Garg 1 Roli Garg Mrs.

Jankow Humanities Honors 19 May 2012 Brave New World Theme Essay Aldous Huxleys Brave New World is a dystopian novel about a future world in which ten controllers of the world use technology to stabilize and create peace in society. Children are born in hatcheries where they are conditioned based upon what social class they will be. This conquest for a perfect world has resulted in a society devoid of emotion, love, and individuality. In this novel, the theme societies purely focused on achieving stability and peace can cause a distortion of human values is illustrated through the prominent signs of brainwash by the government, trying to strip society of love, emotions, and individuality. One way the theme is shown is through the societys innate repulsion toward love. This dislike for love is shown when Leninas friend, Fanny, advises her not to date Henry Foster for too long. But seriously, she said, I really do think you ought to be careful. Its such horribly bad form to go on and on like this with one man. At forty, or thirty-five, it wouldnt be so bad. But at your age, Lenina! No, it really wont do. And you know how strongly the D.H.C. objects to anything intense or long-drawn. Four months of Henry Foster, without having another man why, hed be furious if he knew (40). This quote shows the theme by the way Fanny thinks dating one man for too long is bad form, showing that the society they live in has taught them to frown upon long-term relationships or anything that comes close to love. The part where she says that the DHC (the Director of

Garg 2 Hatcheries and Conditioning) would be furious if he knew about her relationship with Henry further reveals that the government is preventing love and long-term relationships. The repulsion of love also comes out when the controller explains to the students how uncontrollable love is. Mother, monogamy, romance. High spurts the fountain; fierce and foamy the wild jet. The urge has but a single outlet. My love, my baby. No wonder these poor pre-moderns were mad and wicked at miserable. Their world didnt allow them to be sane, virtuous, happy. What with mothers and lovers, what with the prohibitions they were not conditioned to obey, what with the temptations and lonely remorses, what with all the diseases and the endless isolating pain, what with the uncertainties and the poverty they were forced to feel strongly. And feeling strongly. . .how could they be stable? (41) This quote shows the theme because it represents the view of the entire society, in that love is uncontrollable, unpredictable, and implied to be negative. Also, the statement, how could they be stable? shows that everyone is brainwashed to believe that stability is lifes ultimate goal and that strong emotions like love are not stable. Although the government tries to suppress love, that is not the only devoid emotion in this society. The theme of this novel is also shown through the instinct to use soma as a way to avoid ones true emotions. One example of the mind-numbing effect of soma is when Bernard and Lenina are at the synthetic music show. But though the separating screen of the sky-signs had now to a great extent dissolved, the two young people still retained their happy ignorance of the night. Swallowing half an hour before closing time, that second dose had raised a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their minds. Bottled, they crossed the street; bottled, they took the lift up to Henrys room on the twenty-eighth floor. (78)

Garg 3 The author uses the metaphor of the wall to show the theme. The comparison between the effect of soma and the impenetrable wall shows that the soma is preventing the two people from perceiving reality, thus producing the desired, unnatural feeling of happy ignorance. This ignorance is what keeps society so stable, since soma keeps people happy and satisfied with the way things are by blocking out their real emotions, thus showing the theme. Another example of instinctual soma use is when some government officials try to convince John (The Savage) to take soma. Benighted fool! shouted the man from The Fordian Science Monitor. why dont you take soma? Get away! The Savage shook his fist. The others retreated a few steps then turned round again. Evils an unreality if you take a couple of grammes. Kohakwa iyathtokyai! The tone was menacingly derisive. Pains a delusion. Oh, is it? said the Savage and, picking up a thick hazel switch, strode forward. The man from the Fordian Science Monitor made a dash for his helicopter. (258) This quote shows the theme because of the scientists statement, Evils an unreality if you take a couple of grammes, which shows that the society has been brainwashed by the government to take soma in order to wash away all of their worries. The situational irony of the man contradicting his own words by running away shows that naturally, humans do believe in pain and that soma is just a way for the government to keep everyone peacefully in check. "A gramme in time saves nine," said Lenina, producing a bright treasure of sleeptaught wisdom. Bernard pushed away the proffered glass impatiently.

Garg 4 "Now don't lose your temper," she said. "Remember one cubic centimetre cures ten gloomy sentiments." (90) This quote shows the theme through the slogan a gramme in time saves nine, showing that the government has use brainwashing techniques like sleep-teaching to use soma as often as possible. The second slogan Lenina recites, one cubic centimeter cures ten gloomy sentiments, shows that soma obliterates emotions like sadness but the governments real motive is to keep people ignorantly happy and maintain a stable society, thus showing the theme. Finally, the last aspect of the theme in this novel is the lack of individuality. One example of this lack of individuality is when the Director explains to the students at the hatchery why individuality is a terrible thing. Consider the matter dispassionately, Mr. Foster, and you will see that no offense is so heinous as unorthodoxy of behaviour. Murder only kills the individual and, after all, what is an individual? With a sweeping gesture he indicated the rows of microscopes, the test tubes, the incubators. We can make a new one with the greatest ease as many as we like. Unorthodoxy threatens more than the life of a mere individual, it strikes at society itself. (150) This shows the theme because the Director is teaching the students that individuality is heinous, thus showing how the society is brainwashed to believe that individuality is a sin. Also, it reveals the motive behind the Directors teachings he believes that individuality strikes at society itself, which implies that he wants to keep society stable at all cost. Another example of brainwash to prevent individuality is when Lenina recites a slogan she learned from sleepteaching. I want to know what passion is, she heard him saying. I want to feel something strongly. When the individual feels, the community reels, Lenina pronounced (94). This

Garg 5 quote shows how the government prevents individuality through the suppression of emotion strong feelings set people (such as Bernard) apart from others, and that could potentially threaten societys stability. This quote also shows how the government uses slogans to brainwash people like Lenina to believe that individuality, such a natural human value, is bad, thus showing the theme. The government stresses conformity throughout this novel in order to ensure a stable society. The governments conditioning in attempt to create a loveless, emotionless, and conformed society reveals the theme societies purely focused on achieving stability and peace can cause a distortion of human values. Because of the governments suppression of love, people do not value long-term relationships. Due to the governments promotion of soma, people do not value their true emotions. Finally, because of the governments campaign against individuality, people do not value being different. Brave New World is Aldous Huxleys warning; it is his attempt to make us realize that if the conquest for standardization and science persists, a society like the one he created could exist in the not-too-distant future.