get mad and shun someone. For example, Dr. Shaw states that, "you can't allow people to go popping off into eternity[popping Soma] if they've got any serious work to do." (Huxley 161) So if a citizen irresponsibly took Soma at the wrong time, and missed important buissness, there is a strong possibility that chaos would occur, and an even stronger possibility that that citizen would be hated or released.

3. Why does Lenina like John?
The main reason Lenina likes John is shallow. Lenina only likes John for his looks. Lenina states many times how good looking he is. "He's terribly good-looking." (Huxley 172). “Lenina was smiling at him; such a nice-looking boy, she was thinking, and a really beautiful body” (Huxley 126). There is no evidencce in the book for any other reason for Lenina's intrest in John.