Brave New World (1932)

Aldous Huxley
Books and loud noises, flowers and electric shocksalready in the infant mind these coules were
comromisin!ly linked" and after two hundred reetitions of the same or a similar lesson would #e wedded
indissolu#ly$ %hat man has &oined, nature is owerless to ut asunder$
'They'll grow up with what the psychologists used to call an 'instinctive' hatred of books and
flowers$ (eflexes unaltera#ly conditioned$ )hey*ll #e safe from #ooks and #otany all their li+es$' )he ,irector
turned to his nurses$ ')ake them away a!ain$' -./
0ne of the students held u his hand" and thou!h he could see 1uite well why you couldn*t ha+e lower2
cast eole wastin! the 3ommunity*s time o+er #ooks, and that there was always the risk of their readin!
somethin! which mi!ht undesira#ly decondition one of their reflexes, yet . well, he couldn*t understand a#out
the flowers$ %hy !o to the trou#le of makin! it sycholo!ically imossi#le for ,eltas to like flowers4
5atiently the ,$H$3$ exlained$ 6f the children were made to scream at the si!ht of a rose, that was on
!rounds of hi!h economic olicy$ 7ot so +ery lon! a!o (a century or therea#outs), 8ammas, ,eltas, e+en
9silons, had #een conditioned to like flowers flowers in articular and wild nature in !eneral$ )he idea was to
make them want to #e !oin! out into the country at e+ery a+aila#le oortunity, and so comel them to consume
transort$
'And didn*t they consume transort4' asked the student$ ':uite a lot,' the ,$H$3$ relied$ 'But nothin! else$'
5rimroses and landscaes, he ointed out, ha+e one !ra+e defect; they are !ratuitous$ A lo+e of nature
kees no factories #usy$ 6t was decided to a#olish the lo+e of nature, at any rate amon! the lower classes" to
a#olish the lo+e of nature, #ut not the tendency to consume transort$ <or of course it was essential that they
should kee on !oin! to the country, e+en thou!h they hated it$ )he ro#lem was to find an economically
sounder reason for consumin! transort than a mere affection for rimroses and landscaes$ 6t was duly found$
'%e condition the masses to hate the country,' concluded the ,irector$ 'But simultaneously we condition them
to lo+e all country sorts$ At the same time, we see to it that all country sorts shall entail the use of ela#orate
aaratus$ =o that they consume manufactured articles as well as transort$ Hence those electric shocks$' -./
'>ou all remem#er,' said the 3ontroller, in his stron! dee +oice, 'you all remem#er, 6 suose, that #eautiful
and insired sayin! of 0ur <ord*s; History is #unk$ History,' he reeated slowly, 'is bunk$' He wa+ed his hand"
and it was as thou!h, with an in+isi#le feather whisk, he had #rushed away a little dust, and the dust was
Haraa, was ?r of the 3haldees" some sider2we#s, and they were )he#es and Ba#ylon and 3nossos and
@ycenae$ %hisk$ %hiskand where was 0dysseus, where was Ao#, where were Auiter and 8otama and Aesus4
%hiskand those secks of anti1ue dirt called Athens and (ome, Aerusalem and the @iddle Bin!domall were
!one$ %hiskthe lace where 6taly had #een was emty$ %hisk, the cathedrals" whisk, whisk, Bin! Cear and the
)hou!hts of 5ascal$ %hisk, 5assion" whisk, (e1uiem" whisk, =ymhony" whisk . -./
')hat*s why you*re tau!ht no history,' the 3ontroller was sayin!$ 'But now the time has come .' )he ,$H$3$
looked at him ner+ously$ )here were those strange rumours of old forbidden books hidden in a safe in the
Controller's study. Bibles, poetry<ord knew what$ -./
And home was as s1ualid sychically as hysically$ 5sychically, it was a ra##it hole, a midden, hot with the
frictions of ti!htly acked life, reekin! with emotion$ %hat suffocatin! intimacies, what dan!erous, insane,
o#scene relationshis #etween the mem#ers of the family !rouD @aniacally, the mother #rooded o+er her
children (her children) . #rooded o+er them like a cat o+er its kittens" #ut a cat that could talk, a cat that could
say, '@y #a#y, my #a#y,' o+er and o+er a!ain$ -./
0ur <ordor 0ur <reud, as, for some inscruta#le reason, he chose to call himself whene+er he soke of
sycholo!ical matters0ur <reud had #een the first to re+eal the aallin! dan!ers of family life$ )he world was
full of fatherswas therefore full of misery" full of motherstherefore of e+ery kind of er+ersion from sadism to
chastity" full of #rothers, sisters, uncles, auntsfull of madness and suicide$ 'And yet, amon! the sa+a!es of
=amoa, in certain islands off the coast of 7ew 8uinea .' )he troical sunshine lay like warm honey on the
naked #odies of children tum#lin! romiscuously amon! the hi#iscus #lossoms$ Home was in any one of twenty
alm2thatched houses$ 6n the )ro#riands concetion was the work of ancestral !hosts" no#ody had e+er heard of
a father$ '9xtremes,' said the 3ontroller, 'meet$ <or the !ood reason that they were made to meet$' -./
@others and fathers, #rothers and sisters$ But there were also hus#ands, wi+es, lo+ers$ )here were also
mono!amy and romance$ ')hou!h you ro#a#ly don*t know what those are,' said @ustaha @ond$ )hey shook
their heads$ Family, monogamy, romance$ 9+erywhere exclusi+eness, a narrow channellin! of imulse and
ener!y$ -./
@other, mono!amy, romance$ Hi!h surts the fountain" fierce and foamy the wild &et$ )he ur!e has #ut a sin!le
outlet$ @y lo+e, my #a#y$ 7o wonder these poor premoderns were mad and wicked and miserable$ )heir
world didn*t allow them to take thin!s easily, didn*t allow them to #e sane, +irtuous, hay$ %hat with mothers
and lo+ers, what with the rohi#itions they were not conditioned to o#ey, what with the temtations and the
lonely remorses, what with all the diseases and the endless isolatin! ain, what with the uncertainties and the
o+erty they were forced to feel strongly. !nd feeling strongly (and stron!ly, what was more, in solitude, in
hoelessly indi+idual isolation), how could they be stable4 -./
'=ta#ility,' said the 3ontroller, 'sta#ility$ "o civili#ation without social stability$ "o social stability without
individual stability$' His +oice was a trumet$ Cistenin! they felt lar!er, warmer$ -./
'Horri#le" recisely,' said the 3ontroller$ '$ur ancestors were so stupid and shortsighted that when the first
reformers came along and offered to deliver them from those horrible emotions, they woudn't have
anything to do with them$' -./
')ake 9cto!enesis$ 5fitEner and Bawa!uchi had !ot the whole techni1ue worked out$ But would the
8o+ernments look at it4 7o$ There was something called Christianity$ %omen were forced to !o on #ein!
