Ch.1 Summary:
The book starts off in the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre where a group of students are taking a tour to learn all they do to make and train the babies. At Hatchery they have five castes called Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon all babies start out from one of these castes. This is also where they get the social class. The Director introduces Lenina and she explains to the student that her job is the immunize the castes from typhoid and sleeping sickness.
Ch.2 Summary:
The Director leads a group of students in to the nursery and shows how they “groom” the children. The babies calm up to flowers and books, then a alarm goes off and it gives the babies a mild shock, then they set the flowers and books out again and the kids crawl away in fright. He explains this is how they make one class higher than the other. While the babies are sleeping they put on a voice that tells them the class order. They call this place Conditioning.
Ch.3 Summary:
The Director is taking people on a tour and he takes them into the garden. A little boy comes up from behind the bushes and he is not fine with the sleeping with other children so they take him to go see a psychologist. The students see all of the children “playing” everywhere. He introduces them to the Mustapha Mond. Then dialog switches in-between Lenina, Bernard, and Mustapha. Mustapha tells the history of the World State. Fanny talks to Lenina and tells her surprise with her only dating Henry. Bernard hears Henry saying to someone that they should “have her” (Lenina) someday. Bernard become degusted with Henry.
Ch.4 Summary:
When Lenina tells everyone that she is going to the Savage Reservation with Bernard, Bernard gets very embarrassed. Bernard goes to tell Helmholtz that Lenina accepted his offer in hope to make him jealous. Helmhotz his just occupied with his work and does not seem to mind.
Ch.5 Summary:
Lenina went on a date with Henry to Obstacle Golf and after the golf they went in a helicopter and drank coffee with soma in it. After a few more somas, they went to Henry’s apartment and she spent the night with him. Bernard goes to a ceremony where they played hymns. They end the ceremony with everyone sleeping with one another and Bernard felt very alone in his dislike for the society’s beliefs.
Ch.6 Summary:
While in a helicopter going to the Reservation Bernard stops it and tells her that he like the silence. She begs him to keep going and he takes some soma and sleeps with her. The next day he tells her that he wished he had not slept with her. When Bernard goes to see the Director he tells Bernard that his beliefs are wrong and that if he does not start going by the rules he will be exiled to Iceland.
Ch. 7 Summary:
In chapter Seven, Bernard and Lenina travel outside of London and visit the Mesa Reservation. Lenina, being the character of the ‘new world’, detests her time there, while the more open Bernard seems open-minded and makes a friend of a native, John, whom despite being born of the Reservation, draws his physical appearance to that of the new world. It is discovered that Linda, his mother, was the lady that the D.H.C. had lost some time ago. John talks about his broken childhood, which involved social isolation, and no parental supervision. He tells Bernard that he wishes he could be like his peers.
Ch. 8 Summary:
John goes into further discussion on how he tried to fit in, yet failed. John tells Bernard on how he had learned much through reading, yet didn’t truly understand the greater meaning. John also mentions to Bernard a time in which he was forced from his peers, and alone in his pain, he found an animal guardian. Bernard, convinced that this is the son of the D.H.C., offers to take John to the new world.
Bernard secures John a spot home, while he breaks into Lenina’s room. Touched by her visible beauty, he is to shy to talk to her in person. John instead, decides to resolve to spy on her while she sleeps.
Ch. 10 Summary:
John confronts his father, and finds him aghast of his existence. The D.H.C. is forced to resign and is humiliated.
Ch. 11 Summary:
Lenina finds a fancy for John, yet fails during a date to tell him so, likewise, John finds himself incapable of showing Lenina his love for her. Their date ends up with Lenina confused and John even sadder than he was. Bernard is enjoying fame for his recovery of the dubbed Savage, John.
Ch. 12 Summary:
John in effect from their date shuts himself in his room, causing Bernard to lose his newly acquired respect. John and Lenina both show some anxiety as both cannot determine the others motives. John becomes good friends with Helmholtz, Bernard’s consultant and friend. He reads to them Shakespeare, and despite finding the conflicts ridiculous, Helmholtz is able to successfully draw meaning, perhaps the meaning that he felt he lacked from them.
Lenina and Fanny have a conversation about dating in the community. During this conversation, Lenina realizes she is beginning to like John. Because of this realization, she expresses her feelings to Fanny, who helps her figure out what to do. Lenina did not make the right decision because John was very upset. She met john in his bedroom and they began talking about their relationship, when John told Lenina he loves her. Because Lenina was brought up in the community, she started to take off her clothes and told John to come closer. John began calling Lenina a whore and scared her out of the room
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John is surprised to find Linda in the dying ward. Even more startling, he finds the hospital attendants do not even care she is dying. Also in the dying ward is a group of children that are doing their death conditioning. In the society children are taught not to be afraid of death. John is yelled at for crying over his mother passing because he is “interrupting the children’s conditioning.”
John is upset by the annoying children, and decides to tell them the truth. He rants about freedom and throws the soma bottles out the window. While doing so, Helmholtz joins John in this act. Finally, the police come and break everything up. They calm down the children and the rebels with vaporizing soma.
John, Helmholtz, and Bernard are all taken to see Mustapha Mond. Mustapha talks of them being sent to an island because they have to be controlled. Mustapha Mond explains why people like them are dangerous. In the society they have everything balanced so no one will figure out the truth. They keep the secrets hidden to keep everything stable. People like John, Helmholtz, and Bernard are smart enough to figure out that there is more than following these barbaric rules.
Ch. 17 Summary:
Mustapha Mond explains why having choices is unhealthy for the community. If people were allowed to read older novels, then they may be corrupted in their thinking. Older novels contain unstable societies, so if they read about that they may be swayed a certain way. Also, the people are taught to have simple thoughts. Older novels have in depth thinking involved, and the people might be confused.
Ch. 18 Summary:
John finally decides to leave the new world and lives at an abandoned lighthouse. He was so upset at the monstrocity of the new world that he had to get away. Eventually, John is found and reporters come to interview him. When he kicks a reporter eventually they all leave. One day, John is really upset and begins to whip himself. Unknowingly to John , a reporter is in the bushes and catches it all on tape, and ends up developing a feely (movie). John decides this world is no longer valuable and able to give him what he wants, so he hangs himself.
