Chapter XI - Summary

The scene involving the Director (who immediately resigned and never set foot in the Centre again) and this ‘delicious’ savage who had called him ‘my father’ had travelled throughout London, causing all the upper-ranked people of London begging to get a chance to see him.
Nobody was interested in seeing Linda however, for calling oneself a ‘mother’ was beyond a joke – it was the most disgusting obscenity. They also did not want to see her due to her fat, blobby, blotchy appearance.
Linda also had no desire to see any of them either. She only agreed to come back to the society so that she can have soma, and lie in bed and take soma-holiday after soma-holiday so that it was continuous. Doctors that saw her were unsure, but soon allowed for greedy Linda to take higher doses. She was taking as much as twenty grammes a day.

The doctor confided to Bernard that taking so much soma every day will cause her to die in a month or two which was good because her appearance was impossible to rejuvenate. John was against the whole thing as he thought it was shortening Linda’s life giving her so much soma. The doctor agreed with him but also stated that it was lengthening it in a sense – every soma-holiday is a bit of ‘eternity’ and since she does not have any serious work to do, unlike others in society, she can drift off into ‘eternity’ all she wants.
John persisted that he did not think it was right, but it was either give Linda soma or have her raving mad all the time. The doctor thanked them for the opportunity to see senility in a human being.

John eventually gave in and Linda spends her days with soma tablets within the reach of her hand. She was there all the time, but was always infinity far away on holiday.
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Since John was in Bernard’s care, Bernard found himself now of the utmost importance in society. No one ever made fun of his appearance nor did they talk about the rumours of the alcohol in his blood-surrogate. People were begging him to allow them to come over to his house for parties and women were ready to be ‘with him’ whenever he wanted.
Bernard was boasting about all the women he had during the week to Helmholtz who just listened in a gloomy silence. Bernard was offended and claimed that Watson was envious. Helmholtz disagreed and just stated bluntly that he is feeling rather sad, but Bernard just left mad and decided he will never talk to Watson ever again.

Bernard’s success and the world it created for him made him feel unsatisfied. He wanted to criticize the things in society as he used to but at the same time, he liked that society saw him as a success and that he could have all the girls he wanted.
Behind his back people were thinking that all the success going to his head will come to an end, and that he will not find another Savage to help him out a second time. In the meantime, people were nice because there was the ‘first’ Savage.
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Bernard is showing John, now known as the Savage in society, the Weather Department’s giant balloon that flies lighter than air in the sky. Bernard is acting as though he were visiting the World Controller (presumably in a most pompous attitude). John appears to be unimpressed of everything so far, which Bernard relays to Mustapha Mond in his reports, most likely due to the fact that Linda has probably told him all about these things many times before.
Bernard then takes John to an Upper School for the higher ranked children of society. John is bewildered by the teachings that the children undergo. John finds himself watching a video of one of the savage reservations in a Beta-Minus classroom and is pained to hear the children laugh at the people on the video whipping themselves and confessing their sins to Jesus and the eagle image of Pookong.
Bernard, on the other hand, is busy trying to make moves on the head mistress of the school.

The tour continues past the School Library at which John asks if the children read Shakespeare. The head mistress blushes at the obscenity and one of the doctors explains that there are only books that contain useful information, not distractions (that’s what feelies are for apparently).
We learn that the children are taken to the Crematorium for death conditioning which begins at eighteen months. Every child spends two mornings a week at the Hospital for the Dying where all the best toys are kept and chocolate cream is served on death days.

Bernard and John are on their way back to London when Bernard leaves to make a phone call to Lenina, asking her if she would take the Savage to the feelies this evening as he has an unexpected engagement.
John is meanwhile watching the crowds of the lower ranked people go to the monorail station where a small cardboard box of soma is being exchanged for a ticket.

Lenina comes into the changing room singing and Fanny notices how pleased she is. She confesses she is excited to be taking the Savage to the feelies that evening and rushes off to the bathroom. Fanny comments, in good nature, to herself how lucky in general Lenina is. Lenina is getting some of the fame from the Savage’s celebrity status and how she is being invited to a number of events with highly important people.

Lenina confides to Fanny that people want to know if she has made love with the Savage and truly she has not, but people do not believe her. She wishes she could though. She feels that he likes her but at the same time he doesn’t. John tries his best to avoid her by going out of the room when she enters and he won’t touch or look at her. She says she swears she catches him staring at her sometimes. Lenina is upset because she likes him more than she probably should, but believes that their evening together will provide her with a chance.
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John and Lenina are in their feelies' stalls sniffing and listening to the scent organ play as it turns to create a pleasurable atmosphere for the skin and eyes. On the screen was a realistic Negro and golden-haired Beta-Minus women locked in each other’s arms. The scent organ was breathing a soft musk while the chairs in their stalls vibrated and created sensations throughout all parts of the body.

Afterwards, Lenina felt flushed and excited. She caught hold of John’s arm and he felt as though he was not worthy and refused to look and touch her. He confessed to Lenina that he found the film horrible and that she should not have seen such things. Lenina feels that he is spoiling things with his queer attitude.

John and Lenina take a taxicopter to Lenina’s place and while she fixes her shiny nose in her make up compact, John says good night to her in a strangled voice and with an attempt to smile at her. Lenina is confused as she thought he was going to spend the night with her. John quickly jumps into the cab and it shoots into the air.
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John is in his room and takes out his hidden collection of Shakespeare’s works and begins to recall Othello, comparing it to “Three Weeks in a Helicopter” feelies film, as both had a black man in them.

Lenina had just finished crying and decides that she will take soma to lift her sorrows over John.