+i+iarous$' -./
'=lee teachin! was actually rohi#ited in 9n!land$ )here was somethin! called li#eralism$ 5arliament, if you
know what that was, assed a law a!ainst it$ )he records sur+i+e$ =eeches a#out li#erty of the su#&ect$ Ci#erty
to #e inefficient and misera#le$ <reedom to #e a round e! in a s1uare hole$' -./
'0r the 3aste =ystem$ 3onstantly roosed, constantly re&ected$ )here was somethin! called democracy$ As
thou!h men were more than hysico2chemically e1ual$' -./
')hen came the famous British @useum @assacre$ )wo thousand culture fans !assed with dichlorethyl
sulhide$' -./
'Accomanied #y a camai!n a!ainst the 5ast" #y the closin! of museums, the #lowin! u of historical
monuments (luckily most of them had already #een destroyed durin! the 7ine >ears* %ar)" #y the suppression
of all books u#lished #efore A$<$ 1F0$** -./
')here were some thin!s called the yramids, for examle$ -./
'And a man called =hakeseare$ >ou*+e ne+er heard of them of course$' -./
')here was a thin! called Hea+en" #ut all the same they used to drink enormous 1uantities of alcohol$' -./
')here was a thin! called the soul and a thin! called immortality$' -./
'But they used to take morhia and cocaine$' -./
')wo thousand harmacolo!ists and #io2chemists were su#sidiEed in A$5$ 1GH$' -./
'=ix years later it was #ein! roduced commercially$ The perfect drug$' -./
'9uhoric, narcotic, leasantly hallucinant$' -./
'All the ad+anta!es of 3hristianity and alcohol" none of their defects$'
')ake a holiday from reality whene+er you like, and come #ack without so much as a headache or a mytholo!y$'
-./
'%tability was practically assured$' -./
$ne day &'ohn calculated later that it must have been soon after his twelfth birthday( he came home and
found a book that he had never seen before lying on the floor in the bedroom. )t was a thick book and
looked very old. The binding had been eaten by mice* some of its pages were loose and crumpled. He
picked it up, looked at the titlepage+ the book was called The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.
Cinda was lyin! on the #ed, siin! that horri#le stinkin! mescal out of a cu$ '5oI #rou!ht it,' she
said$ Her +oice was thick and hoarse like some#ody else*s +oice$ '6t was lyin! in one of the chests of the
Anteloe Bi+a$ )t's supposed to have been there for hundreds of years. ) e,pect it's true, because ) looked
at it, and it seemed to be full of nonsense. -ncivili#ed. %till, it'll be good enough for you to practice your
reading on$' =he took a last si, set the cu down on the floor #eside the #ed, turned o+er on her side,
hiccou!hed once or twice and went to slee$
He oened the #ook at random$
7ay, #ut to li+e
6n the rank sweat of an enseamed #ed,
=tew*d in corrution, honeyin! and makin! lo+e
0+er the nasty sty .
The strange words rolled through his mind* rumbled, like talking thunder* like the drums at the summer
dances, if the drums could have spoken* like the men singing the Corn %ong, beautiful, beautiful, so that
you cried" like old @itsima sayin! ma!ic o+er his feathers and his car+ed sticks and his #its of #one and stone
kiathla tsilu silokwe silokwe silokwe$ Biai silu silu, tsithl#ut #etter than @itsima*s ma!ic, #ecause it meant
more, #ecause it talked to him, talked wonderfully and only halfunderstandably, a terrible beautiful
magic, a#out Cinda" a#out Cinda lyin! there snorin!, with the emty cu on the floor #eside the #ed" a#out
Cinda and 5oI, Cinda and 5oI$
He hated 5oI more and more$ A man can smile and smile and #e a +illain$ (emorseless, treacherous,
lecherous, kindless +illain$ .hat did the words e,actly mean/ He only half knew. But their magic was
strong and went on rumbling in his head, and somehow it was as though he had never really hated 0op1
before* never really hated him because he had never been able to say how much he hated him. But now he
had these words, these words like drums and singing and magic. These words and the strange, strange
story out of which they were taken &he couldn't make head or tail of it, but it was wonderful, wonderful all
the same(2they gave him a reason for hating 0op1* and they made his hatred more real" they e+en made
5oI himself more real$
0ne day, when he came in from layin!, the door of the inner room was oen, and he saw them lyin!
to!ether on the #ed, asleewhite Cinda and 5oI almost #lack #eside her, with one arm under her shoulders and
the other dark hand on her #reast, and one of the laits of his lon! hair lyin! across her throat, like a #lack snake
tryin! to stran!le her$ 5oI*s !ourd and a cu were standin! on the floor near the #ed$ Cinda was snorin!$
His heart seemed to ha+e disaeared and left a hole$ He was emty$ 9mty, and cold, and rather sick,
and !iddy$ He leaned a!ainst the wall to steady himself$ (emorseless, treacherous, lecherous . Cike drums, like
the men sin!in! for the corn, like ma!ic, the words repeated and repeated themselves in his head$ <rom #ein!
cold he was suddenly hot$ His cheeks #urnt with the rush of #lood, the room swam and darkened #efore his eyes$
He !round his teeth$ '6*ll kill him, 6*ll kill him, 6*ll kill him,' he ket sayin!$ !nd suddenly there were more
words.
%hen he is drunk aslee, or in his ra!e
0r in the incestuous leasure of his #ed .
