BRAVE NEW WORLD | social-criticism

Brave New World Aldous Huxley

Author's Biography

Science and literature were a major part of Aldous Huxley’s childhood. His parents were big on education and Huxley was the beneficiary, becoming an advanced writer and developing an interest in biology. As a result, his works often incorporated some aspects of recent developments in science. For example, in Brave New World he accurately predicted the invention of the helicopter and demonstrated understanding of human development in the World State’s method of reproduction. Despite being born into an affluent family, Huxley was not entirely well off. His struggles began with the deterioration of his eyesight, leaving him completely dependent on his first wife Maria. However, this did not interfere with his love for literature. Instead he used his disadvantage as a theme in many of his novels. The population in Brave New World displays this weakness in being completely blind to their governments true intentions and their own lack of individuality. Towards the end of his career, Huxley produced some very influential work with the help of hallucinogenic drugs. The power of drugs is symbolized in Brave New World by the World State’s best means of control, a drug called soma. In the end, Aldous Huxley cemented himself as a quintessential writer whose opinions and criticisms of society were worth listening to.

Synopsis

The World State is a futuristic society which controls its citizens through caste, science, and happiness. The lower class Epsilons, Deltas, and Gammas have been genetically altered to have a lower mental capacity and are happy to work the tougher jobs. Betas and Alphas, on the other hand, live in constant pleasure causing some to actually question their purpose in life. However, everyone has been conditioned to love the drug called soma, which keeps people happy and from thinking too much about anything in particular. Bernard Marx is an Alpha plus who for some reason or another does not look the part. After years of trying to conform and fit in, he has decided to search for a greater meaning in life outside of the perfect society. He takes a conventional girl named Lenina with him to the Indian Reservation in New Mexico where they meet a young man named John whose mother had grown up in the World State. They bring John and his mother back to London with them and Bernard enjoys the popularity that comes with showing him around. However, John the “Savage” soon grows tired of the perfect world and tries to free the population by destroying a supply of soma just after the death of his mother. Bernard and his enlightened friend, Helmholtz, are exiled by Mustapha Mond, one of the 10 World Controllers, for their subversive ideologies. Despite John’s wishes to escape with them, Mond forces him to remain. John leaves the city and settles in a rural lighthouse with hopes of self-purification and a new start. His hideout is quickly discovered and when Lenina, who has fallen madly in love with him, seduces and penetrates his honor, John see’s no further reason to live and hangs himself the next morning.

Character List

Lenina is a beautiful woman of high caste who fits into the World State society perfectly. Like everyone else she is very happy and dependent on soma, but what makes her different is her passion when it comes to relationships. At first she dates a man named Henry exclusively for over a month, something very uncommon in the World State. She briefly turns her attention to Bernard Marx before falling in love with John Savage. Such intense emotion towards an individual is not meant to exist in society yet in all other aspects she is utterly conventional.
Bernard Marx has struggled his entire life to overcome his physical deficiencies and is unhappy as a result. Rumor has it that alcohol touched his brain when he was still in incubation and although he is an Alpha plus, his reputation has taken away form his authority. His inability to conform leads to frustration and makes him question society.
John the Savage was born in Malpais despite his civilized descent. His mother teaches him to read and tells him stories of life in the World State. His diction is derived from Shakespeare and he has developed a strange set of values which make it difficult for him to fit in in the World State.
Linda lived in the World State and was the Director’s significant other. She was pregnant with his baby so he disposed of her in the New Mexico reservation. She had the baby, John, nonetheless and would return to the World State with Bernard where she becomes hopelessly addicted to soma. Her appearance has deteriorated yet she has shown strength in raising a child.
Helmholtz is one of the only people like Bernard who seeks a greater meaning in life and therefore questions the World State. He is a professor who teaches Emotional Engineering and exposes his students to some of his own theories but to no avail. He is passionate about poetry which makes a perfect friend for John who grew up on Shakespeare.
Henry Foster was seeing Lenina for an extended period of time. He represents an ordinary Alpha citizen who spends his free time indulging in fun activities or ‘having women.’ The way he refers to Lenina and women in general makes Bernard very angry.
Fanny is Lenina’s best friend and confidant. She serves as a receptacle for Lenina’s troubles and responds with general, hypnopaedic-induced advice. She represents a very average upper class female in the World State.
Popé introduced Linda to mezcal, or alcohol, which in the Reservation serves as a poor substitute for soma. It has the same initial effect and even the concept of a hangover does not deter Linda from using it. Popé seduces Linda much to the displeasure of her son John although he makes up for it somewhat by giving him a copy of one of Shakespeare’s works.

Analysis of Elements That Relate to Topic

The World State does everything in its power to keep its citizens from questioning the meaning of their lives by eliminating all sources of grief and attachment. Their system for reproduction is one of the better examples of depriving people of any kind of intense emotion or affection. The word mother is an unspeakable term in the World State for a couple reasons. First of all, the raising of a child is arguably the most bonding experience any two people can experience and having your own child contradicts the idea that everyone belongs to each other. Furthermore, raising a child would set the table for remorse when either one passes away. However, only two-thirds of the female population are required to use birth control because, should there be some kind of emergency where they could no longer reproduce synthetically, the fertile eggs could be harvested from the other third. In Brave New World, the government has successfully eradicated all long term relationships and any trace of love to secure their hold on the lives of its citizens.

The World State strives to keep people occupied or in the company of others because of what occurs when one is alone. Without stimulation from the outside world people would be left to their own thoughts for a change and could begin to ask the wrong questions concerning their life and society.

“Christianity without tears-thats what soma is.” Huxley is suggesting that religion and soma have similar functions in that they are both an effective means of controlling people. Many people turn to God for comfort only to be crestfallen when it does not solve their every problem. Soma controls using happiness, with no side affects. People believe in it just as they would in God and it makes it very easy for people like Mustapha Mond to manipulate the masses.

The use of Shakespearean dialect in Brave New World emphasizes the lack of passion and innovation in the World State. John Savage champions Shakespeare’s work and tries to convince Mustapha Mond of the importance of greater meaning in people’s lives. He finds that the population has been conditioned in such a way that they would never be able to grasp the convictions of Shakespeare and would react negatively to such drastic change.