The Role of Context in One's Personal Journey: 'Brave New World' and "Tears of Autumn" Zitian He 10th Grade

An individual’s context exerts a significant influence over the journeys they take and the ways they make discoveries. In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, John's personal context led to his journey of combating loneliness, through which he completes his identity. Likewise, in the short story 'Tears of Autumn' by Yoshiko Uchida, the social and personal contexts of Hana Omiya took her onto a physical and emotional journey, which, confronting her with difficulties, led to her discovery of a stronger self.

‘If one's different, one's bound to be lonely.’ In Brave New World, John's personal context forced him to embark upon a journey to cope with solitude. A child of ‘civilised’ parents born in the ‘savage’ society, John is seen as an alien. This is evident in ' one (man)...caught him by the arm, and pulled him out of the ranks... “Not for you, white-hair!”' The visual imagery which emphasises the man's violent actions depicts his animosity for John, which, as his insult suggests, stems from his different background; this is reinforced by the symbolism in 'pulled out of ranks', which reflects that the savage society does not accept John as a member. Furthermore, in ‘he was all alone…he had been driven out, alone, into this...