Brave New World presents a startling view of the future, which on the surface appears almost comical. Yet humor was not the intention of Aldous Huxley, when he wrote the book in the early 1930’s. It is written very creatively for our vivid imaginations to foresight the unthinkable. It tells us about a society, which uses new and powerful technologies and medical intervention to control reproduction and cognition of human beings. The government controls the population of Utopia with “Community, Identity, Stability”.
There are only test tube births and an artificial process for multiplying the embryos. Marriage is forbidden. There are ten World Controllers; these people control the government and all of their plans. It is important to understand that the novel is not simply a warning about what could happen to society if things go wrong but it also an irony of the society in which Huxley, the author existed, and which still exists today. This novel not only talks about the advancement of science nonetheless of how it affects human beings. A story where, the triumphs of physics, chemistry and engineering are taken for granted. The use of technology to control society, the incompatibility of happiness and truth; characters who do everything they can to avoid facing the truth about their own situations all sum up to be the main theme of this novel. The use of the drug “soma” is probably the most pervasive example of such intentional self-denial used as a symbol to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The Essay on Controlled Society In 1984
... In 1984, fear, confusion and intimidation are used to control the society and to ensure that the totalitarian regime can maintain ... committing thought crimes. Big Brother uses fear to maintain control in society. Another fear of Winston's is the Parsons family. The ... person. The purpose of using fear, confusion and intimidation to control the people, enables the government to permanately sustain this ...
Indeed Huxley’s real message is very dark. The behaviors and attitudes of the World State citizens at first do appear odd, cruel, or shocking. Nevertheless many clues also point to the conclusion of the World State simply being a rare but logically developed interpretation of our society’s economic values, where individual happiness is described as the ability to meet our needs, and success as a society is balanced with economic growth and achievement. His idea that in centuries to come, a one-world government will rise to power, stripping people’s freedom, is not new. In fact there are hosts of books dedicated to this topic. Although philosophically the main theme of the novel portraits as the future that can interest us only if its predictions look as though they might possibly come true. Soma clouds the realities of the present and replaces them with happy hallucinations, and is thus a tool for promoting social stability is the main theme of this novel.
The drug soma is a symbol of the use of instant gratification to control the World State’s population. It is a symbol of conditioning, a tool for demonstrating of the use of technology to control society and the promotion of happiness over truth. It is also a symbol of the powerful influence of science and technology on society. Soma, not nuclear bombs, is the weapon of choice for the World Controllers in Brave New World.
“Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-east, east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and, after a few seconds, turned unhurriedly back towards the left. South-south-west, south, south-east, east….” This quote was very hard for me to forget because I kept picturing the suicide of John and what the first people must of felt when they came upon John’s body hanging from the banister in the house. The description that this author gives is so excellent and I could actually picture in my head the whole scene.
The Term Paper on Brave New World Utopian Society
Chapter 1 Summary: The novel is set six hundred years in the future. The world has submitted to domination by World Controllers, whose primary goal is to ensure the stability and happiness of society. Thus the underlying principle of the regime is utilitarianism, or maximizing the overall happiness of the society. The novel begins at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Center, a ...
In conclusion, Huxley used political tactics and leaders in his discussion of hypnopaedic teachings, community gatherings, and allusions to certain political figures. It is nearly impossible to imagine our world “under the iron curtain.” Huxley, however, was able to shape a realistic society through his broad knowledge of fascist ideas. Thus, the reader was able to point out the problems associated with society. The Brave New World went to great lengths to eliminate emotions in society. “Civilization is sterilization” was a hynopaedic slogan used to accomplish this task. It was evident throughout the novel this task had not been successfully accomplished. Brave New World demonstrated it was possible to dull people’s emotions and suffering, but it was inconceivable to completely abolish them.
