Brave New World: Symbols

Symbols are shown in red text whenever they appear in the Plot Summary and Summary and Analysis sections of this LitChart.

Ford

The World State doesn’t really have a religion, but it does have a symbolic and revered father figure: Henry T. Ford. Ford is the perfect “god” for World State society because in developing his Ford Motor Company, he invented mass production by means of the assembly line and the specialization of workers, each of whom has one single and specific job. The World State takes Ford’s ideas about mass production and the assembly line and applies them to biology—to people. The entire World State is an assembly line, pumping out people conditioned to fit into a single specialized caste and job.

Shakespeare

In Brave New World, Shakespeare represents two things. First, he represents all of the art that has been rejected and destroyed by the World State in the interest of maintaining stability. Second, the powerful emotion, passion, love, and beauty on display in Shakespeare’s plays stand for all of the noble aspects of humanity that have been sacrificed by the World State in its effort to make sure all of its citizens are always happy.