Overview of Brave New World Essay

Book Report: Brave New World

Aldous Huxley

Fiction

Bernard Marx managed to become an outcast in a world where your fate is sealed. He was created an Alpha, the highest biological rank in this society. He is everything an Alpha should be except he is physically much less than an Alpha is created to be. He criticizes the society he lives in and has an unorthodox view of sex, religion, philosophy and education. Unlike a secondary character, Hemholtz, who believes there is much more in the world than is shown in this society, Bernards complaints are petty and temporal. I believe, had he been born up to the physical standards of an Alpha, he would not complain and would be a working part of society. Unlike the man his name derived from, philosopher Karl Marx, Bernards frustrations derive from his inability to fit into society, as opposed to Marxs philosophical criticism of it.

Lenina Crowne is a worker at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Center. This is the center for decanting and creating the classes of humans. Lenina Crowne is beautiful, and desired by multiple characters, including Bernard. She is seemingly orthodox but her behavior often shows otherwise. She often dates exclusively, occasionally having long-term relationships, which are unacceptable in this society. But ultimately, Lenina is a model citizen of the World State, for example she relates through sex but is completely unable to share Bernards sour outlook. Like all citizens of the World State, she often takes soma, the government issued pill that gives consumers a self induced holiday, or, psychedelic trip.

A narrator tells the story. It is a novel that tells the story of a dystopia. In this society, humanity lives in a technologically advanced society. This dystopia is void of many problems in the world today such as poverty and warfare. However, art, religion, philosophy, and human expression have been sacrificed to live in such a carefree world. All citizens are content, permanently unconcerned with the world due to the government issued pill, soma. Henry Ford is the creator of this society where there is no birth, only decanting, no love, only sex, and no freedom, only controlled happiness. All of the achievements of the World State are at the expense of the human identity: family, culture, art and literature, and religion. The extreme idolization of Henry Ford is the closest thing to a religion. It is also a hedonistic society, deriving pleasure from promiscuous sex and drug use (soma) a powerful psychotropic rationed by the government that is taken to escape pain and bad memories through hallucinatory fantasies, referred to as "Holidays".

I believe Aldous Huxley had a lot to say in this book. I think he wanted people to realize what is important in the world. As we all close in on the problems of the world, we forget all the amazing things we have. Love, art, science, religion, freedom of speech, literature, spirituality, family and culture are all things we should cherish. I believe in this book Huxley wanted people to really question what is important to them. Is it lust, drugs, work, and status? Or is it family, true love, and learning? Although we will never have to choose which world we live in, we must chose which life we lead. The World State is a soul-less society with a long list of achievements. Our world is a fiery, wonderful, dangerous, and unexpected place, and I think it is the only way to live.

The basic problem of the book is the lack of emotion and reality in the society they live in. Bernards problem is trying to find his way in a place he doesnt fit it. Helmholtzs problem is that he doesnt feel his writing work is meaningful, because he must write what the state tells him to. After all, he is telling the story they want people to hear, not the truth. These problems are not solved. These characters open the eyes of the society by exposing that one of the world leaders had a real child by birth, rather than decanting. But this changes very little about the society as a whole. Problems such as these are never solved in a society where the citizens only know as much as the government wants them to.

This book was very interesting to me. I believe some people would find it boring but it is important to focus in on the seemingly useless details because it all creates a bigger picture, or symbol. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a detailed and objective story about a world on the opposite side of the spectrum. Much of the World State is similar to our world, like the government's control of the media. This makes the book much more interesting because it will open your eyes to see the truth in our world. I think it is a very well written and interesting book.