In a book full of references to the past, Huxley has here made a subtle allusion to the Bible in order to explain that John doesn't believe Helmholtz and Bernard appreciate his book. And in truth, they do not. As much as they may try to understand the emotions and passions that course through the pages of Shakespeare, they never will because they have been raised to believe such thoughts are ludacris.
Subtle allusions, however, are not generally Huxley's style. Brave New World is a futuristic book that makes its foundation on the past, from Shakespeare to Christianity to Native Americans. Only through references to the past does the reader understand how different the "Brave New World" is, how it scorns at parenthood and marriage. One of the most common allusions is to Henry Ford, who was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and credited with the development of the assembly line. His company created the Model T automobile (hence the sign of the T) and he is credited with "Fordism" which has a philosophy along the lines of Marxism, with consumerism as the way to peace. When looking up Henry Ford, I noticed that his company and Fordism put a strong emphasis on specialized jobs within the assembly line. This sounds familiar, huh? Yes, every member of the Brave New World society is specifically conditioned to do one job, often on an assembly line like the women in the Fertilizing Room. The idea of Fordism itself doesn't seem like a terrible one, but it can easily be turned into an overbearing demon, as it has in Brave New World.
Henry Ford, The Model T Automobile
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