Chapter XVIII: Last Chapter - Overall Analysis

John is a peculiar character who feels the need to punish himself frequently. When he decides that he 'ate civilization' and then after ate his own wickedness, he punishes himself by vomiting in means to purify himself. This is only a simple and just way that John punishes himself; he does it again by spending his first night in the luxurious lighthouse praying to Jesus and his guardian animal (whom is an eagle, just like Pookong is), among other entities. He would even hold his arms up and out as though being crucified to experience tremulous and excruciating agony. Why? Simply because he is an extremist in begging for forgiveness and becoming 'clean' again.
The society and the people in it are extremely different compared to John; as though they are on opposite extreme sides of a spectra. John feeds off of religion and when he is in a situation that is impure or distasteful, which is not hard to come across in the society, he instantly feels the need to punish himself. For example, when John finds himself enjoying making tools while he is in the 'wilderness', he punishes himself for the fact of enjoyment. He is supposed to constantly remember the bad events that have occurred while he has entered the society (another method of punishment). Especially the thought of Lenina, and how she sauntered towards him completely naked, makes John instantly torture himself to undergo purification.

I could not imagine undergoing such painful punishment for every wrong or immoral thing I thought about. To be honest, I doubt I would be alive if I did that every single time.

The society, on the other hand, believe that the majority of what we would find immoral is delightful and right. They find the thought of purification unnecessary, as they have no wrongs that they can commit, nor would they have the desire to do so.

When crowds of people come to see John in his hiding place, he his shocked at what they want - the whip. For some ironic reason, they wish to see pain in all its glory. When Lenina starts coming towards John, he snaps and begins to slash Lenina with his whip. Instead of the people helping the poor woman, they whoop and stampede towards the centre of attraction, "Pain was a fascinating horror" (XVIII, 227), which is terrifying. Since the society is so used to their simple, working and lecherous lives, they do not know what true pain is. They are continuously happy and never have a bad feeling, and if they do then there's soma. They literally cheer and are fascinated by the horror of pain as John continues to slash at Lenina and then at himself.
What is incredible is the power of suggestion. Their conditioning has made the people of the society become a sponge - they soak up and re-enact anything that they see as new. They begin to slash and whip themselves, "drawn by the fascination of the horror of pain and, from within...that desire for unanimity and atonement, with their conditioning had so ineradicably implanted in them, they began to mime the frenzy of his gestures" (XVIII, 228); such indisputably terrifying reactions are ludicrous. They absorb and re-enact actions without even thinking, just as a child would do. It is ridiculous that such a population, all at once, can create and partake in such reckless and disturbing behaviour, and like it! It is a twisted sick world.

The most important part in this chapter is the ending. At the very end, we learn that John has hung himself and committed suicide - the most powerful punishment he could wreak upon himself. He committed in 'orgy-porgy' and participated in erotic play; he became one of the society's people. He was meant to suffer for eternity and instead, he became so wrapped up in the soma and the frenzy of sensuality, that he lost his control on morality. Thus, in order to purify himself of such a terrible act of immorality, he kills himself.
The most amazing thing is that nothing has changed in the society. Nothing. They are still childish, dead souls as the day John the Savage came. As they saw John they described his dangling feet, "Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needle, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left. South-south-west, south-south-east, east. . ." (XVIII, 229), such an emotionless description. It is sad, really. Nothing in their society has been affected by the presence of John, and even as they watch his corpse, they are emotionless. There are no tears, no pain, no terrified emotions.. nothing. Such a world... I would not want to live in. Such sociopath tendencies in an entire society is just too painful, and sad.

A 'brave new world'?

Not in this lifetime. Not through these eyes.