Brave New World recap

Brave New World is one of the most popular works of satire, and Huxley displays many examples throughout the novel. The plot centers on a satirical portrayal of a society that values ignorance and happiness in place of critical thinking and self-development.

Huxley's work is a satire, but his vision is tragic. Brave New World is a society in which freedom has been sacrificed in favor of happiness and stability.

Brave New World is a vision of a future in which a world government is able, through scientific methods, to control people's lives, from the moment of conception to the moment of death.

Brave New World remains relevant as a cautionary tale about the dangers of sacrificing individuality and critical thinking for the sake of stability and superficial happiness.

Brave New World’s society is a dystopia. The method of state control is very different- instead of relying on fear to control the people, the state controls its citizens through "happiness." As long as everyone remains happy, society remains stable, and the state maintains its power.

Numerous characteristics within Brave New World make it a good example of a dystopian novel. These examples include a lack of individuality and conditioning, government control, censorship, the removal of emotions (which is the oppression and elimination of negative emotions), and a false sense of happiness.

In Brave New World, science and reason are applied to achieve universal happiness; however, when happiness is the ultimate goal, humanity itself becomes the casualty.

The novel raises important ethical questions about the role of science, technology, and government in shaping human society.

The title of the novel symbolizes the loss of individuality and freedom

Life begins in Brave New World at the Hatchery and Conditioning Center, where Bokanovsky’s Process is used to mass-produce babies (just like cars are mass-produced in a factory).

Brave New World is essentially a mechanical world, founded on mass production and mass consumption. Children are produced, nurtured, and conditioned in an assembly-line fashion.

Occasionally, Bokanovsky’s Process malfunctions, producing people like Bernard, Helmholtz, and Lenina. Such failures are rare and easily repaired or eliminated. Like defective cars, defective citizens are reconditioned or exiled.

Brave New World was instantly recognized as an important and prophetic novel that warned the reader about the dangers of science and technology when it is misused.

Like the citizens of Brave New World, today’s society depends on technology: computers, cell phones, and modern appliances. Science has even found a way to create test-tube babies.

Brave New World’s rigid structure also guarantees economic well-being. Citizens must buy expensive equipment to play state-approved games. Consumption is also encouraged by state slogans like ‘end instead of mend.’

The emphasis on materialism is yet another prophetic strain in the novel. Materialistic concerns often override humanistic ones. An individual’s worth is often measured in terms of wealth rather than intangibles such as ‘goodness’.

Disease is nonexistent; old age and death are made as pleasant as possible so that they can be ignored and not feared.

A reservation is a piece of land set apart for a specific purpose, usually to protect a land, a people, or a culture from the effects of civilization. In the novel, the reservation preserves life as it was before the Nine Years' War (old systems of family, morality, and religion).

Language:

The style is factual and informative; a "scientific" tone reinforces the ideas found in the plot. There are no attempts at poetry or stylistic imagery, and little use of literary devices (similes, metaphors); one-dimensional characters reveal themselves through dialogue.

Many unfamiliar, technical words are coined in the Brave New World: Lenina is described as PNEUMATIC (filled with compressed air, that is, well-built, shapely); Linda is viviparous (she produced offspring from within her body, which in the Brave New World is shocking and humiliating for the "mother").

Unfamiliar words help create a sense of futurism. All languages except English are "dead." Like most "utopian" works, the novel contains a lot of essay-like material.

Narrative:

Huxley employs the device of a third-person, detached, omniscient narrator. There are two plots in the novel: (1) the background description of the new society, the Hatchery, conditioning, etc., and (2) the human story of Bernard and John. To raise questions about the values of society, Huxley uses characters who do not fit into that society.

Three main scientific methods are used to control citizens:

Genetic Engineering - that is to say, the genes of a fetus are scientifically manipulated to produce a specific kind of human being fit to work at a certain level of society.

Conditioning - Young children are given powerful messages that teach them to think and feel in certain ways.

Soma - The use of the drug 'soma' to induce 'happiness'.

Science is used to control humans rather than as a means of learning about humanity and the world. According to Mustapha Mond, pure science poses a threat to happiness and stability. For example, pure science created the anthrax bomb, which was used to destroy people during the ‘Nine-Year War.’ Scientific research is limited to projects with state-approved goals. For example, Pilkington wants to develop a human that will skip over the non-productive childhood years quickly.

