Analysis of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Book Report/Review Example

Brave new world Brave new world is an amazing work of literature and was written by Aldous Huxley in 1932.The book begins in a society that is controlled and futuristic in nature. The society is referred to as the world state. The story develops as a group of students are receiving a factory tour. The tour is in London and they toured the London Hatchery and conditioning Centre. The director of the Centre explains to the students how students are human beings are grown inside bottles. The humans are conditioned or brainwashed so that they can believe in certain morals. The brainwashing is called hypnopaedia teaches the citizens to believe in the values of the society. Each and every individual is believed to exist to own the values of the society. The economy remains strong through the individuals who are consumers and workers of the society. In the society the humans are divided into various categories namely alphas, gammas, deltas, epsilons. The Alphas are smart individual who also are very tall. The Epsilons are very short individuals who are very dumb. They are also very ugly individuals. The epsilons are given dangerous substances when they are in test tubes. They use alcohol and very little oxygen deprivation. The epsilons are the same individuals who are the exact copies of each other. The hatcheries have who are characters of the book written by Aldous Huxley. Lenina, Crowne and Henry Foster are individuals who work in the hatchery. Lenina is a beautiful lady and she is sleeping with Henry. They have been sleeping with each other for a long time. According to the book the sex is a casual thing and everyone is sleeping with everyone. In this book sex is regular and explicit. If a man wants to sleep with a woman he says it publicly and the woman basically has to say yes. Sex for recreation is an essential part of the society and it is considered a waste to spend time alone. Children are conditioned from early childhood to the assumption that sex is a social activity. The book also argues that orgies are a bi-week event that is expected to happen often. There are drugs that are used by the characters in the book. The drug that they abuse is called soma and it makes the individuals have an exciting feeling. The director of the hatchery explains that this during his tour at the hatchery (Bloom, pg. 14). There is Mustapha who is a big guy in the hatchery and happens to be one of the world controllers. Mustapha explains to the other students how the society was formed. In the first chapters of the book the World State is described as a wonderful and peaceful place to stay in. The book brings Lenin, who is happy with her position in the society. The book also introduces Bernard, an outstanding psychologist who is an outcast. His work is to teach individuals how to sleep and this led him to believe in his work. Bernard does have great physical characteristics that most Alphas have. Bernard feels isolated and he wanted to have sex with Lenina. There is also a Helmholtz who is an alpha male has the same downfall. Both of them don have great physical characteristics. Helmholtz is very attractive man who creates a something more passionate. Bernard goes to a date with Lenina and he wants to go on a date with her and spend quality time with her. Lenina instead wants to have sex and take drugs and ultimately Bernard falls for this. Bernard has to take soma so that the he can go to bed with Lenina. In the morning after sleeping with Lenina, Bernard tells Lenina that they should have waited before making such a rush decision. He feels that he is an adult and that he tells Lenina that they should have a meaningful relationship. Lenina is not convinced by what Bernard is telling her. They later planned a vacation in New Mexico in a Savage reservation according to the book. Bernard has to ask permission from his directors before he can go for the trip. The director however confesses that he visited the reservation place once with a woman and lost the woman due to unclear circumstances. Bernard goes on his trip and he is informed by Helmholtz that the director is planning on deporting him to an island. In New Mexico Lenina sees what she didn’t expect to see. Individuals have tattered clothes, everyone is dirty and the place smells bad. During their tour they are approached by a white man called John who is not a Native American. He explains to them that her mother came to that place and got stranded there. She gave birth to him there and Bernard quickly realizes that he is the son of the director. The couple later meet John’s mother, Linda, who takes the opportunity to welcome her guests. John and Bernard are isolated from their communities. Bernard brings John and Linda back to the civilized world and he is fired by the director. Cultural comparison The author of Brave new world makes an attempt to pass a specific message when he wrote this book. He wanted individuals to see what the future holds for them. He stressed that individuals have to watch out for the rapid scientific progress. He implies that if the progress in science is used correctly then it will benefit many individuals. On the contrary if the progress is not used properly it will lead to devastating effects to the society. The information regarding lifestyles in the reservation depicts certain aspects of similarities to the lifestyles of the Native Indians of 1830-1839 as in: The most compelling comparison is the development of technology. The morals in the book are not what the society today expects from individuals. The value is not witnessed in the book by Aldous Huxley. The culture in the book focusses its attention on the growth of the economy and technological advancement. In the modern world individuals take care of themselves being they want to