A Comparison of A Brave New World and 1984

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A Brave New World and 1984: Need Pain to Know Joy

Although many similarities exist between Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World and George Orwell's 1984, they are more dissimilar than alike. A Brave New World is a novel about the struggle of Bernard Marx, who rejects the tenants of his society when he discovers that he is not truly happy. 1984 is the story of Winston who finds forbidden love within the hypocrisy of his society. In both cases, the main character is in quiet rebellion against his government which is eventually found to be in vain.

Huxley wrote A Brave New World in the third person so that the reader could be allotted a more comprehensive view of the activities he presents. His characters are shallow and cartoon-like (Astrachan) in order to better reflect the society in which they are entrapped. In this society, traditional notions of love and what ideally should result have long been disregarded and despised, "Mother, monogamy, romance. High spurts the fountain; fierce and foamy the wild jet. The urge has but a single outlet" (Huxley 41). The comparison to a wild jet is intended to demonstrate the inherent dangers of these activities. Many of the Brave New World's social norms are intended to “save” its citizens from anything unpleasant by depriving them of the opportunity to miss anything overly pleasant.

The society values, “A COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY,” (Huxley 1) supersede all else in a collective effort. Soma, the magical ultimate drug is what keeps the population from revolting. "What you need is a gramme of soma... All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects" (page #). The drug is at the forefront of their daily lives supposedly providing freedom from life's every ill. The drug is used as a form of recreation, like sex, and its use is encouraged at any opportunity, especially when great emotions begin to arise. "The word [soma] from the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It means both an intoxicating drink used in the old Vedic religious rituals there and the plant from whose juice the drink was made - a plant whose true identity we don't know." (Astrachan page #)

They are conditioned to accept soma to calm and pacify them should they begin to feel anything too intensely. The conditioning also provides them with their place and prevents them from participating in social activities which they needn't take part in.

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