The magic was on his side, the magic e,plained and gave orders$ He steed #ack in the outer room$ '%hen
he is drunk aslee .' )he knife for the meat was lyin! on the floor near the firelace$ He icked it u and
titoed to the door a!ain$ '%hen he is drunk aslee, drunk aslee .' He ran across the room and sta##edoh,
the #loodDsta##ed a!ain, as 5oI hea+ed out of his slee, lifted his hand to sta# once more, #ut found his wrist
cau!ht, held andoh, ohDtwisted$ He couldn*t mo+e, he was traed, and there were 5oI*s small #lack eyes,
+ery close, starin! into his own$ He looked away$ )here were two cuts on 5oI*s left shoulder$ '0h, look at the
#loodD' Cinda was cryin!$ 'Cook at the #loodD' =he had ne+er #een a#le to #ear the si!ht of #lood$ 5oI lifted
his other handto strike him, he thou!ht$ He stiffened to recei+e the #low$ But the hand only took him under the
chin and turned his face, so that he had to look a!ain into 5oI*s eyes$ <or a lon! time, for hours and hours$ And
suddenlyhe couldn*t hel ithe #e!an to cry$ 5oI #urst out lau!hin!$ '8o,' he said, in the other 6ndian words$
'8o, my #ra+e Ahaiyuta$' He ran out into the other room to hide his tears$ -./
'0nce,' he went on, '6 did somethin! that none of the others did; 6 stood a!ainst a rock in the middle of the day,
in summer, with my arms out, like Aesus on the 3ross$'
'%hat on earth for4'
'6 wanted to know what it was like #ein! crucified$ Han!in! there in the sun .' -./
)he youn! man drew a dee #reath$ ')o think it should #e comin! truewhat 6*+e dreamt of all my life$ ,o you
remem#er what @iranda says4'
'%ho*s @iranda4'
But the youn! man had e+idently not heard the 1uestion$ '$ wonder3' he was sayin!" and his eyes shone, his
face was #ri!htly flushed$ 'How many goodly creatures are there here3 How beauteous mankind isD' )he
flush suddenly deeened" he was thinkin! of Cenina, of an an!el in #ottle2!reen +iscose, lustrous with youth and
skin food, lum, #ene+olently smilin!$ His +oice faltered$ '$ brave new world,' he #e!an, then2suddenly
interruted himself" the #lood had left his cheeks" he was as ale as aer$
'Are you married to her4' he asked$
'Am 6 what4'
'@arried$ >ou knowfor e+er$ )hey say *for e+er* in the 6ndian words" it can*t #e #roken$'
'<ord, noD' Bernard couldn*t hel lau!hin!$
Aohn also lau!hed, #ut for another reasonlau!hed for ure &oy$
'$ brave new world,' he reeated$ '$ brave new world that has such people in it. 4et's start at once$'
'5ou have a most peculiar way of talking sometimes,' said Bernard, starin! at the youn! man in erlexed
astonishment$ 'And, anyhow, hadn't you better wait till you actually see the new world4' -./
)here, on a low #ed, the sheet flun! #ack, dressed in a air of ink one2iece Eiy&amas, lay Cenina, fast aslee
and so #eautiful in the midst of her curls, so touchin!ly childish with her ink toes and her !ra+e sleein! face,
so trustful in the hellessness of her lim hands and melted lim#s, that the tears came to his eyes$
%ith an infinity of 1uite unnecessary recautionsfor nothin! short of a istol shot could ha+e called
Cenina #ack from her soma2holiday #efore the aointed timehe entered the room, he knelt on the floor #eside
the #ed$ He !aEed, he clased his hands, his lis mo+ed$ 'Her eyes,' he murmured,
'Her eyes, her hair, her cheek, her !ait, her +oice"
Handlest in thy discourse 0D that her hand,
6n whose comarison all whites are ink
%ritin! their own reroach" to whose soft seiEure
)he cy!net*s down is harsh .'
A fly #uEEed round her" he wa+ed it away$ '<lies,' he remem#ered,
'0n the white wonder of dear Auliet*s hand, may seiEe
And steal immortal #lessin! from her lis,
%ho, e+en in ure and +estal modesty,
=till #lush, as thinkin! their own kisses sin$'
Jery slowly, with the hesitatin! !esture of one who reaches forward to stroke a shy and ossi#ly rather
dan!erous #ird, he ut out his hand$ 6t hun! there trem#lin!, within an inch of those lim fin!ers, on the +er!e of
contact$ ,id he dare4 ,are to rofane with his unworthiest hand that . 7o, he didn*t$ )he #ird was too
dan!erous$ His hand droed #ack$ How #eautiful she wasD How #eautifulD
)hen suddenly he found himself reflectin! that he had only to take hold of the Eier at her neck and
!i+e one lon!, stron! ull . He shut his eyes, he shook his head with the !esture of a do! shakin! its ears as it
emer!es from the water$ ,etesta#le thou!htD He was ashamed of himself$ 5ure and +estal modesty .
)here was a hummin! in the air$ Another fly tryin! to steal immortal #lessin!s4 A was4 He looked, saw
nothin!$ )he hummin! !rew louder and louder, localiEed itself as #ein! outside the shuttered windows$ )he
laneD 6n a anic, he scram#led to his feet and ran into the other room, +aulted throu!h the oen window, and
hurryin! alon! the ath #etween the tall a!a+es was in time to recei+e Bernard @arx as he clim#ed out of the
helicoter$ -./
'Soma may make you lose a few years in time,' the doctor went on$ 'But think of the enornous, immeasura#le
durations it can !i+e you out of time$ 9+ery soma2holiday is a #it of what our ancestors used to call eternity$'
Aohn #e!an to understand$ '6ternity was in our lips and eyes,' he murmured$
'9h4'
'7othin!$' -./
')wel+e hundred and fifty kilometres an hour,' said the =tation @aster imressi+ely$
'%hat do you think of that, @r$ =a+a!e4'
Aohn thou!ht it +ery nice$ '=till,' he said, 'Ariel could ut a !irdle round the earth in forty minutes$' -./
'9ach rocess,' exlained the Human 9lement @ana!er, 'is carried out, so far as ossi#le, #y a sin!le
Bokano+sky 8rou$'
And, in effect, ei!hty2three almost noseless #lack #rachycehalic ,eltas were cold2ressin!$ )he fifty2six four2
sindle chuckin! and turnin! machines were #ein! maniulated #y fifty2six a1uiline and !in!er 8ammas$ 0ne
hundred and se+en heat2conditioned 9silon =ene!alese were workin! in the foundry$ )hirty2three ,elta
females, lon!2headed, sandy, with narrow el+ises, and all within 2K millimetres of 1 metre L9 centimetres tall,
were cuttin! screws$ 6n the assem#lin! room, the dynamos were #ein! ut to!ether #y two sets of 8amma25lus
dwarfs$ )he two low work2ta#les faced one another" #etween them crawled the con+eyor with its load of
searate arts" forty2se+en #londe heads were confronted #y forty2se+en #rown ones$ <orty2se+en snu#s #y
forty2se+en hooks" forty2se+en recedin! #y forty2se+en ro!nathous chins$ )he comleted mechanisms were
insected #y ei!hteen identical curly au#urn !irls in 8amma !reen, acked in crates #y thirty2four short2le!!ed,
left2handed male ,elta2@inuses, and loaded into the waitin! trucks and lorries #y sixty2three #lue2eyed, flaxen
and freckled 9silon =emi2@orons$
7$ brave new world 87 By some malice of his memory the %avage found himself repeating 9iranda's
words. 7$ brave new world that has such people in it.7 -./
':o they read %hakespeare/' asked the =a+a!e as they walked, on their way to the Bio2chemical Ca#oratories,
ast the =chool Ci#rary$
'3ertainly not,' said the Head @istress, #lushin!$
'0ur li#rary,' said ,r$ 8affney, 'contains only #ooks of reference$ 6f our youn! eole need distraction, they can
!et it at the feelies$ %e don*t encoura!e them to indul!e in any solitary amusements$' -./
'%hat*s in those' (remem#erin! The Merchant of Venice) 'those caskets4' the =a+a!e en1uired when Bernard
had re&oined him$ -./
'6 don*t think you ou!ht to see thin!s like that,' he said, makin! haste to transfer from Cenina herself to the
surroundin! circumstances the #lame for any ast or ossi#le future lase from erfection$
')hin!s like what, Aohn4'
'Cike this horri#le film$'
'Horri#le4' Cenina was !enuinely astonished$ 'But 6 thou!ht it was lo+ely$'
'6t was #ase,' he said indi!nantly, 'it was i!no#le$' -./
<i+e minutes later he was #ack in his room$ <rom its hidin!2lace he took out his mouse2ni##led +olume, turned
with reli!ious care its stained and crum#led a!es, and #e!an to read Othello$ 0thello, he remem#ered, was like
the hero of Three Weeks in a Helicoptera #lack man$ -./
?stairs in his room the =a+a!e was readin! Romeo and Juliet$ -./
%ith closed eyes, his face shinin! with rature, Aohn was softly declaimin! to +acancy;
'0hD she doth teach the torches to #urn #ri!ht$
6t seems she han!s uon the cheek of ni!ht,
Cike a rich &ewel in an 9thio*s ear"
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear .' -./
)he =a+a!e was readin! Romeo and Juliet aloud readin! (for all the time he was seeing himself as ;omeo
and 4enina as 'uliet) with an intense and 1ui+erin! assion$ HelmholtE had listened to the scene of the lo+ers*
first meetin! with a uEEled interest$ )he scene in the orchard had deli!hted him with its oetry" #ut the
sentiments exressed had made him smile$ 8ettin! into such a state a#out ha+in! a !irl it seemed rather
ridiculous$ But, taken detail #y +er#al detail, what a suer# iece of emotional en!ineerin!D ')hat old fellow,' he
said, 'he makes our #est roa!anda technicians look a#solutely silly$' )he =a+a!e smiled triumhantly and
resumed his readin!$ All went tolera#ly well until, in the last scene of the third act, 3aulet and Cady 3aulet
#e!an to #ully Auliet to marry 5aris$ HelmholtE had #een restless throu!hout the entire scene" #ut when,
athetically mimed #y the =a+a!e, Auliet cried out;
'6s there no ity sittin! in the clouds,
)hat sees into the #ottom of my !rief4
0 sweet my mother, cast me not away;
,elay this marria!e for a month, a week"
0r, if you do not, make the #ridal #ed
6n that dim monument where )y#alt lies .'
