Lenina Crowne is Aldous Huxley's femme fatale in the strangest New World of all. A London 
Central Hatchery worker, some critics say that Lenina's supposed promiscuity as a Beta female is the core aspect of her existence as a character. Although promiscuity is faced as a virtue in the New World - or precisely because of that -, Lenina's behaviors which approximate her from monogamy seem more interesting and defying to discuss considering her New World context than the Old World's polemics around the many Alpha males she was sexually involved with.
Central Hatchery worker, some critics say that Lenina's supposed promiscuity as a Beta female is the core aspect of her existence as a character. Although promiscuity is faced as a virtue in the New World - or precisely because of that -, Lenina's behaviors which approximate her from monogamy seem more interesting and defying to discuss considering her New World context than the Old World's polemics around the many Alpha males she was sexually involved with.
It's ironic to notice how Lenina approaches some kind of proto-humanity (she has been breaking some New World's love codes - if we can call love, in a broad sense, to sexual intercourse - before that, like when she was dating exclusively Henry Foster for "too many months" according to the New World's patterns, i.e., four...), and the slightly human traces of Lenina are acquired when in contact with and attracted to a reserved "old-fashioned" character named John the Savage, an outcast (both in the Reservation and the New World) viviparous who is the only civilized person around and the true hero of Huxley, a representative of the Old Man who admires Shakespeare's works just like Huxley did and demands to live according to their humanity, dramatically and joyfully feeling it all.
«- (...) Whoever it was, he/she was happy while living. Nowadays everyone is happy [Henry]. - Yes, nowadays everyone is happy said Lenina, like an echo. They had listened those same words repeated one hundred and fifty times every night, for twelve years in a row». Hypnopaedia teached Lenina - but not only Lenina - the sentences she had to know, so that she wouldn't have to think about the World State. Still what will make her resemble a real human being are feelings like suffering when John doesn't want to see her, or even the wish to be left alone. She gains density and richness as the text evolves.
«(...) Talking very slowly, he [Helmholtz] asked: - Did you ever feel the sensation that you have something inside which only waits for an opportunity to get out? Any excess of strength with no use? You know how it is; like, for example, the excess of water which flows in waterfalls instead of going through the turbines (...) I think in a weird sensation that I feel sometimes, the sensation of having something important to say and the power to express it, but not knowing what, and not being able to use that power. If there was any other way of writing. Or other subjects to write about... (...) It is not enough that the formulas are good; what is done must also be good.» Helmholtz, a lecturer in a Department of Writing can here be compared to some kind of Huxley's alter ego in the New World, a writer missing something to write about.
Above: illustration by Brian Ashmore
15 comments:
I have to read this book again ! Always interesting to pay a visit to your blog, Alexandra.
My sister mentioned to me that Lenina is actually a Gamma because of her green clothing from chapter 3 and in chapter 4 it mentions as she is in the helicopter "the leaf-green Gamma girls."
What must be remembered, when discussing Lenina, is that while she is used in the narrative as a stereotypical product of Brave New World and as an element to drive the plot along, she is actually different to the majority. She has an unadmitted air of independence. She is slightly unique.
Technically She is a Beta, Im almost positive that Huxley mentions her as a beta - minus at one stage. While he doesnt go into the particulars of the caste and their assosciated colours.. with an indepth study of the novel, a perceptive reader can conclude severel things.
1. that the colours attributed to the caste are worn by the infants while they are being conditioned.. They are learning to assosciate this colour with their friends, their caste, their community. When working, all castes wear their colours. This is so they can distinguish the thinkers from the labourers, and so that 'rank'is apparant.
- So we know that these colours play a large part in their perception of their place and their importance in their society.. so these colours are obviously important.
2. several references are made of Lenina wearing different coloured clothing. As previously mentioned, the green of gammas. but also at one point she is wearing a white sailor suit and a blue hat 'perched jauntily on her head'or some such.
- These other colours are never worn when working only when she is on a date or trip. So it is logical to conclude that colours of their caste are very important to the members of the caste, they only have to be worn when working. If a person so chooses, they may wear other colours. From the descriptions in the book, it seems that most people stick to their colour anyway. This would be because wearing their colour, they obviously belong to a specific group. a place where they are accepted and loved. so the illusion of family or at least those feeling is preserved.
3. While Lenina seems to be quite dimwitted, she does have the ability to think for herself, though obviously this is being repressed by her conditioning. her mind seems little stunted and her job, as previously mentioned, is too important for a Gamma, delta or Epsilon. - Further evidence to support my conclusion is when Lenina says "I'm glad I'm not a Gamma" (right before part two begins) She is obviously too smart to be a delta.. but she possesses none of the brilliance of Bernard, helmholtz or any alpha.
Lenina has a few different sentiments to most of her community.. She has to be encouraged into promiscuity. Huxley uses Lenina to show that even the thorough conditioning of Brave new World is completely able to staunch our human nature. He makes a mockery of everything we stand for. He shows us that our two ideals, our goals, MUST, by their very nature, completely contradict each other, Peace does not follow development, development cannot bring about peace. Peace only occurs when every consciouss party believes that they have the perfect life, when everyone is equal, yet still believes that they are morally or physically superior and therefore lack nothing. you cannot achieve this, unless you start controlling people with a totalitarian government like seen in a Brave New World.
I'm sorry but the color thing is still throughing me off because Lenina is wearing green on a date because she changes into her green outfit..... and if she was a Beta why would she wear the color of a lower caste?
I was thrown off by her dressing in green for the date as well, but at one point on that same date she says something along the lines of "im so thankful im not a gamma"
I am confused about Lenina's caste as well. There seem to be several conflicting passages.
Her social status, her job, and her claim that she is "glad she is not a gamma" all point to her being a beta or beta-minus.
Yet, several times in the novel it is emphasized not only that Lenina wears green, but also that green is the color that gammas wear.
I do think the discrepancy is intended though, because there is a definite emphasis on her clothes and caste that you don't see with the other characters. I just don't know what Huxley was trying to say here. Did she get the wrong sleep conditioning, a malfunction of the system? Did she belong to a caste at all? Was she a gamma that was given special treatment? Does it even matter? I am so lost.
Also, I noticed that she wears white to see John, which could have a multitude of symbolic meanings, I'm just not sure exactly what was intended. In the last scene, she is wearing a white shirt and green shorts, implying a mix of whatever the two sides are I guess.
I guess I just need to do some more thinking on this one.
I was wondering the same thing, in chapter 3 and 4 Lenina is wearing green, however it is clear that a Gamma would not be a vaccination , also, she states that she would hate to be a Gamma... I was really confused when reading the first few chapters, If she is not a Gamma why does she wear green?
be brave little sister! u r not a fool. the fact is that Huxley was not really a good writer. he made a mistake about Lenin-a's clothing in chapter 4. but the brave new world order is here already.
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Okay I must inteject here. First of all, Lenina is a beta minus female worker. On another point, I read someone mention that she doesn't appear to be an alpha, the simple reason for this is that only, men are ever made alphas. Then someone claimed that the colors of castes are never distinguished. Thhis is a falacy seeing as Huxley distinctly goes out of his way to say that alphas wear dusky gray, betas wear blue, gammas wear green, deltas wear khaki, and finally epsilons wear black. As to why Lenina always breaks her caste and wears the green of gammas I am not entirely sure, that is actually how I found this blog in the first place. Yet I had no choice but to interject even though this is an old blog to hope that the posters here can manage to become educated in there mistakes.
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