BNW Journal Ch. 13

Ch. 13

Summary:

            Love is bittersweet for both Lenina and John. Lenina says that she likes him and John replies with complicated metaphors that the rather unintelligent Lenina doesn’t understand. She becomes frustrated by how complicated John was making everything. Her cure to this was to strip and just go for it. Instead of wholeheartedly joining her, John cowers in the corner. When Lenina tries to comfort him, he starts shouting curses and threatening violence against her. She runs into the bathroom.

A few minutes later she beings to ask for her clothes to be passed through a vent.

            Listening at the restroom door, Lenina hears the telephone ring and John have a brief, but urgent, talk with the caller. From John’s conversation, we can tell his mother was getting worse. He ran out of the apartment leaving Lenina to escape shortly after.
             We get the feeling this is the “make or break” scene of John and Linda’s relationship. It felt like the climax of their interactions with each other. It was officially a bust, so I doubt there will be another romantic scene or focus on their relationship.

Lit Elements:

            The clothing Lenina wears is a symbol of two things. The pure white is a reflection of John’s belief that purity equals virginity, which equals love. The sailor suit is a nod to how Lenina is a model citizen of the world. She is serving society by doing as she was taught and seducing John. Irony is thrown into the mixture because a soldier of any sort is not usually pure. Wars, including love, are not pure and always good. Crimes are committed and people act horrendously when fighting. All of this mixed together shows just how impossible it would be for John and Lenina to be together.

Vocabulary:

Lupus –noun- any of various ulcerous skin

Sententiously –adj – given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner

Stereoscopic –adj- two photographs of the same object taken at slightly different angles are viewed together, creating an impression of depth and solidity.

Abstemious –adj- not self-indulgent