when Auliet said this, HelmholtE #roke out in an exlosion of uncontrolla#le !uffawin!$ )he mother and father
(!rotes1ue o#scenity) forcin! the dau!hter to ha+e some one she didn*t wantD And the idiotic !irl not sayin! that
she was ha+in! some one else whom (for the moment, at any rate) she referredD 6n its smutty a#surdity the
situation was irresisti#ly comical$ He had mana!ed, with a heroic effort, to hold down the mountin! ressure of
his hilarity" #ut 'sweet mother' (in the =a+a!e*s tremulous tone of an!uish) and the reference to )y#alt lyin!
dead, #ut e+idently uncremated and wastin! his hoshorus on a dim monument, were too much for him$ He
lau!hed and lau!hed till the tears streamed down his face1uenchlessly lau!hed while, ale with a sense of
outra!e, the =a+a!e looked at him o+er the to of his #ook and then, as the lau!hter still continued, closed it
indi!nantly, !ot u and, with the !esture of one who remo+es his earl from #efore swine, locked it away in its
drawer$
'And yet,' said HelmholtE when, ha+in! reco+ered #reath enou!h to aolo!iEe, he had mollified the =a+a!e into
listenin! to his exlanations, '6 know 1uite well that one needs ridiculous, mad situations like that" one can*t
write really well a#out anythin! else$ %hy was that old fellow such a mar+ellous roa!anda technician4
Because he had so many insane, excruciatin! thin!s to !et excited a#out$ >ou*+e !ot to #e hurt and uset"
otherwise you can*t think of the really !ood, enetratin!, M2rayish hrases$ But fathers and mothersD' He shook
his head$ '>ou can*t exect me to kee a strai!ht face a#out fathers and mothers$ And who*s !oin! to !et excited
a#out a #oy ha+in! a !irl or not ha+in! her4' ()he =a+a!e winced" #ut HelmholtE, who was starin! ensi+ely at
the floor, saw nothin!$) '7o$' he concluded, with a si!h, 'it won*t do$ %e need some other kind of madness and
+iolence$ But what4 %hat4 %here can one find it4' He was silent" then, shakin! his head, '6 don*t know,' he said
at last, '6 don*t know$' -./
'>ou don*t seem +ery !lad to see me, Aohn,' she said at last$
'7ot !lad4' )he =a+a!e looked at her reroachfully" then suddenly fell on his knees #efore her and, takin!
Cenina*s hand, re+erently kissed it$ '7ot !lad4 0h, if you only knew,' he whisered and, +enturin! to raise his
eyes to her face, 'Admired Cenina,' he went on, 'indeed the to of admiration, worth what*s dearest in the
world$' =he smiled at him with a luscious tenderness$ '0h, you so erfect' (she was leanin! towards him with
arted lis), 'so erfect and so eerless are created' (nearer and nearer) 'of e+ery creature*s #est $' =till nearer$
)he =a+a!e suddenly scram#led to his feet$ ')hat*s why,' he said seakin! with a+erted face, '6 wanted to do
somethin! first . 6 mean, to show 6 was worthy of you$ 7ot that 6 could e+er really #e that$ But at any rate to
show 6 wasn*t a#solutely un2worthy$ 6 wanted to do somethin$'
'%hy should you think it necessary .' Cenina #e!an, #ut left the sentence unfinished$ )here was a note of
irritation in her +oice$ %hen one has leant forward, nearer and nearer, with arted lisonly to find oneself, 1uite
suddenly, as a clumsy oaf scram#les to his feet, leanin! towards nothin! at allwell, there is a reason, e+en with
half a !ramme of soma circulatin! in one*s #lood2stream, a !enuine reason for annoyance$
'At @alais,' the =a+a!e was incoherently mum#lin!, 'you had to #rin! her the skin of a mountain lion6 mean,
when you wanted to marry some one$ 0r else a wolf$'
')here aren*t any lions in 9n!land,' Cenina almost snaed$
'And e+en if there were,' the =a+a!e added, with sudden contemtuous resentment, 'eole would kill them out
of helicoters, 6 suose, with oison !as or somethin!$ 6 wouldn*t do that, Cenina$' He s1uared his shoulders, he
+entured to look at her and was met with a stare of annoyed incomrehension$ 3onfused, '6*ll do anythin!,' he
went on, more and more incoherently$ 'Anythin! you tell me$ )here #e some sorts are ainfulyou know$ But
their la#our deli!ht in them sets off$ )hat*s what 6 feel$ 6 mean 6*d swee the floor if you wanted$'
'But we*+e !ot +acuum cleaners here,' said Cenina in #ewilderment$ '6t isn*t necessary$'
'7o, of course it isn*t necessar!$ But some kinds of #aseness are no#ly under!one$
6*d like to under!o somethin! no#ly$ ,on*t you see4'
'But if there are +acuum cleaners .'
')hat*s not the oint$'
'And 9silon =emi2@orons to work them,' she went on, 'well, really, why4'
'%hy4 But for you, for you$ Aust to show that 6 .'
'And what on earth +acuum cleaners ha+e !ot to do with lions .'
')o show how much .'
