Page+74

 **Page 74, Part I**

“But queer that Alphas and Betas won’t make any more plants grow than those nasty little Gammas and Deltas and Epsilons down there.” “All men are physic-chemically equal,” said Henry sententiously. “Besides, even Epsilons perform indispensable services.” “Even an Epsilon…”Lenina suddenly remembered an occasion when, as a little girl at school, she had woken up in the middle of the night and become aware, for the first time, of the whispering that had haunted all her sleeps. She saw again the beam of moonlight, the row of small white beds; heard once more the soft, soft voice that said (the words were there, unforgotten, unforgettable after so many long-night repetitions): “Every one works for everyone else. We can’t do without any one. Even Epsilons are useful. We couldn’t do without Epsilons. Every one works for everyone else. We can’t do without any one…”

Huxley’s use of a flashback in Lenina’s mind offers insight to the hypnopedia the children were subjected to. Lenina’s childhood recollection of “the beam of moonlight, the row of small white beds,” during which she “heard…the soft, soft voice that said… “Everyone works for everyone else…” (74) provides imagery for the reader. The vivid description of the moonlight, the “soft, soft voice” and the row of small white beds” cause the reader to imagine a clinical atmosphere, akin to a factory or an asylum instead of a nursery. Yet, these same words cause Lenina to briefly fear her memories. The words “haunted” her, but she had no choice other than to accept the message. In the above passage, the repetition of phrases not only replicates what the children were told, but also emphasizes how true and accepted the statements were. Lenina reveals, “The words were unforgotten, unforgettable after so many long-night repetitions”. After hearing it so many times, the words became engraved in her mind and were accepted as the truth. Even when Henry attempts to counter-argue that “All men are physic-chemically equal” and only social classes separate them, Lenina’s robotic behavior offers the rebuttal. Huxley reveals through this passage a slightly good side of social classes, regarding the fact that “everyone works for everyone else”. For example, the repetition of the statement, “Everyone works for everyone else. We can’t do without anyone,” demonstrates that the Brave New World society is based upon the concept of interdependence. All citizens are raised to believe this chant in order for this “Utopia” to be a success. Since this is true, Lenina can happily accept her status as a Beta just as others accept theirs as Epsilons. However, Lenina’s discriminating opening sentence shows the negative side of a class system where the higher members look down upon those below them.