Lenina Crowne
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Lenina Crowne is one of the main protagonists in Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World. She is stunningly beautiful and is routinely described as "pneumatic" (i.e., having a voluptuous figure. However, the use of this word to describe her as such is peculiar and possibly symbolic). Having slept with most Alpha males in the area, Lenina is thought to be strange at one point because she maintained an extended relationship (four months) to Henry Foster. To prove her promiscuity (a virtue in the World State), she dates Bernard Marx for a time.
As to her caste, Huxley does not commit himself. From her physical attractiveness, as well as her being taller than Bernard Marx, she is probably an Alpha or a Beta. However, Bernard is a full 8 centimeters short of the usual Alpha stature so Lenina being taller than him is no great feat. The fact that Linda is a Beta and worked in a similar position as Lenina's at the London Central Hatchery suggests that Lenina is also a Beta. At one point she says, "I'm so glad I'm not a Gamma." In fact, she never thinks for herself since all she says are the phrases that she learned during the hours of hypnopaedia. Further proof that she is a Beta and not an Alpha comes from the complete absence of any other Alpha females. Huxley seems to have only allowed men to be Alphas.
However, Lenina seem to change after meeting John the Savage. She meets him when she accompanies Bernard Marx to the Savage Reservation. John falls in love with Lenina the moment he sees her yet he does not dare to touch her because they are not married. To certain extent it is his reserved behavior that makes Lenina develop an odd, mutual attraction to John. Her promiscuity can never be accepted by the Savage and her aggressive sexual behaviour is the reason why he calls her a whore. Lenina suffers when not seeing him and even wants to be left alone at this point of time. When she sees John for the last time she cries. Thus, it can be argued that Lenina is rather a growing character.
Famous historical persons are used as a source of names for characters - Lenina is named after the Russian revolutionary Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov).
Lenina can also be identified with several feminine archetypes including the goddess and the seductress.
The character Lenina Huxley (played by Actress Sandra Bullock) in the Movie Demolition Man (1993) is very similar to Lenina Crowne and likely derived from Huxley's character. Lenina Huxely is a combination of Lenina Crowne's first name and Aldous Huxley's last name, and is an obvious reference to Brave New World.
| Characters |
|---|
| Bernard Marx | Lenina Crowne | John the Savage | Mustapha Mond | Helmholtz Watson |
| Historical characters |
| Henry Ford | William Shakespeare | Sigmund Freud | George Bernard Shaw | Thomas Malthus |
| The World State |
| Alpha-Plus | Epsilon Minus | Soma |
| Adaptations |
| In pop culture | Brave New World (film) | Brave New World (TV) |
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