'0r lions with #ein! !lad to see me .' =he was !ettin! more and more exaserated$
'How much 6 lo+e you, Cenina,' he #rou!ht out almost deserately$
An em#lem of the inner tide of startled elation, the #lood rushed u into Cenina*s cheeks$ ',o you mean it,
Aohn4'
'But 6 hadn*t meant to say so,' cried the =a+a!e, clasin! his hands in a kind of a!ony$ '7ot until . Cisten,
Cenina" in @alais eole !et married$'
'8et what4' )he irritation had #e!un to cree #ack into her +oice$ %hat was he talkin! a#out now4
'<or always$ )hey make a romise to li+e to!ether for always$'
'%hat a horri#le ideaD' Cenina was !enuinely shocked$
'0utli+in! #eauty*s outward with a mind that cloth renew swifter than #lood decays$'
"What#"
'6t*s like that in =hakeseare too$ *6f thou cost #reak her +ir!in knot #efore all sanctimonious ceremonies may
with full and holy rite .*'
'<or <ord*s sake, Aohn, talk sense$ 6 can*t understand a word you say$ <irst it*s +acuum cleaners" then it*s knots$
>ou*re dri+in! me craEy$' =he &umed u and, as thou!h afraid that he mi!ht run away from her hysically, as
well as with his mind, cau!ht him #y the wrist$ 'Answer me this 1uestion; do you really like me, or don*t you4'
)here was a moment*s silence" then, in a +ery low +oice, '6 lo+e you more than anythin! in the world,' he said$
')hen why on earth didn*t you say so4' she cried, and so intense was her exaseration that she dro+e her shar
nails into the skin of his wrist$ '6nstead of dri+ellin! away a#out knots and +acuum cleaners and lions, and
makin! me misera#le for weeks and weeks$'
=he released his hand and flun! it an!rily away from her$
'6f 6 didn*t like you so much,' she said, '6*d #e furious with you$'
And suddenly her arms were round his neck" he felt her lis soft a!ainst his own$ =o deliciously soft, so warm
and electric that ine+ita#ly he found himself thinkin! of the em#races in Three Weeks in a Helicopter$ 0ohD oohD
the stereoscoic #londe and anhD the more than real #lack2amoor$ Horror, horror, horror . he fired to disen!a!e
himself" #ut Cenina ti!htened her em#race$
'%hy didn*t you say so4' she whisered, drawin! #ack her face to look at him$ Her eyes were tenderly
reroachful$
')he murkiest den, the most oortune lace' (the +oice of conscience thundered oetically), 'the stron!est
su!!estion our worser !enius can, shall ne+er melt mine honour into lust$ 7e+er, ne+erD' he resol+ed$
'>ou silly #oyD' she was sayin!$ '6 wanted you so much$ And if you wanted me too, why didn*t you4 .'
'But, Cenina .' he #e!an rotestin!" and as she immediately untwined her arms, as she steed away from him,
he thou!ht, for a moment, that she had taken his unsoken hint$ But when she un#uckled her white atent
cartrid!e #elt and hun! it carefully o+er the #ack of a chair, he #e!an to susect that he had #een mistaken$
'CeninaD' he reeated arehensi+ely$
=he ut her hand to her neck and !a+e a lon! +ertical ull" her white sailor*s #louse was ried to the hem"
susicion condensed into a too, too solid certainty$ 'Cenina, what are you doin!4'
Ni, EiD Her answer was wordless$ =he steed out of her #ell2#ottomed trousers$
Her Eiicamiknicks were a ale shell ink$ )he Arch23ommunity2=on!ster*s !olden ) dan!led at her #reast$
'<or those milk as that throu!h the window #ars #ore at men*s eyes$$$$' )he sin!in!, thunderin!, ma!ical
words made her seem dou#ly dan!erous, dou#ly allurin!$ =oft, soft, #ut how iercin!D #orin! and drillin! into
reason, tunnelin! throu!h resolution$ ')he stron!est oaths are straw to the fire i* the #lood$ Be more a#stemious,
or else .'
NiD )he rounded inkness fell aart like a neatly di+ided ale$ A wri!!le of the arms, a liftin! first of the ri!ht
foot, then the left; the Eiicamiknicks were lyin! lifeless and as thou!h deflated on the floor$
=till wearin! her shoes and socks, and her rakishly tilted round white ca, she ad+anced towards him$ ',arlin!$
,arlin!D 6f only you*d said so #eforeD' =he held out her arms$
But instead of also sayin! ',arlin!D' and holdin! out his arms, the =a+a!e retreated in terror, flain! his hands
at her as thou!h he were tryin! to scare away some intrudin! and dan!erous animal$ <our #ackwards stes, and
he was #rou!ht to #ay a!ainst the wall$
'=weetD' said Cenina and, layin! her hands on his shoulders, ressed herself a!ainst him$ '5ut your arms round
me,' she commanded$ 'Hu! me till you dru! me, honey$' =he too had oetry at her command, knew words that
san! and were sells and #eat drums$ 'Biss me'" she closed her eyes, she let her +oice sink to a sleey murmur,
'Biss me till 6*m in a coma$ Hu! me, honey, snu!!ly .'
)he =a+a!e cau!ht her #y the wrists, tore her hands from his shoulders, thrust her rou!hly away at arm*s len!th$
'0w, you*re hurtin! me, you*re . ohD' =he was suddenly silent$ )error had made her for!et the ain$ 0enin!
her eyes, she had seen his faceno, not his face, a ferocious stran!er*s, ale, distorted, twitchin! with some
insane, inexlica#le fury$ A!hast, 'But what is it, Aohn4' she whisered$ He did not answer, #ut only stared into
her face with those mad eyes$ )he hands that held her wrists were trem#lin!$ He #reathed deely and irre!ularly$
<aint almost to imerceti#ility, #ut aallin!, she suddenly heard the !nedin! of his teeth$ '%hat is it4' she
almost screamed$ And as thou!h awakened #y her cry he cau!ht her #y the shoulders and shook her$
'%horeD' he shouted '%horeD 6mudent strumetD'
'0h, don*t, do2on*t,' she rotested in a +oice made !rotes1uely tremulous #y his shakin!$
'%horeD'
'5lea2ease$'
',amned whoreD'
'A !ra2amme is #e2etter .' she #e!an$
)he =a+a!e ushed her away with such force that she sta!!ered and fell$ '8o,' he shouted, standin! o+er her
menacin!ly, '!et out of my si!ht or 6*ll kill you$' He clenched his fists$
Cenina raised her arm to co+er her face$ '7o, lease don*t, Aohn .'
