A Brave New World Caste System Analysis

Not So Brave or New World

For centuries, a caste system often defined who a person was in society. One’s class structure was often determined at birth; if one’s parents were poor, then one would also be poor. In the novel, Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, Huxley uses the caste system in order to create a happy and well run society, a utopian society. A society where castes are differentiated by the specific function they perform for their society, rather than by wealth, profession, or rank. So, how does Huxley turn a future where all is to be happy for some, into a quintessential dystopia for others? Huxley does this by incorporating the caste system into the novel as a dominant theme, a theme that portrays both the good and bad of

Both men were not content in the role that they were to play in order to maintain social stability, they did not want to be one of the masses. Both men were aware of their differences from the people around them, and did not want to be part of the well-oiled machine that kept peace and harmony within the society. Bernard and Helmholtz wanted to break free from their predetermined role in society and be individuals. They wanted a chance to unleash their internal thoughts and emotions without being thought of as rebels. This is made clear when Helmholtz asked Bernard, “did you ever feel,” [Helmholtz] asked, “as though you had something inside you that was only waiting for you to give it a chance to come out” (69)? Just like in Brave New World, India’s caste system created problems for some as well, not all wanted to fit in and conform. Some young people find it difficult to live in a caste society, and live by the rules made by ancient people. They find it difficult because “communities or castes can discourage marrying, associating or even dining with people of other groups” (Michigan State University Journalism Students,1). There is a story of “two school friends, Angie and Bogge, who spend the whole day together. They eat together and they have lots of fun shopping and watching movies. But when Angie goes home, her parents beat her because they think that the person she was spending time with was not right for her because Bogge doesn’t belong to Angie’s class of caste system” (Luitel,1). India’s caste system deprives some individuals, the ones who don’t want to conform, from thinking and feeling like an individual, and individual who can make one’s own choices. So, not all people fit into their role in a caste system that is meant to create a stable and utopian society. There are some that feel the need for independence outside the caste system and want to explore that