"Success went fizzily to Bernard's head, and in the process completely reconciled him (as any good intoxicant should do) to a world which, up till then, he had found very unsatisfactory." (Page 157)
May I just begin by saying how much I love the use of the word "fizzily" in this sentence. It makes me think of that scene in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Charlie and his Grandpa fly to the ceiling because they drank the fizzy drinks when they were not supposed to.
Now on to the actual blog for this quote. Bernard is practically a celebrity now. He has a circus act of John the Savage, and he is loving the attention. I didn't think about this until I was typing the quote out, but the instant popularity is his own soma. He never did like the drug, but when I typed the word "intoxicating," I realized Bernard finally found his happy pills: attention. In the past he was cast aside by society despite his intellectual abilities and professional success. Now, he can get any woman he wants, and he keeps company with the upper-tier of society. But, like all lucky streaks, at on point, the world throws a curveball. His is in the form of Bernard getting tired of the attention. Once again, Bernard is regarded as less than his status among the people of his civilization.
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