Karim Harb 1eSR 24/10/2017
Is Lenina a conformist or a rebel?
Brave New World talks about a society that makes its people happy with the constant use of drugs, sex and brainwashing. Lenina appears at first to conform with the “civilized” society; but when we look deeper, her long lasting relationships and sex life lead her to rejecting societal norms. Lenina then becomes a complex character that fails to rebel or conform. First of all, her use of sex and contraceptives show that Lenina is a conformist. Second of all, given the fact that Lenina has a long relationship with Henry Foster and sex with Bernard Marx, she is a rebel. Finally, because she takes soma all the time and likes her caste, she is considered a conformist.
First of all, we see that Lenina is a conformist because of her use of sex and contraceptives. Lenina has a lot of sex. We can see that in page 49 “she was a popular girl and [...] had spent a night with almost all of them”. Just like society, sex became an act of release for Lenina and she is used to men wanting to have sex with her. Despite all the sex, she remembers to take contraceptives. In the book, women who aren’t sterilized have to take contraceptives. We can see that in page 67 “Lenina did not forget to take all the contraceptive precautions”. She doesn’t forget to take contraceptives because it is considered “beastly” to be a mother and have children. Even though Lenina conforms physically to society, she is rebelling through her long lasting relationship with Henry and sex with Bernard.
Second, Lenina is rebelling by having a long relationship with Henry and sex with Bernard Marx. We can see in page 34 that Lenina has a long lasting relationship: “Four months of Henry Foster, without another man – why, he’d be furious if he knew”. Long drawn relationships are not accepted in this society because long term relationships become boring, the sex fades and it is...
