Mustapha Mond

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mustapha Mond is a fictional character, in Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel, Brave New World.

Mond is one of ten World Controllers, a senior member of the Alpha caste who runs the entire society. He holds the position of Resident World Controller for Western Europe and is based in London. Mond reveals that in his youth he was a scientist, particularly a brilliant physicist, conducting research which did not conform to the World Controllers' view of social stability. The World Controllers at the time explained that his research was potentially dangerous to society and offered him a choice: to conduct his research on one of the World State's island reservations, where he would be ignored, or abandon his research and become a World Controller. Mond ultimately chose the latter. In his office, Mond has a copy of the Bible in a safe, along with several other religious books. In plain view in his office are the orthodox books of The World State. This leads him to remark, "God in the safe and Ford on the shelves."

His character is generally contrasted first to the "normal" citizens of The World State, then later to John the Savage. He appears somewhat distinct from other Alphas of the World State, with a less attractive physique, and a tendency to talk about history, a forbidden topic. Along with John the Savage, he is one of only two known people in the world who has read the works of William Shakespeare.

His first name may derive from the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, whereas his second name Mond means World (French Monde, Latin Mundus), or it may be a reminder of Alfred Mond, the British industrialist and politician, the latter explanation being the most likely, since many names in the novel have a similar origin (cf. Helmholtz Watson, Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, and others). On the other hand, Huxley may have chosen Mond's first name for its literal meaning, "chosen" and his full name may mean "Chosen one of the World", a foil of a Christ-figure.

Mond's role in the book is singularly similar to that of O'Brien in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Both are senior representatives of the regime in power, who give to the dissident protagonists (and to the reader) a minute explanation of the regime's inner workings - a completely frank explanation, free of all official propaganda, and in both books given with the complete assurance that the listeners are powerless to use the information gained in any way dangerous to the regime.

This article about a fictional character is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.