Brave New World
By Aldous Huxley
Summary
In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the world has been drastically changed from the one we know today, or back in 1932. Human beings are no longer created in the natural way. Instead they are produced in factories to “...stabilize the population here and now”(21). Humans are also genetically engineered to fit inside their class system. The high class Alphas are created smart and pompous and the low class Epsilons are too stupid to think for themselves. Although reproduction through natural means is looked down upon, the activity is still encouraged. There is one key difference however, it is morally correct for the people to have intercourse with more than one people. In fact, in Brave New World having one partner is heavily looked down upon. “Everyone belongs to everyone else”(95). The children in Brave New World go through hypnopaedic learning, or sleep-teaching, to learn the morals of the world. This is essentially indoctrination sense the government controls what the children learn. Also, everyone in this world is supposed to be happy and never be sad. If they are ever encountered with negative emotions, they would take soma. Soma is a drug developed from cocaine and morphine from the government. The people take this nearly daily and are very attached to this drug and can’t live without it.
Conflict
Person vs. Society. Bernard Marx, The “Misfit” of London, battles the “Utopian” society in which he lives. When he visits a reservation where the savages live, he discovers a man like him, an outcast named John. John must find his way through the brave new world in which he is placed.
Themes
No Utopian society can exist, the world is what we create it to be. War, famine, and corruption will always exist, but as humans we can manage around it.
In the book, they live in a society that supposedly has no sadness or negative emotions. Everyone gets what they want and everyone is indoctrinated into agree with the government and its class system. However, negative emotions will always exists in as the people use soma to get away from their problems. This will only delay the inevitable, and some day they will have to face their problems instead of running away. Since they were never prepared for these problems, they will most likely crash and burn when the problems do catch up.
Any and all happiness comes from within; no substance, no government, can take away your unalienable right to pursue happiness.
Interesting Quotes
" 'Stability,' said the controller 'Stability. No civilization without social stability. No social stability without individual stability' " (Huxley 42)
" 'Community, Identity, Stability.' Grand words 'If we could bokanovskify indefinitely, the whole problem would be solved' " (Huxley 7)
Discussion Question
Analyze the irony of the motto “Community, Identity, Stability” in the dystopian world of “modern” London.