"You silly boy!" she was saying. "I wanted you so much. And if you wanted me too, why didn't you? . . ."
"But, Lenina . . ." he began protesting; and as she immediately untwined her arms, as she stepped away from him, he thought, for a moment, that she had taken his unspoken hint. But when she unbuckled her white patent cartridge belt and hung it carefully over the back of a chair, he began to suspect that he had been mistaken.Finally, I get the confrontation I've been waiting for! I found a connection in this conflict to different ideas on marriage between generations today. John represents the older generation, the one that grew up with married parents and a strong pressure to be married. Lenina represents the new generation, the one that grew up with an increased divorce rate and much less pressure to be married. The new generation is more promiscuous, and the old generation doesn't understand the new generation's behavior. The old generation looks down on the new generation, while the new generation feels like the old generation is pressuring them and trying to control their life. There's a difference of opinions and lifestyles that indefinitely divides the two generations. The very same can be said of John and Lenina. However, the main problem is not their views on monogamy; the true problem lies in Lenina's conditioning. It is because of her inability to truly love, of her lack of familiarity with chastity, and of her spoiled lifestyle that she cannot understand why John wants to wait to have sex with her, to prove himself worthy of her.
Until next time,
Alysse
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