John: Just Another Angst-Ridden Teen

In Brave New World, the theme of constant self indulgence was obvious.  One could hardly read a page without being struck by the constant spoilings to which the inhabitants of this strange world seemed to be privy.  In this world, citizens were encouraged to be as selfish, and wasteful as they desired.  Citizens were not meant to think of the lasting effects of their actions.  Any want, no matter how selfish, was granted.  In this world, consciences were nonexisitent.  Because of this, one could also say that emotions were a thing of the past.  When John entered this world, he was in awe of just how wastefully and sinfully these strangers to him were living.  John lived with the belief that he was different; that he was as unselfish as they come.  However at the end of the novel, John commits suicide.
Suicide is a serious matter and is not to be taken lightly.  And as such, opinions on this matter should not be ever held to be correct.  But if John claimed he was so unselfish, a question is then raised in my mind about John's intentions with the said suicide.  John's suicide is supposedly caused by his feelings of loneliness and of being an outsider in such a self-absorbed society.  But John's actions in commiting suicide were just as selfish, as he then was catering directly to his own wants without regard for the others he may have been hurting.  Although John's mother had just died and he may have been called completely alone, John still had his father.  John's father was not his own in the normal sense, but with time, this may have changed.  John and Bernard still shared a unique bond that could have been further developed with due time.  In the real world, suicide is not as much of a rarity as it is in the society of Brave New World.  However, it is not any less shocking or hurtful to those affected by it.   Suicide can be selfish in that one can ignore the feelings of those directly affected by such an act.  However, suicide is also a very personal decision.  No one can ever fully understand the feelings of another person who is fighting their own battles.  While some may call suicide a selfish act, I believe that suicide is something that is far beyond the judgement of anyone other than the person who makes this choice for his/herself. 

   John was a boy beyond either of the worlds he had lived in.  In the reservation, he was alwasy yearning for something more.  In Brave New World, his wildest dreams that his mother had always prepared him for had been accomplished, but even they weren't enough.  John could never fit in to either of these worlds and had no means of escaping this pain and loneliness he experienced as a result, especially since the time he lived in did not allow for creative expression.
I could compare myself to John in my experiences in switching schools when I was in grade school.  I started out in a private Hebrew school in the states, but I eventually started going to a public school in Canada.  The change was drastic, and it was hard for me to adjust to what I felt was a different world.  Instead of studying Hebrew, I had to catch up in French.  I was far ahead of my peers since I had been following a different curriculum.  Instead of studying American history, I had to learn the names of Canada's provinces.  Although at the time I felt I would never be able to catch up to my peers, I did.  Of course, this change did not happen over night and going to a school that didn't require an hour's commute every day took some getting used to, I adapted.  According to Darwin, adaptations like these are necessary for survival.  If one cannot change to survive, they will not. 

 Although I would not say my situation was by any stretch of the imagination as severe or emotionally taxing as John's, I can say that any situation can be conquered when approached with an open mind and the willingness to change.  

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.  ~Pauline R. Kezer