"'O brave new world, O brave new world...' In his mind the singing words seemed to change their tone. They had mocked him through his misery and remorse, mocked him with how hideous a note cynical derision! Fiendishly laughing, they had insisted on the low squalor, the nauseous ugliness of the night mare. Now, suddenly, they trumpeted a call to arms. 'O brave new world!' Miranda was proclaiming the possibility of loveliness, the possibility of transforming even the nightmare into something fine and noble. 'O brave new world!' It was a challenge, a command." page 210
I think this quote emphasizes the theme of words being piercing weapons. The words are so powerful that they take on a life of their own, and despite how they are contradictory to this situation (for example,"How beauteous mankind is!"), they still fuel Johns courage when bravely challenging the system.
John the savage shows his initiative in this chapter by trying to push his movement of freedom, but without success, seeing it was him against an entire world order. Though he doesn't succeed, I am glad to seem someone challenging the way of things. I have to say, early on, when Bernard reveals his miserable loneliness and disdain for society, I thought he was going to be the one to pose a challenge society. As we come to see, he does no such thing. In fact, he acts cowardly in this chapter. I am disappointed in him I must say. Perhaps John is the only one with enough courage to challenge this slavery masked with the illusion of fulfilling happiness because he is the only character in the novel to experience freedom. To see such a horrifying slaughter of freedom in the name of cheap, communal happiness is truly criminal to him.
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