Linda asked to go on permanent Soma vacation when she
returned to the Brave New World, because she wouldn't have to suffer the headaches and
vomiting that accompanied other forms of escape. She asked that she go on a continuous
Soma holiday because she never again wanted to face the fact that she was now an
imperfect person in a perfect world.
Dr. Shaw was against
the idea at first, knowing that the Soma coma would eventually kill Linda by paralyzing
her respiratory system and stopping her breathing.
"[The Soma holiday] will finish her off in a
month or two," said Shaw, "One day the respiratory centre will be paralyzed. No more
breathing. Finished. And a good thing too. If we could rejuvenate, of course it would be
different. But we
can't."
Since there was no
hope in making Linda a perfect person again, Shaw agreed to Linda's permanent holiday
request. When John asked if that would shorten Linda's life, Shaw
equivocated.
While he agreed the overdose of Soma would
shorten her physical life, he said that the holiday was like eternity...she would spend
the rest of her life in complete bliss and free from pain and suffering... like a
paradise out of time.
So, while her body would die sooner,
her bliss would be longer than expected, which was a good trade
off.
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