LitCharts

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley

Bernard Marx

Bernard is an Alpha citizen who, by some mischance, is physically much smaller than Alphas are supposed to be. Bernard's small stature has given him an inferiority complex. As a result, he feels like an… (read full character analysis)

John (the Savage)

John is born to a woman from the World State, Linda, who gets stranded in a Savage Reservation in New Mexico. His father is the Director. He spends the first 20 years of… (read full character analysis)

Helmholtz Watson

Helmholtz is the opposite of his close friend, Bernard: he is the perfect embodiment of an Alpha citizen. But whereas Bernard's imperfections make him an individual, Helmholtz's perfection makes him individual. Everything in life… (read full character analysis)

Lenina Crowne

Lenina is a beautiful Beta woman who works as a nurse in the Hatchery. Her closest friend there is Fanny. Lenina is slightly unconventional in that she has a tendency to date only one… (read full character analysis)

Mustapha Mond

Mond is one of the 10 World Controllers of the World State. Mond was once a physicist who loved truth and science so much that he carried out secret experiments. He was then given the… (read full character analysis)

Linda

Linda is a Beta-minus woman who accompanied the Director on a date to the Savage Reservation, accidentally got separated from him, and later gave birth to a child, John. She was so embarrassed at… (read full character analysis)

The Director (Thomas)

The Director is a pedantic, charmless, pretentious, and thoroughly conventional Alpha male who runs the Central London Hatchery. He takes exception to Bernard's unconventional behavior and prepares to punish Bernard. However, Bernard discovers and… (read full character analysis)

Minor Characters

Fanny Crowne

Lenina's friend and coworker at the Hatchery. Fanny is even more conventional than Lenina, and essentially speaks, acts, and thinks exactly as she was conditioned to.

Henry Foster

One of Lenina's lovers. He is a supremely conventional Alpha male, and an employee at the Hatchery.

Benito Hoover

An affable though rather hairy former lover of Lenina's.

The Arch-Community-Songster

The World State version of the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is offended at Bernard’s party when John refuses to make an appearance.

Popé

One of Linda's lovers in the Reservation. He brings her drugs and gives John a book of Shakespeare.