Control in Brave New World Essay

new Brave New World is a book that centres on the idea that if we allow science to take control of too much of our lives, then science will control us. It is not simply a warning of what could happen to society if things go wrong, it is a satirical look of the society that we live in as well as the society that Aldus Huxley, the author, lived in. From the incompatibility of happiness and truth, shown through the use of soma, to the attempt that the world state makes to control and muffle any attempt by a citizen to gain any sort of scientific truth, we see how serious the matter is when it comes to a society controlled by technology and/or science. It causes one to wonder if the theme of two of the most bloody and ruthless pieces of literature, Macbeth and Lord of the Flies, apply here.

The story of Brave New World goes that this new society in was created after catastrophic global events including a nine year war. In an attempt to save humanity, the world controllers created a society based on stability and happiness; they created what they thought was a Utopia. The irony in this is that in doing so they destroyed the will to think for oneself, to choose one's own path and to face the realities of life. Therefore they instead created a Dystopia. This is similar in some ways to what happens in Lord of the Flies.

The book Lord of the Flies suggests life within a society is affected and constantly changed by the moral values of the members. All of the members of the tropical island in which the characters are situated on, feel that there is a need for stability and laws, just as their ancient ancestors had discovered in creating civilization. Nevertheless this new civilization soon deteriorates after two different leaders emerge. In order for the boys to keep their civilization together, moral integrity must prevail. However, it is soon seen that a certain capacity for evil resides in man and without laws, the island goes into anarchy.

In the attempt to keep stability in the Lord of the Flies society, the boys on the island create instability. With the Brave New World society, they used soma as a replacement for both depression and religion. Using soma gave the taker instant gratification and kept everyone in check with the society. No one would question what was happening, nor would they question why they were taking soma - stability at its highest level. In Lord of the Flies, a leader could act as the soma in order to maintain solidity. Unfortunately, there were two leaders and this created indecision among the boys on the island. There was also the suggestion that a horrible beast lived on the island. They did not know who to follow nor did they know who to believe about whether or not a beast existed, thus creating insecurity. It is most evident when Simon tries to voice his opinion "What I mean is... Maybe it's only us.'... Simon became inarticulate in his efforts to express mankind's essential illness." (Golding 89) Eventually, Jack prevails as the leader of an anarchic type society where rules and laws are not required except where the leader irrationally directs. The symbol of authority, the conch, is fittingly destroyed at this point in the novel and Ralph discovers what Simon was trying to say. The beast did not exist in the beginning but was created by the boys in their acts of savagery and inhumanity.

In Macbeth we see how power has the ability to corrupt. Once Macbeth discovers, with the help of the three witches, that he would become King, he cannot help but feel overwhelmed by the possibilities. Rather than waiting and letting the course of life to unfold by itself, he takes fate into his own hands and murders several unsuspecting and innocent people. By a force of nature, Scotland became of place of chaos and disorder as the rules of life were disrupted. The Old Man of the play best describes the state of the country in saying, "Tis unnatural, even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last a falcon tow'ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd." (Shakespeare 2.4.12-15)

Comparably to Brave New World, in Macbeth the stability has been ruined by someone who played with the forces of nature. Macbeth allowed his conscience and want for power to subdue him into a state where nothing could stop him in his climb to the top. This sends the entire country into chaos. In Brave New World the want for stability causes the World Controllers to create a dystopia where no one can feel reality. The truth is camouflaged behind a thick layer of soma. The World Controllers decided that they never wanted their world to go into chaos as did the world of Macbeth. Thus, they made the society so stable that it became bland and boring. Lenina discovers some of the truths of her society when she wakes up as a small child only to hear the conditioning tape that was being played, "Every one works for every one else. We can't do without any one. Even Epsilons are useful. We couldn't do without Epsilons. Every one works for every one else. We can't do without any one" (Huxley 74)

The scary part about Brave New World is that we are so close to its reality. We have human cloning; we have a world that constantly strives to be stable, a world that strives to become a utopia through the use of technology and science. We have our own soma, in the means of anti-depressants and legalized marijuana. Perhaps, with all of this taken into consideration, our world will become something like Brave New World - a boring place where the truth is camouflaged and where no one has the will or ability to truly think for themselves - a dystopia.