Brave New World, a novel by Aldous Huxley, is often referred to as a Dystopia. In Brave New World, the government controls every aspect of citizens’ lives and there is no such thing as individual freedom. The government uses technological advances to control the population and keep them under its thumb. Citizens are not allowed to think for themselves or to question authority. This lack of freedom makes Brave New World a Dystopia.
Dystopian novels have been popular for the last century; each ranging from one end of the spectrum to the next. A dystopia, “A dystopian, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control,”[1] through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, chastises current trends, societal norms, or political systems.
Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley in 1931, is a novel set in London in the year AD 2540 (632 A.F.—“After Ford”—in the book), or more than 600 years into the future. The world is Brave New World is divided in two classes: Alphas and Betas. The Alphas are the smartest and most physically perfect individuals while the Betas are your average people.
There are also the Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons who are born to perform menial tasks and exist solely to serve the higher castes. Everyone is happy because they are content with their lives and they take a drug called soma to help them cope with any negative emotions. The book Brave New World is an example of a dystopian society because it uses exaggeration to display a negative view on aspects of our current world in order to warn us about potential dangers.
In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, the human race is divided into castes, in which people are not treated as individuals and have no chance to be one. These features suggest a well-structured society; one where the government enslaves its citizens in order to achieve “perfection,” taking away their rights.
Brave New World is a novel that Brave New World was published in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, one of the most popular dystopian novels. Brave New World is set in a future society where the government controls the people to create “perfection”, robbing them of their freedoms. The novel has been translated into many different languages and has been adapted into film, television, and radio programs. Brave New World is considered to be one of the most important works of literature of the 20th century.
A caste system or division(s) may be found in a dystopian society. “A hierarchal society with rigid divisions between the upper, middle, and lower classes (caste system) [2].” The society is divided into five groups from birth in the novel; Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon.
The level of intelligence, based on genetic engineering and prenatal conditioning, decides the caste. If someone is not born into a high enough caste, they can not move up in society. The Brave New World also has a lot of control over its citizens. There are many ways the government controls its people; starting with controlling what people think by having religious figures that tell everyone what to believe in.
In Brave New World, the religious figures are called “World Controllers”. The government also controls what people consume. In Brave New World, soma is a happy drug that takes away all negative emotions and makes people feel good. The citizens are encouraged to take soma when they feel down or angry, instead of being allowed to experience negative emotions.
Brave New World is an example of a dystopian society because it contains a hierarchal caste system and the government has a lot of control over its citizens.
From the text Brave New World, all the characters are willing to give up emotions, love, and individuality. The loss of individuality may be seen in the following quote from the director: “From eight to ninety-six buds, and every bud will turn into a completely formed embryo, and every embryo into a full-sized adult. Making ninety-six human beings flourish where only one grew previously” (Huxley 6).
This Brave New World is a dystopian society because the individuals have no choice in what they want to do, and are predetermined by their caste. Furthermore, love is discouraged in Brave New World. The Director explains how “Mothers and fathers are not popular” (Huxley 13). This lack of love takes away any sense of family or close relationships between people. In Brave New World, emotions are also hidden away and considered dangerous.
John the Savage says “I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin” (Huxley 154). By having everyone take soma, an emotion-numbing drug, the citizens of Brave New World are kept in a state of contentment and are unable to experience the full range of human emotions. Brave New World is a dystopian society because the government has taken away the freedom of its citizens, love is discouraged, and emotions are hidden.
If you’re looking for a unique way to express yourself, this is it. People aren’t going to be born with the ability to stand out from the crowd; instead, they will be born to resemble 96 others. This is crucial since individuals are giving up their individuality in order that everyone’s doppelgangers have identical employment, talents, and features.
One could see this as a form of communism, where everyone is the same and there is no social class. This Utopia Brave New World tries to enforce may seem perfect on the outside, but it’s not when one looks at the big picture. People are born into slavery, soma-drugged, and are brainwashed from a young age; therefore, they can never have a chance to think for themselves or be truly happy.
Huxley’s Brave New World is considered a Dystopia because it’s the complete opposite of what a Utopia should be. In Brave New World, there is no such thing as family, love, or true happiness; everything is controlled by the government. The citizens are always kept under control by a drug called soma, which allows them to escape from any problems they may have. Brave New World is Dystopian because it takes away the most important aspects of a person’s life: freedom and happiness.
