In the beginning of the story, John desires to be the man who is whipped during a savage ritual of sacrifice. How is the end of the book reminiscent of this earlier ritual?
Though he could not participate at all in the ritual ceremonies of the Indian people, he becomes the central sacrifice of this ceremony. Huxley again blurs the distinctions between the savage society with no technology and the advanced modern society, leaving open the question of which society is superior. Joining the crowd marks the sacrifice of John’s individualism. He goes from being one man standing alone against a mob to becoming a member of that crowd.
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