Human Condition In Brave New World

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Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, is a satirical novel depicting a utopian society that has developed as a result of scientific advancements. Characters in this book lack basic human elements such as individuality, creativity, independent thought and the ability to feel a variety of emotions. Lenina and Linda are characters who were raised in Brave New World, like so many others, missing integral parts of humanity. The only character not hatched and raised in Brave New World and who has all aspects of his humanity is John, the son of Linda. John, being an outsider, aligns with the views of Huxley and is the character through which Huxley’s views become apparent. Huxley feared that the exponential advancement of science and technology, if not monitored carefully, would ultimately turn society into a population devoid of humanity.
The institutionalization of births and child-rearing has a deleterious effect on the human condition. In the Brave New World the processes of conceiving, birthing, and raising a child are distorted through the exploitation of science, which results in a population lacking many aspects of humanity. The citizens are stripped of their free will and choice through their gestational period. In this society, the pregnancies are done through in vitro fertilizations and therefore the babies are able to be “predestine[d] and condition[ed]. [They] decant [their] babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future…Directors of Hatcheries” (Huxley 10). While still a fetuses, babies’ class is determined and their mental capabilities are decided. This is done by altering the amount of oxygen the fetus receives, “the lower the caste…the shorter the oxygen” (Huxley 11). The World State …show more content…

They work much harder than we do, because they’re so frightfully clever. I’m really awfully glad I’m a Beta, because I don’t work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas” (Huxley

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