Island

At the heart of Pala’s lifestyle is a drive to transcend the realm of the abstract by developing acute and consistent awareness of the physical realm. The way toward enlightenment depends on this acute awareness; the more you develop it, the more you are able to stay out of your own head. Mental and emotional problems common in the West are not common in Pala. Huxley points out that in the West, we tend to get caught in abstractions, such as what the future will bring. By turning our attention away from abstractions, we turn away from corresponding negativity.

The young nurse Radha argues in favor of self-awareness versus what substitutes for introspection in the West. She speaks of one occasion when doctors visited from America. Of their protocol’s and approaches, she says—“they never attack on all fronts; they only attack on about half of one front” (79). She adds: “[M]ind abstracted from body—that’s the only front they attack on” (79). Radha’s criticism reveals the West’s failure to consider the entire person, body and mind. Attention to sensory experience unifies the mind and body.

The novel’s final chapter best explores transcendence. Will takes the Moksha medicine, meaning “liberation.” At first, Will feels euphoric: “Light here, light now.