'Hurry u$ :uickD'
0ne arm still raised, and followin! his e+ery mo+ement with a terrified eye, she scram#led to her feet and still
crouchin!, still co+erin! her head, made a dash for the #athroom$ )he noise of that rodi!ious sla #y which her
dearture was accelerated was like a istol shot$
'0wD' Cenina #ounded forward$
=afely locked into the #athroom, she had leisure to take stock of her in&uries$ =tandin! with her #ack to the
mirror, she twisted her head$ Cookin! o+er her left shoulder she could see the imrint of an oen hand standin!
out distinct and crimson on the early flesh$ 8in!erly she ru##ed the wounded sot$ 0utside, in the other room,
the =a+a!e was stridin! u and down, marchin!, marchin! to the drums and music of ma!ical words$ ')he wren
!oes to*t and the small !ilded fly does lecher in my si!ht$' @addenin!ly they rum#led in his ears$ ')he fitchew
nor the soiled horse !oes to*t with a more riotous aetite$ ,own from the waist they are 3entaurs, thou!h
women all a#o+e$ But to the !irdle do the !ods inherit$ Beneath is all the fiend*s$ )here*s hell, there*s darkness,
there is the sulhurous it, #urnin! scaldin!, stench, consumtion" fie, fie, fie, ain, ainD 8i+e me an ounce of
ci+et, !ood aothecary, to sweeten my ima!ination$'
'AohnD' +entured a small in!ratiatin! +oice from the #athroom$ 'AohnD'
'0 thou weed, who are so lo+ely fair and smell*st so sweet that the sense aches at thee$ %as this most !oodly
#ook made to write *whore* uon4 Hea+en stos the nose at it .' But her erfume still hun! a#out him, his
&acket was white with the owder that had scented her +el+ety #ody$ '6mudent strumet, imudent strumet,
imudent strumet$' )he inexora#le rhythm #eat itself out$ '6mudent .'
'Aohn, do you think 6 mi!ht ha+e my clothes4'
He icked u the #ell2#ottomed trousers, the #louse, the Eiicamiknicks$
'0enD' he ordered, kickin! the door$
'7o, 6 won*t$' )he +oice was fri!htened and defiant$
'%ell, how do you exect me to !i+e them to you4'
'5ush them throu!h the +entilator o+er the door$'
He did what she su!!ested and returned to his uneasy acin! of the room$
'6mudent strumet, imudent strumet$ )he de+il Cuxury with his fat rum and otato fin!er .'
'Aohn$'
He would not answer$ '<at rum and otato fin!er$'
'Aohn$'
'%hat is it4' he asked !ruffly$
'6 wonder if you*d mind !i+in! me my @althusian #elt$'
Cenina sat, listenin! to the footstes in the other room, wonderin!, as she listened, how lon! he was likely to !o
tramin! u and down like that" whether she would ha+e to wait until he left the flat" or if it would #e safe, after
allowin! his madness a reasona#le time to su#side, to oen the #athroom door and make a dash for it$ =he was
interruted in the midst of these uneasy seculations #y the sound of the telehone #ell rin!in! in the other
room$ A#rutly the tramin! ceased$ =he heard the +oice of the =a+a!e arleyin! with silence$ -./
@ustaha @ond shook hands with all three of them" #ut it was to the =a+a!e that he addressed himself$ '=o you
don*t much like ci+iliEation, @r$ =a+a!e,' he said$ )he =a+a!e looked at him$ He had #een reared to lie, to
#luster, to remain sullenly unresonsi+e" #ut, reassured #y the !ood2humoured intelli!ence of the 3ontroller*s
face, he decided to tell the truth, strai!htforwardly$ '7o$' He shook his head$
Bernard started and looked horrified$ %hat would the 3ontroller think4 )o #e la#elled as the friend of a man
who said that he didn*t like ci+iliEationsaid it oenly and, of all eole, to the 3ontrollerit was terri#le$ 'But,
Aohn,' he #e!an$ A look from @ustaha @ond reduced him to an a#&ect silence$
'0f course,' the =a+a!e went on to admit, 'there are some +ery nice thin!s$ All that music in the air, for instance
.'
'%ometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about my ears and sometimes voices$'
)he =a+a!e*s face lit u with a sudden leasure$ 'Ha+e you read it too4' he asked$
') thought nobody knew about that book here, in 6ngland$'
'Almost no#ody$ 6*m one of the +ery few$ )t's prohibited, you see$ But as ) make the laws here, ) can also
break them$ %ith imunity, @r$ @arx,' he added, turnin! to Bernard$ '%hich 6*m afraid you can$t do$'
Bernard sank into a yet more hoeless misery$
'But why is it rohi#ited4' asked the =a+a!e$ 6n the excitement of meetin! a man who had read =hakeseare he
had momentarily for!otten e+erythin! else$
)he 3ontroller shru!!ed his shoulders$ 'Because it*s old" that*s the chief reason$ .e haven't any use for old
things here.7
76ven when they're beautiful/7
70articularly when they're beautiful. Beauty's attractive, and we don't want people to be attracted by old
things. .e want them to like the new ones$'
'But the new ones are so stuid and horri#le$ )hose lays, where there*s nothin! #ut helicoters flyin! a#out and
you feel the eole kissin!$' He made a !rimace$
'8oats and monkeysD' 0nly in 0thello*s word could he find an ade1uate +ehicle for his contemt and hatred$
'7ice tame animals, anyhow,' the 3ontroller murmured arenthetically$
'%hy don*t you let them see Othello instead4'
'6*+e told you" it*s old$ Besides, they couldn*t understand it$'
>es, that was true$ He remem#ered how HelmholtE had lau!hed at Romeo and Juliet$
'%ell then,' he said, after a ause, 'somethin! new that*s like Othello, and that they could understand$'
')hat*s what we*+e all #een wantin! to write,' said HelmholtE, #reakin! a lon! silence$
'And it*s what you ne+er will write,' said the 3ontroller$ 'Because, if it were really like Othello no#ody could
understand it, howe+er new it mi!ht #e$ And if were new, it couldn*t ossi#ly #e like Othello$'
'%hy not4'
'>es, why not4' HelmholtE reeated$ He too was for!ettin! the unleasant realities of the situation$ 8reen with
anxiety and arehension, only Bernard remem#ered them" the others i!nored him$ '%hy not4'
'Because our world is not the same as 0thello*s world$ >ou can*t make fli++ers without steel and you can't
make tragedies without social instability. The world's stable now. 5eole are hay" they !et what they want,
and they ne+er want what they can*t !et$ )hey*re well off" they*re safe" they*re ne+er ill" they*re not afraid of
death" they*re #lissfully i!norant of assion and old a!e" they*re la!ued with no mothers or fathers" they*+e !ot
no wi+es, or children, or lo+ers to feel stron!ly a#out" they*re so conditioned that they ractically can*t hel
#eha+in! as they ou!ht to #eha+e$ And if anythin! should !o wron!, there*s soma$ %hich you !o and chuck out
of the window in the name of li#erty, @r$ =a+a!e$ %i&ert!'' He lau!hed$
'9xectin! ,eltas to know what li#erty isD And now exectin! them to understand Othello' @y !ood #oyD'
)he =a+a!e was silent for a little$ 'All the same,' he insisted o#stinately, 'Othello$s !ood, Othello$s #etter than
those feelies$'
'0f course it is,' the 3ontroller a!reed$ 'But that's the price we have to pay for stability. 5ou've got to choose
between happiness and what people used to call high art. .e've sacrificed the high art. %e ha+e the feelies
and the scent or!an instead$'
'But they don*t mean anythin!$'
')hey mean themsel+es" they mean a lot of a!reea#le sensations to the audience$'
'But they*re . they're told by an idiot$' -./
'>es,' @ustaha @ond was sayin!, 'that*s another item in the cost of sta#ility$ 6t isn*t only art that*s incomati#le
with hainess" it*s also science$ =cience is dan!erous" we ha+e to kee it most carefully chained and muEEled$'
'%hat4' said HelmholtE, in astonishment$ 'But we*re always sayin! that science is e+erythin!$ 6t*s a hynoOdic
latitude$'
')hree times a week #etween thirteen and se+enteen,' ut in Bemard$
'And all the science roa!anda we do at the 3olle!e .'
