Analyse how 'Brave New World' uses the themes of control, morality and individuality to change the way we think about society.
Analyse how 'Brave New World' uses the themes of control, morality and individuality to change the way we think about society.
Brave New world is Aldous Huxley's fourth novel. It is a science fiction novel based in "this year of stability" AF632 (632 years after the Ford Model T was first put into mass production). It is about one mans attempt to try to fit into society which has a very strict but widely accepted way of conducting oneself. By trying to fit in, Bernard Marx brings back a savage (John), from a North American Savage Reservation a place where people live without science in a poor but simpler way of life to supposed 'civilisation'. At first John is awed by this spectacle of innovation and technology but then with the premature death of his mother caused by Soma (a drug distributed freely by the Government to control the public). His original admiration makes him see this 'Brave New World in completely different light.
This book was published in 1932. It conveys - in a satirical way - Huxley's views on the society of the 1920's - 1930's where people were beginning to loosen their puritanical views and ways of life. This novel is Huxley's way of raising his concern about the rate of change in society. I feel that he wanted the people in his day to be shocked by the practises in AF632 so they would slow down the social change. This enforces a lot of people's ideas (York Notes) that this is a book of ideas.
This novel is based on using ideas and themes, rather than character plot and setting. The fact that this novel is set 600 years after publication does not affect the main running of the story, it is just a platform for Huxley to put across his philosophies and is a way to make stronger, the metaphors and images believable. For example the graphic portrayal of babies being 'decanted' - poured form a bottle, like alcohol which has been fermented for a purpose - rather than born, is much more believable in a science fiction novel. Therefore Huxley is able to make the reader think realistically about the situation rather than dismissing it at first glance. So it allows the reader to have a second thought and read more in depth. It is clear that Huxley's strengths lie in the messaging and ideas rather than a fiction writer. This is quite reasonable to assume because his early work consisted mainly of novels, which he later referred to as vehicles for his ideas and in 1972 he released his volume of essays, 'Proper Studies', to express his philosophical and social views.
Brave New world is Aldous Huxley's fourth novel. It is a science fiction novel based in "this year of stability" AF632 (632 years after the Ford Model T was first put into mass production). It is about one mans attempt to try to fit into society which has a very strict but widely accepted way of conducting oneself. By trying to fit in, Bernard Marx brings back a savage (John), from a North American Savage Reservation a place where people live without science in a poor but simpler way of life to supposed 'civilisation'. At first John is awed by this spectacle of innovation and technology but then with the premature death of his mother caused by Soma (a drug distributed freely by the Government to control the public). His original admiration makes him see this 'Brave New World in completely different light.
This book was published in 1932. It conveys - in a satirical way - Huxley's views on the society of the 1920's - 1930's where people were beginning to loosen their puritanical views and ways of life. This novel is Huxley's way of raising his concern about the rate of change in society. I feel that he wanted the people in his day to be shocked by the practises in AF632 so they would slow down the social change. This enforces a lot of people's ideas (York Notes) that this is a book of ideas.
This novel is based on using ideas and themes, rather than character plot and setting. The fact that this novel is set 600 years after publication does not affect the main running of the story, it is just a platform for Huxley to put across his philosophies and is a way to make stronger, the metaphors and images believable. For example the graphic portrayal of babies being 'decanted' - poured form a bottle, like alcohol which has been fermented for a purpose - rather than born, is much more believable in a science fiction novel. Therefore Huxley is able to make the reader think realistically about the situation rather than dismissing it at first glance. So it allows the reader to have a second thought and read more in depth. It is clear that Huxley's strengths lie in the messaging and ideas rather than a fiction writer. This is quite reasonable to assume because his early work consisted mainly of novels, which he later referred to as vehicles for his ideas and in 1972 he released his volume of essays, 'Proper Studies', to express his philosophical and social views.
