Brave New World 13

"Success went fizzily to Bernard's head, and in the process completely reconciled him to a world which, up till then, he had found very unsatisfactory." pg. 157

During this chapter, my opinion of Bernard changes significantly. I'm extremely disappointed that he would let the spot light get to him like it does. I used to feel sorry for Bernard because  he was an outcast and was above all the superficial behavior of the World State. But now, it's as if he is the ring leader of it all. He is using John as a source to gain popularity. I think Bernard will have a rude awakening when the citizens of the World State begin to lose interest in John. Bernard will no longer have his clutch to success and superiority. He will be back to the same old awkward Bernard that he was in the beginning of the novel. However, I think that he won't be able to recover from his status loss, which will leave him more isolated and alone then ever before. This is because he will have burnt every friendship he had prior to his rising popularity. His compulsive boastfulness towards Helmholtz will drive that friendship away, and Bernard's poor treatment of John will diminish that friendship as well. This reminds me of the movie Mean Girls. Lindsay Lohan starts the school year off as the new girl with no friends. She befriends a few outcasts early on in the film. Then, she is invited to sit with the "plastics" or the popular girls. Her status quickly rises and she is now "popular" and leaves her friends behind. Then when the popular crowd turns on her she is left with no one. I think this is what will happen to Bernard.