Comparative Analysis of Freedom in 1984 and A Brave New World

The books 1984 and A Brave New World share many similarities and differences regarding freedom and the denial of it. A Brave New World describes a futuristic society where everyone is supposedly programed to be happy while 1984 is about a totalitarian government that programs every individual to devote all their time to the government. Both books describe a society in which people’s free will is nearly non existent. While both books outline a life without free-will, each author presents it differently and has different viewpoints on this matter. Sexuality, conformity and double think are themes within each book but are presented in different manners.

The idea of conformity is presented differently in each book. In a Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, individuals are programmed from the minute they are created. In the hatching and conditioning center, babies are produced and replicated in order to limit individuality. Once they are born, the babies are brought into a conditioning room where they are taught to accept sexuality and to hate nature and education to program their minds to solely focus on their work and not the outside world. In 1984, by George Orwell, people are conditioned through the fear of

punishment by the government. Individuals in this story are constantly being watched by the government to ensure that they do not use any form energy for anything other than the government. “Big Brother is Watching You,” was a central theme throughout the book. The notion of conformity is present in both books but the purpose for it serves different purposes. Orwell describes conformity solely for the government while Huxley explains that people’s minds were programed for the sake of their work.
Stigmas surrounding sexuality are presented completely different in each novel.

In A Brave New World, sex is looked at as a natural instinct that everyone should take part in. They do not have sex to produce children but rather just for pleasure. Characters in the book also believe that having one partner is preposterous. People are taught this from a very young age and continue to believe this for all their life. Unlike A Brave New World, 1984 presents the idea of sex in a negative manner. They believe that one should take part in sexual activity only to produce children and never for pleasure. This is because the government believes that sex steers one’s attention away from the party and is therefore a negative aspect of daily society that they disapprove

of.
In both books, doublethink is a major aspect that contributes to each theme. In 1984, people are programmed to think a certain way. Similarly, in A Brave New World people are programmed to think a certain way from a very young age. In 1984 people are told to believe that the party is the only reason to live and that it is the greatest thing to happen to them. Regardless, that the party aims to take all free will away, people are brainwashed to believe that they should spend all their energy on the party. In this way, doublethink is portrayed when people hear the words, “Freedom is slavery.” People are programmed to believe statements such as this one and not to overthink it. In A Brave New World, people are taught to believe that life in the outside world is bad, regardless that people do not know about it. Without knowing it, most characters in each book strongly believe the things they are told without thinking about it for themselves.