'>es" #ut what sort of science4' asked @ustaha @ond sarcastically$ '>ou*+e had no scientific trainin!, so you
can*t &ud!e$ 6 was a retty !ood hysicist in my time$ )oo !ood!ood enou!h to realiEe that all our science is &ust
a cookery #ook, with an orthodox theory of cookin! that no#ody*s allowed to 1uestion, and a list of recies that
mustn*t #e added to excet #y secial ermission from the head cook$ 6*m the head cook now$ But 6 was an
in1uisiti+e youn! scullion once$ 6 started doin! a #it of cookin! on my own$ ?northodox cookin!, illicit cookin!$
A #it of real science, in fact$' He was silent$
'%hat haened4' asked HelmholtE %atson$
)he 3ontroller si!hed$ 'Jery nearly what*s !oin! to haen to you youn! men$ 6 was on the oint of #ein! sent
to an island$' -./
'0ne would think he was !oin! to ha+e his throat cut,' said the 3ontroller, as the door closed$ '%hereas, if he
had the smallest sense, he*d understand that his unishment is really a reward$ He*s #ein! sent to an island$
)hat*s to say, he*s #ein! sent to a lace where he*ll meet the most interestin! set of men and women to #e found
anywhere in the world$ All the eole who, for one reason or another, ha+e !ot too self2consciously indi+idual to
fit into community2life$ All the eole who aren*t satisfied with orthodoxy, who*+e !ot indeendent ideas of their
own$ 9+ery one, in a word, who*s any one$ 6 almost en+y you, @r$ %atson$' -./
Nineteen (iht!)*our (19P9)
8eor!e 0rwell
6t was a #ri!ht cold day in Aril, and the clocks were strikin! thirteen$ -./ 0n each landin!, oosite the lift2
shaft, the poster with the enormous face ga#ed from the wall$ 6t was one of those ictures which are so
contri+ed that the eyes follow you a#out when you mo+e$ B)< B;$TH6; )% .!TCH)"< 5$-, the cation
#eneath it ran$ -./
! 0arty member lives from birth to death under the eye of the Thought 0olice. 6ven when he is alone he
can never be sure that he is alone. %here+er he may #e, aslee or awake, workin! or restin!, in his #ath or in
#ed, he can #e insected without warnin! and without knowin! that he is #ein! insected$ 7othin! that he does
is indifferent$ His friendshis, his relaxations, his #eha+iour towards his wife and children, the exression of his
face when he is alone, the words he mutters in slee, e+en the characteristic mo+ements of his #ody, are all
&ealously scrutiniEed$ 7ot only any actual misdemeanour, #ut any eccentricity, howe+er small, any chan!e of
ha#its, any ner+ous mannerism that could ossi#ly #e the symtom of an inner stru!!le, is certain to #e detected$
He has no freedom of choice in any direction whate+er$ 0n the other hand his actions are not re!ulated #y law or
#y any clearly formulated code of #eha+iour$ 6n 0ceania there is no law$ Thoughts and actions which, when
detected, mean certain death are not formally for#idden, and the endless ur!es, arrests, tortures,
imrisonments, and +aoriEations are not inflicted as unishment for crimes which ha+e actually #een
committed, #ut are merely the wiin!2out of ersons who mi!ht erhas commit a crime at some time in the
future$ A 5arty mem#er is re1uired to ha+e not only the ri!ht oinions, #ut the ri!ht instincts$ @any of the #eliefs
and attitudes demanded of him are ne+er lainly stated, and could not #e stated without layin! #are the
contradictions inherent in 6n!soc$ -./
! 0arty member is e,pected to have no private emotions and no resites from enthusiasm$ He is
suosed to li+e in a continuous frenEy of hatred of forei!n enemies and internal traitors, triumh o+er +ictories,
and self2a#asement #efore the ower and wisdom of the 5arty$ )he discontents roduced #y his #are,
unsatisfyin! life are deli#erately turned outwards and dissiated #y such de+ices as the )wo @inutes Hate, and
the seculations which mi!ht ossi#ly induce a scetical or re#ellious attitude are killed in ad+ance #y his early
ac1uired inner disciline$ )he first and simlest sta!e in the disciline, which can #e tau!ht e+en to youn!
children, is called, in 7ewseak, 3(6@9=)05$ 3(6@9=)05 means the faculty of stoin! short, as thou!h #y
instinct, at the threshold of any dan!erous thou!ht$ 6t includes the ower of not !rasin! analo!ies, of failin! to
ercei+e lo!ical errors, of misunderstandin! the simlest ar!uments if they are inimical to 6n!soc, and of #ein!
#ored or reelled #y any train of thou!ht which is caa#le of leadin! in a heretical direction$ 3(6@9=)05, in
short, means rotecti+e stuidity$ But stuidity is not enou!h$ 0n the contrary, orthodoxy in the full sense
demands a control o+er one*s own mental rocesses as comlete as that of a contortionist o+er his #ody$ 0ceanic
society rests ultimately on the #elief that Bi! Brother is omniotent and that the 5arty is infalli#le$ But since in
reality Bi! Brother is not omniotent and the arty is not infalli#le, there is need for an unwearyin!, moment2to2
moment flexi#ility in the treatment of facts$ -./
The alteration of the past is necessary for two reasons, one of which is su#sidiary and, so to seak,
recautionary$ )he su#sidiary reason is that the 5arty mem#er, like the roletarian, tolerates resent2day
conditions artly #ecause he has no standards of comarison$ He must #e cut off from the ast, &ust as he must #e
cut off from forei!n countries, #ecause it is necessary for him to #elie+e that he is #etter off than his ancestors
and that the a+era!e le+el of material comfort is constantly risin!$ But #y far the more imortant reason for the
read&ustment of the ast is the need to safe!uard the infalli#ility of the 5arty$ 6t is not merely that seeches,
statistics, and records of e+ery kind must #e constantly #rou!ht u to date in order to show that the redictions of
the 5arty were in all cases ri!ht$ 6t is also that no chan!e in doctrine or in olitical ali!nment can e+er #e
admitted$ <or to chan!e one*s mind, or e+en one*s olicy, is a confession of weakness$ 6f, for examle, 9urasia or
9astasia (whiche+er it may #e) is the enemy today, then that country must always ha+e #een the enemy$ And if
the facts say otherwise then the facts must #e altered$ )hus history is continuously rewritten$ )his day2to2day
falsification of the ast, carried out #y the @inistry of )ruth, is as necessary to the sta#ility of the re!ime as the
work of reression and esiona!e carried out #y the @inistry of Co+e$ -./
<ahrenheit PF1 (19F3)
(ay Brad#ury
F!H;6"H6)T =>?+
The temperature at which bookpaper catches fire and burns
5A() 6
6) %A= A 5C9A=?(9 )0 B?(7
6) was a secial leasure to see thin!s eaten, to see thin!s #lackened and chan!ed$ %ith the #rass noEEle in his
fists, with this !reat ython sittin! its +enomous kerosene uon the world, the #lood ounded in his head, and
his hands were the hands of some amaEin! conductor layin! all the symhonies of #laEin! and #urnin! to #rin!
