Brave New World Aldous Huxley Essay Example For Students

Brave New World Aldous Huxley Essay Aldous Huxley in his novel Brave New World written in 1932 presents a portrait of a society which is superficially a perfect world. In this satiric novel, Huxley makes fun of science and religion, using his idea of the future to attack the present. This pessimistic story of the modern world opens in London some 600 years in the future, specifically in 632 A. F†¦ Through the use of irony and detail he shows how the advancement of science affects human individuals. In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley makes evident that the misuse of science results in a dreadful society. Huxley’s heritage and upbringing had a significant effect on his work. Huxley was member of a family that included the most distinguished members of that part of the English ruling class made up of the intellectual elite (Barron’s 1). Aldous’ father was the son of Thomas Henry Huxley, a great biologist who helped develop the theory of evolution (1). Throughout Brave New World the reader can see the evidence of the conflicting attitude toward the intellectual authority assumed by a ruling class. In addition, Huxley’s own experiences made him isolate from the class into which he was born (1). Even as a small child he was considered different, showing an alertness and an intelligence, which his brother called superiority (1). He drew on that feeling of separateness in the characters of Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson, who are members of the elite class but have problems because they are different from their peers. Huxley was unable to do the scientific work he had dreamed of due to an eye illness that made him nearly blind (2). However, his scientific interests remained with him and used them in many books, particularly Brave New World (2). The reader is conveyed by Huxley’s vision of a Utopian future based on science and technology. Undoubtedly, his ancestry and the environment he was raised up in, influenced him in creating this novel. The illustration of the apparently perfect world resembles the title of the book. At one point in the novel the title is brought up by John the Savage, when he is asked to go to London and in response he says: â€Å"Oh brave new world that has such people in it† (Seltzer 2). He remembered these words from William Shakespeare’s play â€Å"The Tempest†, which once was found in the reservation where John lived ( 2). He really was enthusiastic, but when he is in London it disappoints him. Furthermore, â€Å"In this modern world all aspects of the population have been controlled: number, social class, and intellectual ability are all carefully regulated† (8). Even history is controlled and rewritten to meet the needs of this society (8). This new world is a startling image of Huxley’s vision of Utopia. In addition, unhappiness is one of the feelings that are not allowed in the world which Huxley creates (Barron’s 7). Two quick and easy ways of feeling good are Soma, the wonder drug, and the â€Å"feelies†, a common form of entertainment This civilization does its best to eliminate any deep feeling or passion. The origination of the title gets the reader acquainted with this futuristic society. Brave New World is a satiric projection of popular values and associated uses of science in the real world of 1932. By the time Huxley started to write Brave New World, the tremendous political, economic, and philosophical changes taking place in Europe and America contributed to his disillusionment (Smith 4). Big businesses used and misused the individual and man became important as a producer and a consumer (4). Word ProcessingEquipment or Concept EssayThe way in which Huxley emphasizes the tremendous advancement of scientific knowledge and practice is through his concept of genetic engineering in which he shows the complete control of the individual from the time of conception. Through genetic engineering his new world breeds prescribed number of humans artificially for specified qualities (Barron’s 7). People are created on an assembly line and categorized into their area of profession (7). This creates a community full of human clones completely devoid of personality. In addition, this community is structured towards order and stability, and away from individualism (Allen 4). All people are meant to respond identically without thinking and if a few are made imperfectly, they have to be sent away so they won’t â€Å"contaminate† others (4). In this novel technology requires a sacrifice of human individuality. Moreover, the new way to be born and raised in this society has destroyed the family concept (Barron’s 7). The parental relationship of a father and mother to a child has become a dirty and improper idea and consequently this lack of family keeps the different classes in their place (7). Things that create problems in the society’s class structure, such as the desire of parents to want something better for their children have been eliminated with the family. In this novel the reader is keenly aware of the dangers genetic engineering poses to the quality of life. The misuse of science is clearly shown through the conditioning process. After human beings are â€Å"decanted† from the bottles, people are psychologically conditioned mainly by hypnopedia and â€Å"sleep teaching† in order to do the society’s needs (Smith 8). By repeating phrases over and over while the children sleep, the government can condition each person to accept his role in the world around him and to behave in what the government deems to be a safe manner (8). This practice makes the individuals respond in a predetermined way. Moreover, conditioning is used to ensure that each class is happy with its type of work and its place in society (Gitzen 243). For example, Epsilons are supremely happy running elevators (243). The new world tries hard to ensure that every person is happy in order for stability to be achieved. Also, children are conditioned at hospitals for the dying and give them sweets to eat when they hear of death occurring (Lawrence 62). This conditioning eliminates the painful emotions of grief and loss, and the spiritual significance of death (63). This world insists that death is natural and not an unpleasant process. Through this technique science is being exploited since it creates a society with no individual freedom. Brave New World is a novel that is a source of controversy and has been a model because of Huxley’s skill of writing satires and his prophetic vision that attracts attention and comment. This novel is a warning that attempts to make man realize that since knowledge is power, he who controls and uses knowledge handles power. The advancement of science affects human individuals since man’s unqualified praise of science is wrong and their misuse of science is evil. Science and technology are man’s servants and man is not supposed to be adapted and enslaved to them. Brave New World describes our lives as they could be in the none too distant future, if the present obsessions persist for standardization according to the sciences.