Brave New World-Literary Analysis
Aldous Huxley’s controversial novel Brave New World sparked fear and confusion among his audience when it was first published in the early 1930’s. Banned for its scandalous and disgraceful content, Brave New World was considered an “outrageous” novel. However, hidden in the pages of extreme immorality, there lies a method to Huxley’s madness: his novel was written as a satirical forecast into a future without individual freedom.
In the novel, a society exists where oblivious happiness for all its citizens is considered ideal and effective. By removing sexual reproduction, the ability to feel emotions, and the ability of an individual to think for themselves, a state of ignorant bliss is achieved. Love is no longer in existence; it causes far too many complications and unnecessary pains. By allowing and encouraging citizens to participate in casual sex on a frequent basis, the passion and wistful desire for it is lost. Each person is conceived in a test tube and socially predestined before they reach the fetus stage; by purposefully altering the development of embryos, individuals can be molded and created to whatever size, shape, and intelligence are needed. Citizens are trained to love their status and occupation before they even begin it, so that they never feel dissatisfied. And in the event that unpleasant feelings do arise, a hallucinogenic drug called “soma” is freely distributed to each citizen on a daily basis. Soma alters and meshes reality with a pleasant, floating happy state of existence; thus, undesirable feelings such as anger, sadness, or confusion are whisked away. This society created by Huxley is a warning to future generations; a society without individuality is a society without humanity. While extreme, Huxley’s society is entirely believable. With the leaps and bounds taken in the science and technology fields since the book’s publishing, “baby engineering” has become less of a fantasy and more of a reality. Parents now have the ability to choose the gender, hair, and eye color of their baby as well as other physical features. If these aspects of human form can be genetically altered, why couldn’t intelligence and other skills be altered as well?
Even in seemingly “perfect” societies, there are lone wolves. The character of Bernard, an intelligent, upper caste individual represents the voice of reason in the novel. Self-conscious about his relatively small stature, Bernard is a contemplative intellect amidst a sea of citizens brainwashed to idiocy. He experiences feelings that were supposed to have been erased from the human mind: jealousy, anger, contempt. He is marked as an outcast by his peers and spirals into a depression that lasts for the entirety of the novel. Huxley created Bernard to emphasize the complete annihilation of the thinking, feeling person. In a world where happiness is superficial and easily attained, there is no place for a philosophical creature such as Bernard. In other words, without conflict, compromise, and independent thinking the world will be an imbalanced and unrecognizable place.
In Huxley’s society of shallow contentment, there exists a subgroup of individuals ironically nicknamed “The Savages.” Unlike the “civilized” people, the savages marry, raise families, and follow religion. Secluded from the modern world, these “savages” live on a reservation designated for them specifically. All of these practices seem outrageous to the brainwashed citizens of the World State (the official name of Huxley’s society). Huxley’s purpose in creating the “savages” was purely ironic; the disappearance of “traditional” customs and the shunning of those who practice them are shocking for readers of our time. Huxley expands upon this by thickening the plot of the novel when a savage named John visits the World State for the first time. His preliminary excitement is quickly diminished when he realizes the utter lunacy of the State’s practices and beliefs. John attempts to teach the imbecile citizens what he believes in, but he is matched with outrage, confusion and eventually aggression. The death of traditional customs and values is symbolized quite violently; John commits suicide after being attacked by a mob of fanatical citizens. His tragic death is representative of the literal end of all traditional values.
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a preposterous novel; however, it is effective. Huxley’s purpose of warning society of what could happen in the future is clear throughout the entire story. Through developed characters, poignant insight into the lives of the “outcasts,” and an ironic spin, Brave New World was indeed successful. Now, half a century later, the very matters that Huxley set out to warn us about are becoming imminently more prominent in society. Individuality is now uncommon; we are more like sheep than humans. Will the world ever progress to the extreme of the World State? We will just have to wait and see.
Aldous Huxley’s controversial novel Brave New World sparked fear and confusion among his audience when it was first published in the early 1930’s. Banned for its scandalous and disgraceful content, Brave New World was considered an “outrageous” novel. However, hidden in the pages of extreme immorality, there lies a method to Huxley’s madness: his novel was written as a satirical forecast into a future without individual freedom.
In the novel, a society exists where oblivious happiness for all its citizens is considered ideal and effective. By removing sexual reproduction, the ability to feel emotions, and the ability of an individual to think for themselves, a state of ignorant bliss is achieved. Love is no longer in existence; it causes far too many complications and unnecessary pains. By allowing and encouraging citizens to participate in casual sex on a frequent basis, the passion and wistful desire for it is lost. Each person is conceived in a test tube and socially predestined before they reach the fetus stage; by purposefully altering the development of embryos, individuals can be molded and created to whatever size, shape, and intelligence are needed. Citizens are trained to love their status and occupation before they even begin it, so that they never feel dissatisfied. And in the event that unpleasant feelings do arise, a hallucinogenic drug called “soma” is freely distributed to each citizen on a daily basis. Soma alters and meshes reality with a pleasant, floating happy state of existence; thus, undesirable feelings such as anger, sadness, or confusion are whisked away. This society created by Huxley is a warning to future generations; a society without individuality is a society without humanity. While extreme, Huxley’s society is entirely believable. With the leaps and bounds taken in the science and technology fields since the book’s publishing, “baby engineering” has become less of a fantasy and more of a reality. Parents now have the ability to choose the gender, hair, and eye color of their baby as well as other physical features. If these aspects of human form can be genetically altered, why couldn’t intelligence and other skills be altered as well?
Even in seemingly “perfect” societies, there are lone wolves. The character of Bernard, an intelligent, upper caste individual represents the voice of reason in the novel. Self-conscious about his relatively small stature, Bernard is a contemplative intellect amidst a sea of citizens brainwashed to idiocy. He experiences feelings that were supposed to have been erased from the human mind: jealousy, anger, contempt. He is marked as an outcast by his peers and spirals into a depression that lasts for the entirety of the novel. Huxley created Bernard to emphasize the complete annihilation of the thinking, feeling person. In a world where happiness is superficial and easily attained, there is no place for a philosophical creature such as Bernard. In other words, without conflict, compromise, and independent thinking the world will be an imbalanced and unrecognizable place.
In Huxley’s society of shallow contentment, there exists a subgroup of individuals ironically nicknamed “The Savages.” Unlike the “civilized” people, the savages marry, raise families, and follow religion. Secluded from the modern world, these “savages” live on a reservation designated for them specifically. All of these practices seem outrageous to the brainwashed citizens of the World State (the official name of Huxley’s society). Huxley’s purpose in creating the “savages” was purely ironic; the disappearance of “traditional” customs and the shunning of those who practice them are shocking for readers of our time. Huxley expands upon this by thickening the plot of the novel when a savage named John visits the World State for the first time. His preliminary excitement is quickly diminished when he realizes the utter lunacy of the State’s practices and beliefs. John attempts to teach the imbecile citizens what he believes in, but he is matched with outrage, confusion and eventually aggression. The death of traditional customs and values is symbolized quite violently; John commits suicide after being attacked by a mob of fanatical citizens. His tragic death is representative of the literal end of all traditional values.
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a preposterous novel; however, it is effective. Huxley’s purpose of warning society of what could happen in the future is clear throughout the entire story. Through developed characters, poignant insight into the lives of the “outcasts,” and an ironic spin, Brave New World was indeed successful. Now, half a century later, the very matters that Huxley set out to warn us about are becoming imminently more prominent in society. Individuality is now uncommon; we are more like sheep than humans. Will the world ever progress to the extreme of the World State? We will just have to wait and see.
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