down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history$ %ith his sym#olic helmet num#ered PF1 on his stolid head, and
his eyes all oran!e flame with the thou!ht of what came next, he flicked the i!niter and the house &umed u in a
!or!in! fire that #urned the e+enin! sky red and yellow and #lack$ He strode in a swarm of fireflies$ He wanted
a#o+e all, like the old &oke, to sho+e a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while the flain! i!eon2win!ed
#ooks died on the orch and lawn of the house$ %hile the #ooks went u in sarklin! whirls and #lew away on a
wind turned dark with #urnin!$
@onta! !rinned the fierce !rin of all men sin!ed and dri+en #ack #y flame$ -./
And then 3larisse @c3lellan said;
',o you mind if 6 ask4 How lon! ha+e you worked at #ein! a fireman4'
'=ince 6 was twenty, ten years a!o$'
7:o you ever read any of the books you bum/7
He laughed. 7That's against the law37
'0h$ 0f course$'
7)t's fine work. 9onday bum 9illay, .ednesday .hitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then bum
the ashes. That's our official slogan.7
)hey walked still further and the !irl said, '6s it true that lon! a!o firemen ut fires out instead of !oin! to start
them4'
'7o$ Houses$ ha+e always #een fireroof, take my word for it$'
'=tran!e$ 6 heard once that a lon! time a!o houses used to #urn #y accident and they needed firemen to sto the
flames$' -./
@onta! !aEed #eyond them to the wall with the tyed lists of a million for#idden #ooks$ )heir names leat in
fire, #urnin! down the years under his axe and his hose which srayed not water #ut kerosene$ -./
=toneman and Black drew forth their rule#ooks, which also contained #rief histories of the Firemen of
!merica, and laid them out where @onta!, thou!h lon! familiar with them, mi!ht read;
'6stablished, ?@AB, to burn 6nglishinfluenced books in the Colonies. First Fireman+ BenCamin Franklin$'
(?C9 1$ Answer the alarm swiftly$
2$ =tart the fire swiftly$
3$ Burn e+erythin!$
P$ (eort #ack to firehouse immediately$
F$ =tand alert for other alarms$ -./
9:?6C6B(6?@ (2KK2)
6n the first years of the 21st century$$$a third %orld %ar #roke out$ )hose of us who sur+i+ed knew mankind
could ne+er sur+i+e$$$ a fourth$$$ that our own +olatile natures could simly no lon!er #e risked$ =o we ha+e
created a new arm of the law -./ the 8rammaton 3leric, whose sole task it is to seek out and eradicate the true
source of man's inhumanity to man. His ability... to feel. -./ Ci#ria$$$ 6 con!ratulate you$ At last$$$ eace
rei!ns in the heart of man$ At last, war is #ut a word whose meanin! fades from our understandin!$ At
last$$$we$$$are$$$whole$ Ci#rians$$$ there is a disease in the heart of man. )ts symptom is hate. )ts symptom...is
anger. )ts symptom is rage. )ts symptom... is war. The disease... is human emotion. But Ci#ria$$$ 6
con!ratulate you$ <or there is a cure for this disease$ At the cost of the diEEyin! hi!hs of human emotion, we
ha+e suressed its a#ysmal lows$ And you as a society ha+e em#raced this cure. 0ro#ium$ 7ow we are at
eace with oursel+es, and humankind is one$ %ar is !one$ Hate, a memory$ %e are our own conscience now$ And
it is this conscience that !uides us to rate 6C?B for emotional content all those things that might tempt us to
feel again... and destroy them$ Ci#rians, you ha+e won$ A!ainst all odds and your own natures$$$ you ha+e
sur+i+ed$ -./
5artrid!e; QBut 6, #ein! oor$$$ha+e only my dreams$ 6 ha+e sread my dreams under your feet$ )read
softly$$$#ecause you tread on my dreams$R 6 assume you dream, 5reston$
5reston; 6*ll do what 6 can to see they !o easy on you$
5artrid!e; %e #oth know$$$ they ne+er !o easy$
5reston; )hen )'m sorry$
5artrid!e; 7o, you*re not$ 5ou don't even know the meaning. )t's Cust a... vestigial word for a feeling you've
never felt. :on't you see, 0reston/ )t's gone. 6verything that makes us what we are traded away.
5reston; )here*s no war$ 7o murder$
5artrid!e; %hat is it you think we do4
5reston; 7o$ >ou*+e #een with me$ >ou*+e seen how it can #e 2 the Cealousy, the rage$
5artrid!e; A hea+y cost$ )'d pay it gladly. -./
<ather on )J; )he later 2Kth century saw the fortuitous and simultaneous rise of two syner!istic olitical and
sycholo!ical sciences$ )he first, the re+olutionary recet of the hate crime$
(o##ie 5reston; Aohn4
5reston; >es4
(o##ie; ) saw ;obbie Taylor crying today. He didn't know, but ) saw. :o you think ) should report him/
5reston; ?n1uestiona#ly$
<ather on )J; $$$a sin!le inescaa#le fact 2 that mankind united with infinitely !reater urose in ursuit of war$$$
than he e+er did in ursuit of eace$ -./
5reston; %hat*s your name4
@ary; 0*Brien, @ary$
5reston; %ell, @ary$$$ you can either wait and tell the technicians at the 5alace of Austice$$$ or you can tell me
now$ %ho are your friends4
@ary; 6*m wonderin! if you ha+e any idea at all what that word means 2 'friend$'
5reston; )here*s nothin! you don*t feel4 How a#out !uilt4
@ary; Cet me ask you somethin!$ %hy are you ali+e4
5reston; 6*m ali+e$$$ 6 li+e$$$ to safe!uard the continuity of this !reat society$ )o ser+e Ci#ria$
@ary; 6t*s circular$ >ou exist to continue your existence$ %hat*s the oint4
5reston; %hat*s the oint of your existence4
@ary; )o feel$ 3ause you*+e ne+er done it, you can ne+er know it$ But it*s as +ital as #reath$ And without it 2
without lo+e, without an!er, without sorrow 2 #reath is &ust a clock tickin!$
5reston; )hen 6 ha+e no choice #ut to remand you to the 5alace of Austice for rocessin!$
@ary; 5rocessin!$ >ou mean execution, don*t you4
5reston; 5rocessin!$ -./