stay healthy and live long. In the Culture of Brave New World the individuals don take care of themselves as humans. They are not concerned with themselves and that the reason why they don’t respect themselves. The individuals have been conditioned to the society in terms of what it offers technologically. This is quite similar to the lifestyles of the American Indians in early 1800’s when they more concerned with issues ascribed to technological advancement especially after interacting with European Colonists from England and Spain. The American Indians were attracted to technologies such as gun, gun powders and other steel products from the European colonists and were ready to exchange their goods such as deer hides for such technologies (Seelve, pg.13). Some of the American Indians even went further to exchange such products with people as slaves. It is implied in the book that the world is concerned about the technology that it offers. The modern world today is directed towards the perspective that technology advancement is what determines the strength of an economy. Technological advancement is slowly dominating the modern society. It is changing the morals of many individuals in the society. The change in the morals of individuals affects the values of our culture. The key theme in the book is that technology has brought about change in the human perspective. The main reason for mankind existence according to Huxley is for consumerism and the production nature. The book tells us that they throw away old clothes because ending is better than mending the clothes. The citizens according to the author are conditioned by their seniors that buying of things is better than repairing them. They in fact relate immorality to repairing of materials in the society. They are taught to have a buying culture and a consumer oriented mentality. This indicates how the society today has transformed into a consumerism culture. The individuals in the society are conditioned to believe in the principles that lead to consumption. This is also another similar lifestyle that was exhibited by the American Indians in the early and late 1800’s. They were focused on purchasing goods from European colonists and in the process adopted a lifestyle that basically involved consumption of already made products while neglecting their cultural and traditional activities such as hunting and gathering. In the book religion has been wiped and forgotten by the individuals who live in the World State. The closest they get to God is through the model Ford developed. It is through the invention of the model that they discovered how to invent things. In the modern world today most people believe in a superior being. Most individuals believe that there is a spiritual being somewhere that watches over them. According to the book individuals consider technology more important than God. In today’s society most people lose touch of their spiritual touch because of the constant invention. Individuals are slowly replacing God with technology without noticing. The personal transcendence is slowly replaced by the ever increasing technological transcendence. Technopoly is a transition that occurs in the Brave New World. During the early and late 1600’s, the American Indians such as the Pacohausts were very religious people, who were guided by various traditional religious beliefs. However, with the rapid rate of adoption of European culture such as Christianity, beer drinking et cetera their traditional religious beliefs slowly faded away (Seelve, pg.18). Therefore, the book makes indicates a similar lifestyle that occurs in the Reservations and the native communities of the 1800’s America Indians in relation loss of religious values. In the lower castes of Huxley’s society individuals are simple workers who are basically one task thinkers. The production of human of life is very vital to the economic structure of any particular society. The workers are created for the purpose of living a meager life. They are conditioned to serve the economy of the society. They are created to work constantly like machines for the benefits of their economy. In the modern world today our children are conditioned to believe that they are either smart or dumb individuals. It is similar to the modern world today there is a cultural split in terms of education. Individuals are divided into individuals of high intelligence and individuals of low intelligence. Similarly, the American Indians of the 1800’s were also characterized by a scenario where some people in the society were regarded as wise men and could be consulted in times of social challenges to provide appropriate solutions. Other Aspects of Similarities The United States government used the treaties to replace the Red Indians from their tribal land. In 1830 era more Americans were given the right to vote as property owners. Literacy restrictions were abolished in most of the places across the United States The lower and middle class people got chances to express their political opinions (http://www.semtribe.com/History/IndianRemoval.aspx, n.p) The Indian Treaty was signed into law on May 28 1830 by Andrew Jackson. The treaty granted the president to grant unsettled land that was West of Mississippi to the Indians for the exchange of their land in the state border (LeBeau, pg. 12) Bernard and Linda head into the reservation and find out that the place is smelly. It indicates that the individuals who live there have been living in poor conditions. They are surprised to see poverty and diseases for the first time. Lenina is surprised to see a mother nurse a child. It is this sight that makes them realize that they have forgotten their soma. She is forced to see the village consciously rather than under the influence of drugs. During the tour they watch a ritual dance of a sacrifice to gods Pookong and Jesus. There