Pages read: 0-72New World is about a Utopian society in AD Ford. What is "AD Ford"? AD Ford is 1908, the year Henry Ford first introduced and published his T-Model car. So, the book is set in the AF era in AD Ford. What is AF? AF is 'after Ford.' Ford being Henry Ford, again. The year is AF 632, 632 years after Ford first brought out his T-Model (so really it's the year 2540 but they number their years after the number of years that have passed since T-Model). But because this is a book about a Utopian society, it has taken quite a bit of time to introduce the reader to the way this society works. Basically, there hasn't been much character development. There definitely has been some-- just not a lot.
One example of character development came when the author described the feelings of Bernard Marx: "How bitterly he envied men like Henry Foster and Benito Hoover! Men who never had to shout at an Epilson to get an order obeyed; men who took their position for granted; men who moved through the cast system like a fish through water--" The society includes a caste system and Bernard is all the way at the top with Epilsons being all the way at the bottom. Bernard's rank should give him complete respect from those below him but because of the fact that he is rather short for someone in his rank (he's shorter than the average by 8cm), he isn't taken seriously. He has to yell to be obeyed unlike those in his same rank that merely have to whisper to be obeyed right away. This makes Bernard very angry and sad in a society where everyone is very happy. He's an outsider. The quote tells us that Bernard is a bitter person and then proceeds to explain why, making it direct character development. It tells us something explicitly about Bernard's character.
'"Perfect!' cried Fanny enthusiastically. She could never resist Lenina's charm for long." is another example of direct character development for both characters mentioned in the quote. We're told something about both Lenina and Fanny's character. For Lenina, we're told that she has a charm or a charming aura of sorts. Fanny, we learn, cannot resist this charm. We also get some indirect development from this. It states that Fanny can't resist Lenina's charm, but it also suggests that she gives into other things very easily. This is indirect character development because it only states Fanny can't stay mad at Lenina, and that's direct. Fanny caving into many things is indirect because the reader can come to a conclusion about it from the fact that she gives into Lenina so easily.
I think the covers are pretty cool for this book so I felt inclined to include four of them within this post. I'm so sorry but come on look at them.
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