Brave New World - Five

"Contact with members of the lower castes always reminded him painfully of this physical inadequacy.  'I am I, and wish I wasn't;' his self-consciousness was acute and distressing.  Each time he found himself looking on the level, instead of downward, into a Delta's face, he felt humiliated" (pg 64).

This stream of conciousness late chapter four seems to well characterize Bernard Marx.  From his previous appearances in the plot, it seems as though Bernard Marx could be one of the predicted individuals who will ultimately rise against the world ethics.  He is an Alpha (or possibly Beta?), but his physical stature has left him not feeling the power this title entails.  This feeling of a lack of power is exemplified by his colleague Helmholtz Watson who has had many lovers recently.  Also, Watson has the ability to speak to others which Marx apparently lacks.

Further imploring the realm of allusions sprinkled throughout the novel, Bernard Marx seems to be a clear clink to philosopher Karl Marx.  According to the Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Karl Marx believed "that human beings are essentially productive, in that they must produce their means of subsistence in order to satisfy their material needs."  This further confirms the possibility of a link between Karl and Bernard Marx, because Bernard's principles would show that he does not the robotic nature of the world he lives.  They also both seemed to have outlandish theories which were unaccepted by the mainstream public, though in the case of Brave New World, I do not really believe those creations have any real thinking process, but I really cannot tell for certain.