Final Essay

Theme Statement: In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley the author suggests the idea that facing the unknown of the past society leads individuals to re-think their current way of life.

“History is bunk” (Henry Ford). Brave New World tells the story of a utopian society of the future with very particular philosophies. The people of this ‘perfect’ world are divided into castes and conditioned to behave a certain way, ensuring that ‘stability’, which is their main philosophy, is maintained. Their rulers, the world controllers, ensure that nobody is unsatisfied with their way of life by providing everyone with a daily dose of soma, a drug, that allows them to take ‘holidays’ anytime they feel blue. Part of these people’s behavioral conditioning prevents them from reading books and learning about what life was like in the past. They are also repulsed by ideas like love and family that in this time would be considered by most people very important and precious things to humanity. Another tactic used on this society is the banning of literature to prevent anyone from messing with their stability. In the story a few of the higher caste citizens that are aware of the past, or perhaps want to know more about it, are immediately forced to reconsider their current lifestyle because of the alluring ideas that this different people and way of life have to offer. In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley the author suggests the idea that facing the unknown of the past society leads individuals to re-think their current way of life.

The protagonist, Bernard Marx is one of the few people in the story that questions the development of the society. Bernard is a small guy who seems to not fit in with his caste. He is very smart, like most alphas (the highest caste), but he is self-conscious because, physically, he is very different from the rest. Apart from his physical differences he is constantly reconsidering the ideas that people are taught during their behavioral conditioning. In the story the concept of love is highly degraded and Marx is not comfortable with ‘normal’ relationships. Promiscuity and polygamy are the practices of this people. Bernard is attracted to Lenina, a girl who works with him at the conditioning center. He reluctantly asks her out and is highly disappointed when he realizes that she is ‘normal’. Like everyone else all she wanted was to have fun and to have sex. He sort of expected her to be a little like him, to have doubts and opinions about their development. He doesn’t understand what he wants because he knows virtually nothing about how he feels and how relationships worked in the past but, in essence, what he wants with Lenina is a meaningful monogamous relationship even though he knows it would be wrong because that’s what he was told in his behavioral conditioning. After Lenina and Bernard start ‘dating’ he invites her to a savage reservation in México, where there is a community of unconditioned people that live like people used to in the past. They meet one savage who looks different from the rest. He is white, blonde and has blue eyes. Bernard has a long conversation with him about how his life and his childhood and surprisingly he is a little allured by the way this man lives and realizes that this is what he has been looking for.

The savage, John, whom Bernard talks to on the trip to Mexico, is another of the characters that even though is not one of the ‘developed’ people of the story, is highly critical of the society’s ‘development’. He is excluded both in the reservation, because of his mother that was from the

‘developed’ society and because of his physical differences, and in London by the ‘developed’ people given that he is unwilling to commit to their ways. He makes good friends with Bernard and Helmholtz since, in their own ways they all share the same feeling of not belonging. John falls in love with Lenina, who is very attracted to him also but they both want different thing. John’s background in Shakespeare make his expectations of ‘true love’ much higher than what can be expected from Lenina due to her conditioning. However Lenina feels very strongly for John and cannot understand the true feelings that she has for John because, in reference to John she has never read Shakespeare. After he shuts himself out in a lighthouse in the outsides of the city he is stalked by reporters and tourist that treat him just like a show for their amusement. One time a whole helicopter of people fly in to see him and he is pressured into taking soma and participating in an orgy. At the end John commits suicide as a result of his loss of power and his giving in. Given that since the beginning when he got to London he was grounded with his opinions of this people and their ways he is badly struck when he realizes that in a way he became one of them and this is why he kills himself.

Helmholtz Watson is a good and practically the only friend of Marx. He is a lecturer in the College of Emotional Engineering. Helmholtz is a perfect alpha. He fits right in with the only exception that he feels his work is meaningless. He would rather use his writing abilities in a more artistic or meaningful way. This is practically the only reason he and Bernard get along; they find common ground complaining about what they much rather do with their lives. Unlike Bernard, Helmholtz has more meaningful reasons to be opposed to the society. For example, he wants to become a poet and because of the restrictions that the society imposes on everyone this is made impossible. In general terms Helmholtz is dissatisfied with the lack of artistic thrive that is embedded in the people of Brave New World. This develops conflicts between him and Bernard given that, even though in the end they have the same idea of dissatisfaction their differences in points of view, where Bernard reasons lay only on his inadequacy to fit in, really make them clash. After John is introduced in the story, Helmholtz and him develop a deep relationship given that they share a lot of ideas and a love for poetry. In one of their encounters, John reads Watson some excerpts from Shakespeare. He is delighted listening to the sweet poetry. Even though Helmholtz is enlighten by the new knowledge that Shakespeare brings to his cause, he is disgustingly amused when the story discussed concepts like mothers, family and love. This hints the fact that regardless of how badly someone, in this case Helmholtz, opposes to their environment they will always be defined and influenced by it and their upbringing. After a big outburst caused by John, Helmholtz, Bernard and John himself are arrested and taken to Mustapha Mond’s (the world controller) office and they all engage in conversation. Mond tells them of the many limitations that the world state possesses concerning people with ‘free will’ and how they handle them. He explains to them that the World State has developed islands where they send people who have a passion for something that might harm the society’s stability, like Helmholtz with his passion for poetry. Marx and Watson are offered to be sent to one of those islands. It is odd how much this news excites Helmholtz but it makes it clear that any opportunity he could have to flee from the known environment that he considers mediocre, he would absolutely take.

The resident World Controller of Western Europe, Mustapha Mond is a hidden questioner of the development of his own society. As a younger man he was very passionate about science. However science, like literature, is restricted to the people of Brave New World because it poses a risk in maintaining stability, given that the main thrive of science is finding truth and this would threat their control over everyone. Mond, during his meeting with Bernard, Helmholtz and John, makes reference to himself and tells them that he, like them, was offered to be sent to an island so he could explore his passion for science or rather become a World Controller. When he speaks directly to John and they start talking about the past, religion and stability Mond confesses that he has his own copies of Shakespeare, the Bible and other books that would not be available for anyone else. Mond explains to John that he is highly interested in the people described in the literature but he understands how their developed society is better that one with the people from the past. He considers that people who are controlled by their emotions are not able to ever achieve happiness. John replays with his opinion that the people of the World State are never actually happy because they never experience unhappiness. Mustapha tells him that, “Real Happiness is never grand.”(Mustapha Mond. Chapter 17).

The people of Brave New World are extremely clouded with their perception of happiness and satisfaction. This makes them willing to scarifies their dignity for the World State’s idea of ‘stability’. Bernard is conflicted by his differences with the rest of his caste and this makes him question if the way that people’s lives are controlled in the World State is really the right way to go. He is also puzzled with deep feelings for Lenina that he does not understand because of his lack of knowledge of the concept of love. It is safe to say that Lenina experiences the same puzzling feelings about John. Helmholtz problems with his desire to write make him extremely dissatisfied with his life. When offered the opportunity to flee to an isolated island he is pleased with the idea of running away from everything that he doesn’t like. Mustapha Mond hides with great effort his own dissatisfaction with all of the World State but keeps grounded with his believe that stability is more important than happiness and dignity.