Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Essay Example

Brave New World of the affiliation Brave New World Brave New World is a ic piece of literary art by one of the greatest writers of the 20th century Aldous Huxley. The novel dwells into the life of a dynamic society, whose changes affect the livelihood of the society in diverse fronts. In the novel, the author details the anticipated technological advancements as well as psychological conditioning, which integrate to cause changes in the society. Indeed, the author has explored various themes in the novel using diverse characterization as well as key elements that have shaped the course and meaning of the novel. Themes explored in the novel Social identity versus individual freedom The novel details the community as cemented through stability in its beliefs and cultures, which guide the thinking in the world. This is a utopian perspective, with abstract goals that the world hopes to meet through its defined identity. There is allusion of the Christian religion that the text alleges contributes to the identity of any society, giving it meaning and means by which they can derive their guidance. However, this religion mobilizes people to achieve unity and meaning of togetherness through sexual orgy. This is indeed supported by the postulation that no person in the society is supposed to live or act in solitude. The subject of identity is viewed as the backbone of genetic engineering, where the various classes of the society are divided in such a way that cloning can be used to derive the required genes or characters in human beings. Indeed, the characters mostly identify the subject of stability, whose craving desire to achieve this state make bio-engineers design ways that would see the same kind of individuals produced in the world without any distinctions. This would help reduce conflicts between people and choke the community’s dynamism. The over-whelming control of science The book explores the theme of fictional science as the driver in the society and its control over the world. Indeed, the author explores this theme in the way that seeks to show that the advancement of science has profound effects on humanity. In retrospect, the novel focuses on the looming dangers of advancement in biological and physiological science to humanity in the way that it is supposed to lead to social identity. Threats of Bioengineering In this theme, it is plausible to state that science has come of age, with the knowledge in genetics been advanced and profound. Their manipulation of DNA and RNA has enabled scientists to determine the inheritable characteristics as well as the course of human reproduction and inheritance. The author seeks to expound on the subject when he refers to the upcoming world breeds in the text, and the count of artificial humans born out of science in the way that their characters are predetermined through science. The crave for extreme happiness The brave world believes that the achievement of stability is a utilitarianism trait, where people go to any extent to get the most happiness. It does not incorporate any pain or deep feelings; rather, the community uses conditioning and science as a means of getting the desired happiness and satisfaction to the human race. Cheap promiscuity The society is portrayed as one that delights in sexual pleasure. To the extent that the text seems to advocate for promiscuity, there are no boundaries over the number of partners one can sleep with. In this utopian world, everyone belongs to the other and there is no need to get married or pregnant, as both needs will destabilize the community setting. Extensive use of drugs to get happiness The brave world uses Soma, a drug that is legalized by the authorities to be used as a stimulant and stabilizer at the same time. The rulers had selected notable professional to work on the drug, which was actualized in six years. The author contends to an abstract notion that a certain drug would enlighten the human population in a way that they would disappear from their own nature and unravel the nature of God in a more intricate way as the Soma. Destruction families’ fabric With the extensive use of the science modification and manipulation in procreation, as well as the sexual promiscuity, there would be no such thing as the family. The traditional words used in respect to the notable family notions would be obscene to mention in this society, which would thereafter be labelled as the root cause of problems in the ancient world. Denial of death The brave new world acknowledges death as a critical process, that is natural and therefore no reason to mourn the dead. In this light, the community does not acknowledge the effects of old age and the young ones are given sweets to eat in the event that death would certainly occur. This kind of conditioning is meant to help people come to terms with their emotions and pain, which are so profound in the family when their relatives die. The characterization in the novel The director He is in charge of the hatcheries and conditioning, where he gives the opening statements in the novel regarding the scientific procreation systems in bottles. He is ego-driven and relays information so fast that most of his listeners can hardly understand what he is saying, and is mostly contented with whatever he knows. However, he is much less knowledgeable than the Controller, who seems to understand crucial details in the restricted topics regarding historical biology. The director’s real name is Thomas, which is known from the continued reference of his former lover Linda who calls him Tomakin. His character comes alive in his confession to Marx, where he gives an account of how he impregnated a girl who disappeared. In this rather utopian world, the ultimate birth and return of the baby, who was called John was a great humiliation to the director of a Bioengineering plant. Henry Foster He is a worker in the hatchery plant, who defines the character of the average citizen in the world state. He is indeed industrious, efficient as his work spending his free time in the sports or casual sexual encounters. Although he is not one of the vital characters, he exposes the hatchery’s operations and shows the character of Lenina in her rather weird sex life. Lenina Crowne She is a young, beautiful woman, who has a skin condition called lupus and shares much of the character of Foster in happiness and a common citizen. She is moved by sex and believes that she can have it anytime, part of the reason that she cannot understand John’s apparent refusal to sleep with her because of his love for her. John refuses to have sex with her for his beliefs that it would be an act of disrespect according to his Christian beliefs. In this context, Lenina is split between love and lust, and is one of the moving factors towards John’s suicide because of her apparent contribution towards his emotional violence. The controller, Mustapha He is one of the most powerful people in the text, who are pictured with many good traits that include dedication to work and intelligence. He understands phenomena in a way that most utopians cannot. He has read widely, a trait that makes him have the ability to reason out ideas in a rational way. Despite his attractive personality, he uses his intelligence to further the work of utopians in their crazy endeavors. Bernard Marx Marx specializes in sleep teaching and is intelligent, unlike other members of his caste. He is different from the norm, displaying rather reserved traits towards casual sex and sports. He is indeed set apart from the society and likes to be alone because of his own beliefs. He is first profiled as a person who delights in his uniqueness, but in the course of events becomes popular and more attached to the society. John He is born to two utopians and the link between the two worlds. He was born to Linda in a Savage Reservation, and is both handsome and attractive. However, he is different and guided by morals of his religion, to the extent that he contradicts the beliefs in the new world. His struggle with conformity is evident with his conflict with Lenina, and when he cannot take this struggle anymore, he commits suicide. Linda She is John’s mother and sleeps with Thomas, a union that made her pregnant. She bears her son in a Savage Reservation, and is mostly depicted as promiscuous for sleeping with many men. She is one of the victims of the drug Soma, which kills her after an overdose. Significance of various elements The setting The novel explores a utopianism notion, and its setting is crucial to understanding the course of events. The setting of the novel is London, where the people survive on science and Bioengineering for procreation. This is an ideal environment, where there are no problems, struggles or even diseases and entertainment takes centre stage. Any bad feelings are frozen and neutralized like those pointed out by death or old age. Other parts of the world like Zunis are poor, with problems and sicknesses that make the society miserable and uncivilized. Writing style The author’s language and style challenge the mind to think in order to understand the gist of the novel. Displaying a unique sense of wits and intelligence, the author is able to characterize the novel in a way that the characters convey meaning to the readers. Indeed, he is able to utilize critical elements in allusion to religion and God, which make the classical work. Point of view The authorial point of view explored is the third person who knows it all. He is not part of the characters and can therefore give much detail concerning the events that happen. Indeed, we are able to get in touch with many situations and characters at the same time, which enhances connectivity and understanding. In conclusion, the Brave new world is a classic work of art noting what advances in technology can affect the community and the courses of life for people. Indeed, the novel fits into the Utopian works of fiction about an ideal world, getting in the line of other classical works done by notable authors in history References Huxley, A. (1946). Brave new world. New York: Harper & Bros. Read More