Materialism In Brave New World

In his novel, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley provides stark warnings for contemporary American society by using the futuristic but relatable setting of the “World State”. When reading such dystopia novels as Brave New World, readers must consider the implications of the author’s warnings and how they are relevant to the world we live in. One such warning that deeply relates to contemporary American society is that of the dangers of consumerism and the materialistic view that results from it. As in the “World State”, we live in a culture where economic stability is favored over the preservation of resources. Moreover, people seem to feel that spending and buying is a way to increase or maintain social status. While climbing up the social hierarchy
In the Conditioning Center, the elementary class repeats, “We always throw away old clothes. Ending is better than mending, ending is better than mending, ending is better…” (35). The kids and citizens of the World State are coerced into believing in the ideals of the Directors through the use of hypnopædia or sleep teaching where phrases are constantly repeated while a person sleeps. Through hypnopædia citizens are not only made to throw away their own old clothes, but they also are conditioned to frown upon others who wear outdated clothing because “old clothes are beastly” (35). It seems that from such a young age children are being taught to be wasteful rather than resourceful with clothes. Logic is thrown out in order to promote mass production. In the society the main goal of such a high rate of consumption is so that the lower level Gamma and Epsilon workers will have to labor in the factories for longer periods of time. The leaders of the society desire such a busy working schedule because it keeps people occupied rather than giving them an opportunity to question