A Character Sketch of Mustapha Mond in Brave New World

Mustapha Mond Character Sketch

It is said that a great leader must always lead by example. This is not always true, a leader must sometimes partake in some negative activities in order to protect the interests of the populous. An excellent example of this is Mustapha Mond. When one first meets Mustapha Mond, it is obvious that he is distinctly different from the other alpha plusses; Mond is unique, wise, and authoritative.
Mustapha Mond is unique in part because he reads prohibited literature. Unlike the other denizens of Brave New World, Mond has read the classic works of Shakespeare, the Bible, and other remnants of the old world. Additionally, he believes in the presence of god. This is a concept unknown to most of the populous, because society has made god unnecessary; when no one is ever alone or unhappy, they do not need to request things from god. Mond used to be an inquisitive scientist; he was smart enough to realize that the so-called science they practiced was not real innovation, thus he started to experiment on his own or in Mond's words, " 'I started doing a bit of cooking on my own. Unorthodox cooking, illicit cooking. A bit of real science' "(226). Doing things in private, let alone doing science in private is something unheard of in

Brave New World. Although, being the only man in a world full of sheep, can be a good trait to a leader.
Mond is wise, thus a good leader. He understands the big picture. One example of this ability, is that he recognizes that the high arts cannot exist without strife. The current society has nearly no pain, no sorrow, no loneliness, and none of the detrimental negative emotions that are necessary to understand works of high art, such as Othello. He recognizes that the populous would no longer understand classics like Romeo and Juliet. Additionally, he recognizes that however much workers may request for shorter hours, the truth is, they are happier working the longer work days. This is because, workers have nothing to do in their "spare time" as was exemplified by Mond, " 'Ireland was put on to the four-hour day. What was the result? Unrest and a large increase in the consumption of soma' " (224). In fact, Mond claims that the Invention office is stuffed with labor saving ideas; however, for the sake of stability, he uses his authority as the Resident World Controller to hold back change that would be detrimental to society.
Authority is a requirement for people in positions of power, and as the Resident World Controller, Mond is not afraid to use his power. A stable society cannot have dissenters, thus, all nonconformists are sent to sub centers including Bernard Marx and Helmholtz. However, he does not allow John to leave Brave New World, with his fore mentioned friends Bernard and Helmholtz, because the experiment, being the introduction of a "savage" into civilization, must go on. Mond's authority is best summarized in his own words: " 'I make the laws here, I can also break them. With impunity, Mr. Marx, Which I'm afraid you can't' " (219).

In the words of Vincent Thomas Lombardi, "The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be." Mustapha Mond is an excellent example of this, Mond is a wise, unique, and authoritative leader with traits that distinguish him from the other alpha plusses. He is one of the few conscious people in a world full of glassy eyed automatons.