Brave New World 10

"'Once,' he went on, 'I did something that none of the others did: I stood against a rock in the middle of the day, in summer, with my arms out, like Jesus on the Cross.'" -pg. 137

This allusion has major symbolism and importance at this stage in the book. The allusion is Jesus on the cross. It is important because it shows that the Reservation has faith and knows who Jesus is. In London, Christianity is looked as something that does not exist anymore. The purpose is to relate the feelings of Jesus, John, and Bernard. John, like Bernard, is an outcast in his society. Jesus on the cross symbolizes how they both feel like outcasts. Jesus himself got rocks thrown at him, was beaten and whipped, and was talked to harshly. John experienced many of the same things, which makes the allusion so effective. The purpose is to relate John and Bernard with each other, and to use a well-known instance to describe how they feel in their society.