Exile In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Analysis

Exile can befall anyone, not just the ones who do bad things and receive that as their punishment. Exile can be given to those who don’t quite belong in the place they were born and are searching for another view of the world. Most decisions of exile are due to a high power government that disliked how this person viewed the society they created. The government chooses to exile people to prevent their secrets and true hidden agendas to be revealed to the rest of the society but on their exile experience they can be enlightened  or alienated further from the world. Throughout Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, exile befalls multiple characters including Linda whose experience was both alienating and enriching proving the government control over the citizens through conditioning of the mind enables a sense of solitude within a community. 

Linda spends most of her life being exiled in the worlds of in-between as she can’t fully fit into either of the societies. Linda’s exile was not a typical exile where she is being punished but an exile that was the result of her getting “lost” on the Directors “last day of my leave” (Huxley 96). Linda and the Director Thomas went to the Savage Reservation for vacation where she was abruptly left there to survive on her own. Linda experienced a sudden change in life and was displaced from her home which turned out to be an enriching yet alianting experience for her. This coincidence led Linda down a path of confusion and questions about her path which proves the strong control the government may have over one’s mind can lead to a sense of solitude from what one knew or thought they knew. Linda growing up within the Fertilization Facility enabled her to believe that “everyone belongs to everyone else” (Huxley 43). Through this belief that one person can have multiple lovers alienated Linda from the rest of the Savages in the Reservation and from the world she came from. This alienation from the world she came from and the world she lives in now proves the control the government has over a person’s mind will result in solitude when faced with new challenges. With this alienation due to the number of lovers one can have Linda was also enriched with how the Savages live their lives in which “nobody’s supposed to belong to more than one person” (Huxley 121). Linda was told that everyone on the reservation has one person they love which enlightened her about how her beliefs are different from those around her. With this enlightenment on how many lovers one can have, Linda felt more isolated from her home. Consequently, Linda believes one thing and is told another which enlightens her about others lifestyles but also makes her feel more alone in a world that doesn’t think like her. Both enlightenment and a sense of solitude came from understanding how the savages live, demonstrating the control the government has over its civilians and how that control can lead to isolation from the rest of the world. Linda experienced a life changing event which resulted in isolation from what she believed versus what others believe but also a sense of enlightenment when learning about those she was conditioned to think as savage.

Linda took her exile as a sign to grow in what she doesn’t already know and reevaluate what she does know. While Linda was on the reservation she realized that “they’re having children all the time- like dogs” (Huxley 122). Back in the fertilization facility they weren’t allowed to have babies naturally so when Linda saw that all of the people living on the reservation, she was enriched by how different they are. Linda gained a better insight into the world she is living in while in exile. The World State dominates over the citizens actions which proves that a sense of solitude and enlightenment can come from an overpowering government. Although Linda’s experience in exile was enriching towards their way of life it was also alienating ehr front he rest of her world and being able to go back to her home; “but not with a baby. That would be too shameful” (Huxley 127). Linda having John through a natural birth and not through the fertilization process aliantes her from the rest of her home. Linda was too ashamed of going back to London with John because it was not the right way of having a kid and she would be a laughing stalk. Linda feels alienated from her home due to the government’s control over what they believe proving the control one afflicts on another can lead them feeling lonely in a place they thought was their home. Linda never could make John “understand that that was what civilized people ought to do” (Huxley 122), rather than stay with one person for the rest of their lives. Linda doesn’t know which lifestyle to teach John since they are living on the reservation where they can only have one partner while in her home place of London they can have multiple partners. She doesn’t know how to make John understand that this is an enriching experience and civilization lives this way. Though Linda is having a hard time  figuring out what to teach John she realizes how alienating this is from her way of growing up demonstrating the solitude she feels based on the government's control over her thoughts versus others. The government's control over Linda’s thoughts pushes her exile experience to be more alienating than enriching. 

While in exile Linda learned to think outside the government's conditioning she went through since birth. After having John “Linda taught him how to read” (Huxley 129), which went against her conditioning. Linda went against her belief that books are bad and taught John how to read which enabled her to embrace the savages way of life. By teaching John how to read Linda was gaining a better insight into the savage lifestyle and feeling an enriching connection while also feeling alienated from her home. Linda was able to break away from the government's control over her thoughts proving that the government's control will lead to solitude but not as long as they choose to embrace the other side. Linda and John knew they weren’t welcome in the Savage Reservation “even though they always were so beastly to him…. Which was a good thing in a way, because it made it easier for me to condition him a little” (Huxley 122). Linda was alienated from the rest of the savages because she didn’t belong which made her exile even more horrible due to not being able to fit in either of the places she lived. Linda took advantage of her and John’s alienation from the savages and conditioned him the way they do in the facility. The conditioning made Linda feel a connection to her home and her past while in exile and helped pass the time while they were being alienated from the rest of the group. Linda reverting back to her old ways proves that the government might have a strong control over the citizens and make them revert to solitude but they just need to break away from the control. Linda knew she could never go back home because “just think of it: me, a Beta- having a baby: put yourself in my place” (Huxley 120). She was ashamed of herself for having a natural birth which was against the World State’s plan for them. Linda realized what she used to be and what she is now and is ashamed for allowing a natural birth to happen which put her in her exile. The World State controlled the citizens and their minds which enabled them to feel solitude when faced with differences within their community. Linda’s time in exile was both enriching yet alienating in which she learned to be herself and think outside the World State’s conditioning. 

While Linda was in her exile in the worlds of in-between, it was both an enlightening and alienating experience for her. Linda was able to understand the Savages more and be one of the only people who can live and understand both worlds. A government's control over its citizens can leave them feeling lonely in a place that was meant to feel like home and a community. Linda realized that the government made her who she is which influenced how she felt when she was on the Savage reservation. The feeling of solitude can come from being different in a world of similar people but can also come from an all powerful government controlling its citizens thoughts and actions while they choose to follow or not. Experiences with exile can be both enriching and alienating depending on how the person chooses to go about with their freedom from the outside world.