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In the novel Brave New World, the World State relies on each person to a play their role in society like cogs in a much larger machine. Machines are built to last and are preset to work in a certain way so that they do not stray away from their functionality and intended use. Likewise, citizens of the World State are preset by their conditioning, rules, and systems each person's compliance causes another person to do their job just like how a cog turns another cog perpetuating the cycle. However, machines do not come without their imperfections and flaws, but those do not necessarily hinder its performance like how major characters have something that makes them unconventional, yet do not challenge the reigning order. Therefore, the citizens …show more content…
Soma is frequently used by every citizen of the World State with the exception of a chosen few. Its importance is especially prevalent in the lower castes where it is worshiped like a religion. Mustapha Mond once said, “ Christianity without tears- that’s what soma is,” (Huxley 238) which shows how soma serves the same purpose as religion once did. Instead of turning to a higher power for forgiveness and relief, the citizens of the World State turn to a tablet free of moral obligation. Individuals like Lenina use soma to get relief from their troubles and express feelings of intimacy, which sets an example to others of what they can achieve through the use of soma. As evidence, “Linda, for her part, had no desire to see them. The return to civilization was for her the return to soma,” (Huxley 154) further showing that importance of soma as it allows for citizens to conform easily and with much more enjoyability. Moreover, soma is the World State's way of pacifying the population and keeping order, which clearly seen in the riot scene where the police force essentially stops the riot with a bunch of soma gas. By using soma the citizens of the World State surrender their control for the comfort that soma offers them even though it is their use of soma that causes their lack of emotional …show more content…
The higher up the social order you go the progressively more intelligent and influential the individuals become. As stated by the DHC, “The greater a man’s talents, the greater his power to lead astray,” (Huxley 148) further enforcing that acceptance of the social order is valid as it is based on intelligence, which gives individuals power over others. At the top of the social hierarchy is none other than Mustapha Mond the world controller. In the novel, no one really questions his position as world controller because their knowledge does not compare to his. For example, Bernard and Helmholtz are fearful of the world controller because of his power and authority even though they are Alpha Pluses, which would cause the Betas to fall in line and so on and so forth. In a social hierarchy where status is determined knowledge and intelligence, it is hard to question the social order even if you obtain power and influence. Mustapha Mond continues to follow the current social order even though he was the power to change it, which then forces all those below him to do the same through fear or just through the effectiveness of the conditioning. Mustapha Mond reasons, “ We don't want to change. Every change is a menace to stability,”(Huxley 224) showing that even individuals like Mustapha Mond can conform to maladaptive values of the World State. Instead of
Both Lenina and Linda use soma to escape from the realities of the world. Soma is a symbol for instant pleasure, and to avoid unpleasant situations. Lenina’s use of soma suggests that she is trying to suppress feelings of embarrassment, depression, and later her infatuation with John. Resembling words that of a drug addict, Lenina says “I wish I had my soma”, so that she could escape from her melancholic problems (Huxley 104). Similarly, after accusing the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, and having him publicly deny her, the emotional toll on Linda was so great, that she felt the need to consume soma to escape. Dr. Shaw “let her have what she wanted”; she “took as much as twe...
The caste system of this brave new world is equally ingenious. Free from the burdens and tensions of a capitalistic system, which separates people into social classes by natural selection, this dictatorship government is only required to determine the correct number of Alphas, Betas, all the way down the line. Class warfare does not exist because greed, the basic ingredient of capitalism, has been eliminated. Even Deltas and Epsilons are content to do their manual labor. This contentment arises both from the genetic engineering and the extensive conditioning each individual goes through in childhood. In this society, freedom, such as art and religion, in this society has been sacrificed for what Mustapha Mond calls happiness. Indeed almost all of Huxley's characters, save Bernard and the Savage, are content to take their soma ration, go to the feelies, and live their mindless, grey lives.
In the book Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main character, Guy Montag, lives in a city where there is no knowledge, emotions, nor anything else. The citizens of this city also have to live their lives be watched by machines. All these rules setup by the government are in place in order to keep citizens from overthrowing the government. They, the government, keep these rules so that the government can manipulate and corrupt citizens, overall making a corrupt city.
Henry and Leninia are high on soma and despite being so close to one another, could not be further away, as “that second dose of soma had raised a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their minds (Huxley 88).” Bernard also depicts these actions, he can only partake in the Solidarity Service after he swallows soma. Even in the arms of Morgana, Bernard feels increasingly alone and hopeless (Huxley 95). He feels no connections, the soma makes him feel alone, even in the embrace of a woman. With no true connections, the society of Brave New World is doomed to continue the
Chemicals are excessively used to achieve youth and happiness in both Brave New World and in Canadian Society. The prime example being the use of drugs to achieve a euphoric feeling and to escape something versus dealing with it in both societies. In Brave New World, Soma, a hallucinogenic drug, is a pertinent part of life that is a necessity to keep their world in order. When a member of society is unhappy, it is a natural instinct to consume soma. When Lenina is upset John does not join her after their date, Lenina thinks, “One gramme, she decided, would not be enough; hers had been more than a one-gramme affliction” (Huxley 171). Lenina uses soma to prevent unacceptable unhappiness in the Brave New World, as many Canadians use antidepressants as a simple fix to their unhappiness. The utilization and prescription of pharmacotherapy for depression has increased from 3.2 to 14.5 million between 1981 and 2000 in Canada (University of Toronto Magazine). ...
