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Brave New World4

Brave New World4 Today, in 21st century United States, people are concerned with the fast pace of new and growing technology, and how these advances should be used. In the last decade alone we have seen major advancements in technology; in science, cloning has become a reality, newer, more powerful drugs have been invented and, in communications, the Internet has dominated society. There is a cultural lag due to the fast rate of increasing technology, and while the governments of the world are trying to keep up their role as censors and lawmakers, we as individuals are trying to comprehend the effects it has on our lives. Will these advances enhance our lives to an unprecedented level of comfort, or lead to the loss of actual happiness? In the early 1930’s, when Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World, this was a question he felt was worth asking. In Huxley’s Brave New World there are two forms of happiness: physical and actual. The fulfillment of physical happiness is the basis of the New World society. Residents never have to worry about food, shelter, job security, or sickness. One will never look fat, wrinkly or become weak with brittle bones and, thus, even the fear of growing old is taken away. Mustapha Mond, one of the world controllers in the novel, sums up physical happiness with the statement: “The world is stable now…They’re well off; They’re safe; They are never ill; they’re not afraid of death; they’re blissfully ignorant of passion and old age…”(Huxley 220). The characters, Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, and Helmholtz Watson are each looking for more than what is offered by physical happiness, they are looking for actual happiness. Actual happiness “relates more to the mind and heart” (HH Dalai Lama 21). For example, Helmholtz has the desire to be creative and Lenina has the desire to love. Bernard Marx, knowing that he is different and considered inferior to other Alpha-plus males, has the desire to not only fit in, but to be respected by others. Other individuals in the Brave New World are content while these three characters are searching for something not given to them by the government, something beyond physical happiness. They are searching for actual happiness. Individuality, which is one of the strongest values in the United States today, is taken away at the moment of conception in the Brave New World. This is done first, with the loss of family. Many eggs have been fertilized and split to create mass amounts of twins, and tubes have replaced the mother’s womb. While in the tubes the destiny of any individual has already been set. Through the use of use of oxygen, alcohol and hormones the child’s intelligence is shaped to fit the level assigned to him, Alpha (as the highest class) to Epilson (the lowest class). After birth the government is constantly conditioning children so they will know their place in the world. With the loss of mothers and fathers, the children learn all of their norms and values from the same source, the government. With the destruction of family, the government has prevented the largest source of human emotion: family love. There are no more emotional ties to anyone, even sex is turned into a purely physical act. This lack of intimacy, or emotional ties to others, is the key ingredient for stability in Brave New World. Deep emotions of any kind are dangerous in this utopian world because they can’t be regulated or controlled. If for any reason, in the Brave New World, one starts to feel their individuality, the emptiness of their life, or loneliness, there is always soma. Soma could be our equivalent to a combination of Prozac and Ecstasy, but with no side affects other than you might sleep in too late. Citizens are encouraged to take soma whenever they feel out of sync with their world. The idea of giving these drugs to all seems ridiculous, but is in theory quite common today. In the United States, it seems that everybody is either somewhat manic-depressive, or the children are too hyper, and accordingly doctors prescribe medication. The levels of medication are adjusted to keep people at an emotional level that is considered physically pleasant, often without actually dealing with the emotions themselves. John the savage is a unique character in Brave New World. He is a hybrid of his mother’s home, the Brave New World, and the Indian reservation where he was raised. Unlike the other characters, he has not been conditioned by the government of the Brave New World and, therefore, is aware of all the possibilities and choices that can exist in life. John and Mustapha Mond share a common knowledge of Shakespearian work and religion. When John first discovers this, he is excited and seems to finally have a real connection to another individual. What takes place is a kind of philosophical debate between the two gentlemen. We see that knowledge and emotion are reserved for a privileged few, and are too dangerous for most individuals in a stable society. Mustapha Mond’s arguments seem rational but are designed to leave little room for criticism. His arguments rest on the untested assumption that stability is the highest social goal and physical happiness is the primary tool to achieve it. Mustapha Mond never questions what happiness is and considers its meaning to be self evident. It seems happiness in the Brave New World is just blissful ignorance, with life being guided by the helping hand of an all-powerful government. In Huxley’s Brave New World individuality is dangerous and will lead to pain and suffering. John, unable to adjust and adhere to a world which caters to physical happiness, with no regard to actual happiness, commits suicide. While the state stops the spirit to stabilize the people, it seems John does the opposite, repressing the body so that the mind and spirit remains free. It is hard to decide what sacrifices are worth making for social stability and physical happiness. If life is too easy, how can we really appreciate it but if life is too difficult, how do we cope with the suffering? Aldous Huxley’s novel seems to have a prophetic tone seventy years after it was written. Our society’s priorities, like the one in the Brave New World, seem to be quite shallow in its obsession with physical appearance and conspicuous consumption of material objects. People undergo surgery to improve their appearance and maintain their youthful image of themselves. People, generally, judge others as well as themselves by their possessions, status, and appearance, rather than the quality of their character. Cloning is no longer science fiction, and with increasing technology, the absolute need for mothers and fathers could disappear. At what point does social stability outweigh human nature? There needs to be a balance between physical and actual happiness, and where the proper balance should be is questionable. Huxley doesn’t have the answer, but he leaves the reader with an idea of why balance is so hard to find: “Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery” (Huxley 221). Bibliography: WORKS CITED: Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Lama, HH Dalai. The Art of Happiness. London: Hoddler and Straughton, 1999.

Word Count: 1240