Analysis of Diction/Tone
Within Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, he uses many different literary devices to impact and shine light onto, the meaning of the novel. Specifically, he uses diction and tone throughout the whole book to do such a task, using certain words and phrases to create the tone of the story, as well as the emotion and feeling of the book. From the beginning and all throughout until the end, diction and tone’s powers are used to depict the greater meaning of the novel. In the beginning of the book, Huxley uses choice of words within dialogue to help better represent the society. “Lenina Crowne? ...Oh, she’s a splendid girl. Wonderfully pneumatic. I’m surprised you haven’t had her.” This choice of using the word “had”, instead of perhaps, “asked”, or even “gone after”, helps depict how the people in the society are treated, especially women, and contributes to the main essence and meaning of the book. As well as this, the word pneumatic is used, which is assumed to mean good in bed. Instead of outright saying it, it seems as if the characters are too scared to say it outright, and choose a different form of the phrase. This choice of words is even commented upon by another character, Bernard Marx, who says, “Talking about her as though she were a bit of meat… ...Have her here, have her there. Like mutton. Degrading her to so much mutton…” Later, Henry somewhat explains why he chose the phrase he did, going full circle to complete a large portion of explaining why society is how it is, “Everyone belongs to everyone else, after all.” In this society, women and other people are shared, and the society begins to shape itself to vaguely resemble communism, where everyone is equal, and all wealth is shared. I think that based on the time of writing, this book may have an underlying intention to criticize the communist-based Soviet Union, and depicts it in a fashion based around Britain’s strained relations with Russia at the time. Towards the middle and end of the book, a theme starts to pop up: That you should always love yourself as an individual. Using word choice, Huxley paints a picture of this theme. Near the end of the middle portion of the book, Huxley creates a very fast flowing tone and feel that represent Bernard’s sudden feeling of “happiness”. Through not loving himself because he can’t conform, Bernard’s portions are usually more slow and depressed. However, when Bernard finds a way to conform and finds a sudden rise in power, he word choice in how he talks to people shifts, as does the speed at which he talks. For example, it is mentioned that he was asking every sort of manner of women to have sex with him, whereas before he considered himself monogamous and hated the idea of “having women”. However, when his source of power suddenly denies him, Bernard falls to a position even lower than he was before, and this is once more reflected in his tone and word choice. Bernard becomes revengeful and angry, and thus uses stronger emotions and words, rather than more mediocre ones. Additionally, Bernard becomes slightly depressed again, and the tone and pacing slow themselves back down to slightly less than normal speed.