How does this help shape her character? John expresses great importance for reading in “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. From John's point of view, reading is so important because it's the only gift his mother ever gave him, and it's the only time they shared together. His mother was never able to show him any form of affection or invest time in spending with him. The only shared moments they had were when Linda remembered the past and told him stories or taught him to read. She also gave him the only book she had as a gift; it's the closest form of affection he's ever received from his mother. Second, reading also differentiates John from the other children on the reservation. Similar to Bernard Marx, John Savage is an outcast of society. He is despised and isolated from others. As John explains: “'But I can read,' he said to himself, 'and they can't. They don't even know what reading is. It was easy enough, if he thought hard enough about what he was reading, to pretend that it didn't bother him when they made fun of him... The more the boys pointed and sang, the louder he read. Soon he could read all the words very well” (112). This shows how he is excluded and bullied by the other members of the reservation due to his differences. His only escape is reading, and it is the only skill he has learned that helps him feel superior to others. He also takes this difference and shows how it affects him in a positive way.