Negative Effects of Technology Depicted in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

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Negative Effects of Technology Depicted in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World

Imagine a life where the technology is so great that no one ever has to be worried about being sad or bothered by all the day to day stress. In Brave New World published in 1932, Aldous Huxley brings the reader into the future of London to see just what technology can do to a society. As the novel opens, the reader learns about how the futuristic London is a Utopia, what life is like, and all about the great technological advancements. After Bernard is introduced to the reader, he goes to the Reservation and meets John, the Salvage, where he finds out how different life is between the two societies. In the end, the Controller Mustapha Mond sends Bernard and John away from London so the stability of the society will not be affected by the truth of "real freedom." Throughout the novel, Huxley portrays a dystopia through the settings, its characters and the theme.

Dystopia is displayed by the speech, thoughts, and actions of the character whereby the reader learns that London is not perfect in every way, shape or form. The futuristic London has its flaws as is shown by Bernard and John. The narrator says, "Talking about [Lenina] as though she were a bit of meat.' Bernard ground his teeth" (53). At this point, Bernard is upset with two controllers because they are talking about having sex with a girl. In London, since there are no mothers or fathers, they have no idea what the meaning of love is so they have sex as if it were a game. In this scene, Bernard is upset at the fact that they are talking about this girl in such a manner that shows no respect for her. It is as if he has some kind of feelings for the girl even though he is not supposed to have ...

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...an take soma to heal everything quickly. Huxley portrays this as not true happiness or freedom. Technology, it seems, is so great that people are enslaved by it.

The futuristic London is supposed to be the perfect place- the Utopia of the future. Throughout the novel, Huxley portrays London as a dystopia instead of a Utopia by using theme, characters and setting. The advancement in the technology no longer lets people experience the finest things in life- emotions. The true meaning of life has been transformed to make London the perfect place, but it is perfect only to the slaves who are a part of it. One message that Huxley is trying to impart to the reader is technology is good, but too much technology can ruin the world that people live in today; it becomes all encompassing towards its own goals.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Row 1946.

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