What Are The Similarities Between Lord Of The Flies And Brave New World

In every society, there are constant tests of man and his morals. In accordance with this, there are always outsiders- those who change patterns, and make new paths and ideas to solve problems. Two great dystopian novels, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding follow the same rule. Bernard, in Brave New World, is an outcast who revolutionizes societal values and thoughts for the better; Simon is similar in his calm ability to rationalize and assesses situations, and quietly lead in the right direction. Just like testing of human morals, human tradition and expectations can be altered and tested. Brave New World features testing of how far a society can be pushed past what is considered right and proper,

whereas Lord of the Flies features testing on how long civility can remain pivotal in human nature when man is removed from society. Moral tests and social outsiders combine and complement one another to create a world of challenges met with equal resourcefulness and wit.
The characters Bernard from Brave New World and Simon from Lord of the Flies are similar in their shared abilities to see their worlds in different lights.

When in a helicopter with Lenina looking at the night sky and sea, Bernard mentions how it makes him feel. “As though I were more me, if you see what I mean. More on my own, not so completely a part of something else. Not just a cell in a social body” (Huxley 90). Despite Lenina’s great disturbance and horror at the scene before them, Bernard is intent on expressing his desire to be more of an individual within their world. Because of Bernard’s beliefs and wishes, he is somewhat of an outcast, giving him the opportunity to explore different ways of thinking. In a society such as the Utopia, a world that functions as a machine, this is a rare and strange occurrence. Bernard is the character that the modern reader relates to because of his opinions and stance in his

community.
A parallel can be drawn between this attribute and Simon. When the decision is made to go to Castle Rock, it is determined that someone must return to tell Piggy they will be gone longer than planned. It will be a one-man mission since they cannot spare more, and Simon volunteers to go, stating that he doesn’t mind. (Golding 117) Simon is a non-conformist character who believes and acts differently from his peers. He is more rooted in nature and peace and tends to solve problems with calm actions. He is not afraid to venture into the woods alone, unlike the other boys, which makes him a societal divergent. Both of these characters are not influenced to the core by societal standards and expectations. Both Bernard and Simon act on their own morals and systems, and in a way refuse to become part of something they are not.
One of the themes in Brave New World is seeing how far humanity can be altered systematically by modern science and technology, whereas Lord of the Flies tests how long a society removed from modern science and technology can remain human.

When giving a tour of the infant nurseries, the Director shows the students an ongoing training session for instinctive behavior, “Books and loud noises, flowers and electric shocks- already in the infant mind these couples were compromisingly linked; and after two hundred repetitions of the same or a similar lesson would be wedded indissolubly” (Huxley 22). Science has taken such a pivotal role in the Utopian society that it is able to change the way nature works. Without the technology being used in the community, the society would be very different. Being dependant on science and modern niceties to alter nature and its effects is a dangerous

characteristic.
The complete reliance on an artificial way of life in Brave New World varies drastically from that of the dependence on nature that is featured in Lord of the Flies. The children in Lord of the Flies are without the comforts of science and technology and must use their natural surroundings to survive. When discussing plans for food and shelter, Jack mentions that they want meat, and Ralph explains their predicament, saying that they have no meat and mentioning how Jack’s hunters have gone off swimming instead of helping build shelters. (Golding 51) Conversely from the Utopia, the boys depend completely on nature to provide them with life sustaining materials. The boys being stranded alone with no supervision challenges the concept of humanity in any situation. It poses the question of how human are people when they have no reason to be. Throughout the beginning of the text, some of the boys’ yearning for modern appliances and comforts is stressed, indicating the desire for structure and civilization. Later, the near complete return to nature, the complete reliance on primal ways of survival answers the questions posed in the novel’s creation. Individuals want and require civilization only as long as it is applicable to their current situation; if there is no immediate use, it is forgotten. Alternatively, the Utopia takes away civilization as we know it and replaces it with an odd sort of modern society, evaluating the lengths to which groups of people can go past what is natural. Testing of humanity in Lord of the Flies is executed in a totally different way than in Brave New World because of their ways of separating humans from humanity.
Both texts tie together important aspects of humanity to create worlds that challenge human ethics and morals. The characters Simon and Bernard represent the outcasts of human society, those that change the course of patterns and contest tradition. The themes in the two texts clash in that they attempt to investigate different human nature. Though the novels differ in their approach to question the values of mankind and its values, they marry some of the most important elements within it.