The Beta caste is conditioned to be happy with their placement in society. They are taught to believe that they are the best class in their society. By conditioning the Beta caste to believe in this, the World State is taking away their individuality. Without their individuality, the Beta caste cannot think on their own, and thus will not try to seek more power in the community that they are in. Overall, the effects of the Hypnopaedia conditioning results in a stable community, thus conforming the individual people to have the same values as the World State, and therefore losing their individuality in the
”(Spark Notes) Mond tells John that if there are no losses than there is no need for religion and soma prevents losses. Soma is “Christianity without tears” (“Brave New World”) Soma, is used to block out thoughts of individuality and to haze the past. In a “Brave New World” John is so unpleased with the absence of religion or spirituality and individuality, so in order to find a way out he inflicts pain on himself just to feel something.
The World State also uses controlled groupings of people to brainwash them further into thoughtless people with no sense of individualism. Lastly, the World State uses drugs to create artificial happiness for people, leaving no room for intense emotion which causes people to revolt against the World State. Within the novel Brave New World, it is seen that the World State eliminates individuality through social restrictions, government controlled groupings and the abuse of drugs to maintain control of the population. Social restriction robs individuals of their creative personalities by preventing freedom of thought, behavior, and expression; but is vital to the World State for maintaining complete control over the society. Social restriction’s purpose is to enforce obedience, conformity and compliance out of people.
Whether it is due to conditioning, or the firm belief that happiness can only be found by avoiding the truth, characters in the novel do everything they can to avoid despondent situations. For example, when Lenina and Bernard are visiting the reservation, and Lenina becomes frightened of the unfamiliar and seemingly barbarous sights and rituals in the village, “she felt in her pocket for her some-only to discover that, by some unprecedented oversight” she did not have the bottle and “was left to face the horrors of Malpais unaided” (Huxley 74). Soma is a drug used in the novel as a repercussion free way to escape reality, or deal with it easier. Soma is used to “calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering” (Huxley 162). Characters in the novel often take soma holidays where they are away from reality for multiple days at a time: “And if ever, by some unlucky chance anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there’s always soma to give you a holiday from the facts” (Huxley 162). Soma’s are used when denial of, or protection from, the truth by The Controllers is ineffective or
In Aldrous Huxley’s A Brave New World, pleasure is the main driving force in life. The government uses tools such as the wonder drug soma and the endorphins naturally released during and after sexual intercourse to keep the minds of their well-tended flock off of matters that might concern them if they had not previously been conditioned to resort to a vice the moment that they begin to conceive an ill thought. Lenina 's adulation of John, the Savage, is perhaps one of the more obvious triggers of soma usage within the novel. Lenina does not understand John 's concept of love, and attempts to show her affection in the only way she knows how, and that is by having sex with him. She thinks this is a normal act, but for him, it is sanctity. John believes that one should only express their passion through sex if they are married as is the custom on the reservation. This leads John to call Lenina many obscene names and to send her into the tender arms of soma instead. She merely wishes him to reciprocate her advances, which she would take as meaning that he was happy to be with her. She simply wants the both of them to be joyous in their carnal revelry but “Happiness is a hard master – particularly other people 's happiness. A much harder master, if one isn 't conditioned to accept it unquestioningly, than truth” (Huxley 227, Brave New World). John and Lenina are very different people however, as Lenina tells Bernard “I don 't understand … why you don 't take
Mustapha Mond is the most powerful character in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Mond keeps scientific and historic documents from reaching the people. Mond believes that science, religion, and art threaten Brave New World if let out, but religion would be bane of Brave New World. The moral dilemma of monogamy is the bane of Brave New World. If the people of Brave New World found out about religion, the people would learn the moral dilemma of “every one belongs to everyone else”(Huxley 31).
In his universe, Soma is the cure for everything. All problems, be they psychological, physical, or social are totally forgotten, their lurking shadows temporarily banished from sight. What is worrisome about this futuristic fabrication is its ideal reality. People in our current and very non-fictional times are taking steps toward the world of massive Soma use and acceptation. When one stops, and sees the world today, Huxley’s idea of the common drug; cure all, pleasant, and religion-exterminating seems to be a reasonable estimation of our future developments.
Another cultural value that helps maintain social stability is drug use. Soma is a euphoric, hallucinogenic drug that the government freely gives to citizens.
In the utopian society Huxley creates, everything is artificial. The future of the world depends merely on a handful of directors, and everyone else is simply created as a pawn to maintain this futuristic economy. One of the ten world controllers in the "Brave New World" portrayed in the novel is Mustapha Mond. Mustapha is a driving force behind the utopian society that keeps everyone happy, yet empty inside at the same time. In fact, Mustahpa Mond has been interpreted to mean "the chosen one," for he is like a God to the people (McGiveron 29). People are created in laboratories such as the "Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre," where peo...
In Huxley’s, Brave New World, there is a society, known as the World State, where people are divided into different castes, and depending on the caste they are set in determines their place in the community and purpose in the world. If one is an Alpha, he/she will be highly intelligent and be a leader of the free world, while one who is an Epsilon has lowered intelligence and is conditioned to do physical labor. From the process of the human beings being created in test tubes, to their birth and development, they are trained to believe in certain truths. Brave New World is a Utopian novel that uses a form of brainwashing to conform people to the ideal society placed in the plot. Other literature works, and real life occurrences, make it evident that brainwashing is used to condition to believe and behave I certain ways, which become their morals and truths.