Happiness and Freedom come at a Price

Brave New World is a story which depicted life run by the government or “World State.” The World State has developed an ideal way to limit the imagination and freedom of its citizens. The novel began in the “Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre” where humans were bred, classified to a career, and exposed to training in which will suit their predestined careers. After the introduction, Aldous Huxley introduced Bernard Marx, who followed the protocol as society prescribed, but broke the law by thinking independently. He and his friend Helmholtz Watson met up. They both felt they were different somehow in society. As the novel continued Bernard and a woman named Lenina Crowne continued to plan a trip to a reservation. Bernard needed permission to go on the trip so he went to the Director of the hatchery. The Director said that Bernard’s behavior had been unacceptable and he would relocate Bernard if it did not change. While on the reservation Bernard met John. John unknowingly was the son of the Director of the hatchery. Before John was born, his mother, Linda, was on the reservation. One day she fell and injured herself a few hunters from the tribe found her and took her in as a member. She had already been pregnant with John. John learned how to read in the village and he had a special fondness for Shakespearian works. Bernard took John and Linda back to meet the Director. Linda recognized the Director as John’s father, and confessed that John was his son. Because women do not have children in the World State this was embarrassing and dishonorable. John became famous leading to Bernard’s own fame. However, when Bernard threw a party in which important members of society attended, John would not leave...

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...which they keep close to them. While others continue to strive for bigger and better things, they may take the initiative and show effort to acquire these things. This desired happiness can only be acquired through our freedom. Through one’s freedom a person can make his individual choice to obtain his desired happiness. This idea was continuously shown in Brave New World. John, for example, did not want to live as the World State’s public did. Instead, he grew up accustomed to the concept of family, and he had values which he learned from Shakespeare. His happiness could be achieved in solitude away from everyone in the World State. John was able to come to this conclusion by using his unalienable right to pursue his happiness through his freedom.

Works Cited

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. Print.