Study Questions
1. What important person has Bernard invited to his reception? Why?

2. How do the people at the reception feel when the Savage doesn’t appear?

3. How does Lenina feel?

4. What is the Savage reading? Why?

5. How does Bernard cope with the failure of the evening?

6. To whom does Bernard try to turn?

7. What is Helmholtz’s situation? Why?

8. What happens when Bernard tries to interrupt Helmholtz and the Savage?

9. What makes Helmholtz laugh at Romeo and Juliet?

10. What does Helmholtz say his society needs?

Answers
1. Bernard has tried to make an impression by inviting the Arch-Community-Songster of Canterbury to his reception.

2. Bernard’s guests feel cheated and tricked. They came to meet the Savage, not to have to put up with Bernard.

3. Lenina feels hurt, empty, and physically ill. She thinks the Savage doesn’t want to see her personally.

4. The Savage reads Romeo and Juliet. He wants to see himself as Romeo and Lenina as Juliet.

5. Bernard blames the Savage for the evening’s failure and takes soma.

6. Bernard tries to renew his friendship with Helmholtz Watson now that he is an outcast again.

7. Some of Helmholtz’s rhymes have been about being alone, and he is in trouble with the authorities.

8. Helmholtz threatens to remove Bernard from the room if he interrupts again.

9. Juliet’s reference to her mother and her situation of being forced to accept a man against her will is too foreign to Helmholtz for him to take seriously.

10. Helmholtz says his society needs some kind of madness and violence to shake it up.