In the Foreword to the novel, Huxley writes, "The theme of Brave New World is not the advancement of science as such; it is the advancement of science as it affects human individuals. The triumphs of physics, chemistry, and engineering are tacitly taken for granted. The only scientific advances to be specifically described are those involving the application to human beings of the results of future research in biology, physiology, and psychology."

Happiness vs Freedom- According to the World State, happiness is inextricably linked to stability. The goal of happiness/ stability is paramount, even if freedom and free will are the price. The basic goal of Brave New World is the "happiness" of all, even if the price paid for this means the loss of free will. The motto of the World State: 'Community, Identity, Stability.' Happiness = Stability and Stability = Happiness

Huxley’s visions of technology’s effect on morality, social structure, labor, and leisure time were extreme but prophetic.

Ford (and Freud) have replaced God and other religions. The cross is replaced by the "T" for the Model T Ford.

As a teenager, Huxley's first love was science; his near-blindness prevented him from pursuing science as a career, but his interest remained, and it is Huxley's understanding of the directions in which science is likely to lead the world that forms the basis of the novel.

The 'happiness' drug, soma, is freely distributed so that unhappiness is never experienced. It is a society in which freedom has been sacrificed in favor of happiness and stability. Only a few individuals dare to question the society in which they live. Into this society comes a 'Savage', a young man who has been brought up in one of the few places in the world where people are allowed to live under natural conditions.

In the novel, the World Controller for Europe, Mustapha Mond, tells John (one of the few people in the world who has not been genetically engineered) that these methods of control are used for the good of society, to ensure happiness and stability. And it is true that society in this 'Brave New World' is both happy and stable.

*John replies to Mustapha Mond: 'But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness, I want sin.' 'In fact, ' says Mustapha Mond, 'you're claiming the right to be unhappy.' 'All right then' (says John), 'I'm claiming the right to be unhappy.'

Religious Analogies

John represents 2 Biblical characters: Adam and Christ

Religious themes: Loss of Innocence, Fall from Grace, Fall of ‘Humankind’

Adam (Adam and Eve- Garden of Eden)

John can be viewed as a modern-day Adam set amid a world of enormous temptation
John has constant battles with temptation
John comes to Brave New World innocent and struggles to remain pure
Lenina is his Eve, and each confrontation with her brings him closer to a fall from purity
Lenina’s presence triggers his final fall: he partakes in soma and sensuality (like Adam ate the apple) - Fall from Grace/ Loss of Innocence
Just like the gates of the Garden of Eden are closed to Adam, the way back to innocence is closed to John, causing him to feel shame, perhaps for the first time

Christ

Analogies can be made between John’s desire to save the workers and Christ’s desire to save humankind
Both threatened the stability of society and were persecuted for their efforts
At the lighthouse, John inflicts upon himself the tortures that Christ suffered at the hands of others
Instead of wearing a crown of thorns, John throws himself onto thorn bushes, and his anguish (like Christ’s) is laughed at
Both are killed by civilization, and both leave converts
Christ had his disciples, and John had Helmholtz, and perhaps Bernard and Lenina

Lighthouse Scene:

John’s religion is based on purity. Before he can live in the lighthouse near God, he must make himself worthy. At the lighthouse, John tries to purify himself.
He prays through the night and stands for hours like Jesus on the Cross.
A hidden camera shoots a movie of John whipping himself and throwing himself on thorn bushes. His cries for Linda and Lenina are also recorded. Within weeks, a feelie is released, making John the object of public attention and excitement.
Lenina goes to see him at the lighthouse, and John rejects her. His rejection causes her to feel unhappy for the first time in her life, and she cries. With her tears, the last remains of her conditioning disappear.
As the crowd imitates him, John is caught up in the frenzy. He indulges in soma and sensuality and, for a moment, becomes a part of the brave new world civilization.
John betrays his own beliefs. He surrenders to soma and sensuality (loss of innocence) and takes his own life in shame. He feels unworthy of the lighthouse and life. His death may be his final attempt at purification.