is a young man who proceeds around a pile of snakes in a corner. The man receives a whipping while he is walking and dies instantly. There are Indians who are worshipping the statue of a man in a cross. Immediately they meet a blonde haired man who has blue eyes. John tells them that the man is called Savage. The Indians won’t allow him to worship because he has a different skin color. He explains to them that his mother had the same skin tone as Lenina. This shows that the Indians were living in poor condition. It can also be assumed that most of the Indians believed in a spiritual being. Linda, John’s mother, is happy to see civilized people once again. Linda complains of the poor conditions that they have been forced to adopt. She explains she has to drink mescal which is alcohol, and use drugs. Lenina is disgusted by Linda but she is forced to listen to her. She said she slept with different men and other got mad with her. The Indian culture focuses on having good morals in the society. This indicates that the Indian culture values good morals among individuals of the society. This is the reason why the women were mad with Linda because she allowed men to have sex with her. Linda tried to teach John the way the civilized individuals do their things but she did not manage. The Indians way of life tries to clean the community and the civilized world. Bernard and Lenina release their emotions because they are not using drugs. They did not bring soma with them. Lenina cannot hide her emotions when she saw the way of life the Indians. She could not understand how the men and women have lived with these problems for years. The cultural dance implies that the Indians have a different culture from the individuals in the civilized world. The Indian culture fuses religion and superstition together as way of life. Lenina is emotional when she sees the blood of a human being. She begins to cry when she the blood of the young man. Huxley relates the tears of Lenina with the uncaring of individuals who have to suffer for unwanted emotions. The society according to the book has made the Indians an outcast. The Indians also don’t associate with individuals who are not their own. Savage wanted to take part in one of the rituals performed by the Indians. He is a hybrid man who is not conditioned fully and has learned some Indians ways. This indicates the level of which the civilized society is complex and focuses on destroying the Indian culture. The place they go and meet the mother of John is a symbol that there are differences between societies. The Indian society does not accept John so he decides to leave his hopes and ambitions. He starts to believe that the Utopian world can accept him the way he is naturally. He represents the native civilizations and the society of civilized individuals. The novel looks at the way the society treats the individuals who are considered outcasts. John is more civilized for and emotional for land savage but he is more savage to be in the civilized world. Bernard shares the same struggles as John because he wants to join a society that considers him an outcast. John life is an indication about the way Indians live and his own isolation (Barr p.65). He portrays his individuality by telling his story again and he uses Shakespeare’s quote as a guide to his emotional nature. In some of the chapters of the book the reader manages to see that John has a strong personality. He claims to be in love with Lenina and he expresses his love by inhaling her perfume. He is very modest and even ashamed when he has thoughts of undressing Lenina. This shows the difference in the culture between the two societies as portrayed by the book. Conclusion The Indian society 180 years down the line is characterized by various social challenges. In a research that was recently performed by the USAID, this community is among those that have low literacy levels as compared to other tribes in the United States. Moreover, the rate at, which the minority group relies on the social support, offered by the United States’ government has been increasing overtime. This has be attributed to a culture of apathy among the Red Indians and behavioral characteristics that entail consumption of alcohol among this native community. However, it is evident that the American Indian cultural values are slowly fading away and most of the new American Indian generation is rapidly adopting other cultures from various ethnic groups like Chinese, Spanish, Mexican immigrants et cetera. Work Cited Barr, Bob. "Brave New World. (Book review)." Michigan Law Review 1 Apr. 2010: 200. Bernholz, Charles D.. "American Indian treaties and the Supreme Court: A guide to treaty citations from opinions of the United States Supreme Court." Journal of Government Information 30.2-3 (2004): 318-431. Bloom, Harold, and Aldous Huxley. Brave New World (New Edition).. New York: Infobase Pub., 2010. "Indian Treaties and the Removal Act of 1830." Indian Treaties and the Removal Act of 1830. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. . LeBeau, Patrick Russell. Term paper resource guide to American Indian history. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2009. Print. Nelson, Cary. "The Brave New World of Research Surveillance." Qualitative Inquiry 10.2 (2004): 207-218. Seelye, James E.. Voices of the American Indian experience. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood, 2013. Theda, Green, Michael D.. The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. Penguin Books , 2008. Burnett, John G.. . Birthday Story of Private John G. Burnett, Captain Abraham McClellan’s Cherokee Indian Removal, 1838–39. 1890. < http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newnation/4532> "Removal and Indian Resistance." Removal and Indian Resistance. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. >.>. Read More