Brave New World
Brave New World Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was published in 1932 after two major global events- World War Two from 1914-1918 and The Great Depression of 1929-1933. These two events changed the way people saw the world and made people see the events were beyond the control of individuals and even governments. Also at this time the world was seeing the rise in technology and the view that science could help solve some of the problems. Much of the technology has been developed because of the war and the mass of people had suffered because of it. All problems with society led to a rise in totalitarian regimes such as those in Russia, Italy and Germany. Huxley uses the novel to question the usefulness of the one party state and shows how it eliminates freedom for the individual. Also in his dystopia, he looks at many areas that we have in our own society such as family, relationships, education, social classes and the role of the individual in society. He shows how far the new world has moved away from nature- they even condition the children to avoid it. The reservation is the only place that has nature and spirituality but it also has its own set of problems that come with freedom. Themes In The Wild: In BNW nature has been eliminated in the 'civilised' world and individuals are conditioned to avoid it. For example, in chapter 2, we see babies who crawl towards
Brave New World
Aldeous Huxley And Substance Abuse I am a drug user, as is the bulk of society. Whether it be coffee or cocaine, any mind altering substance is defined as a drug. Even food these days is designed with addictive properties to make us want more, and thus, buy more. Illicit drug dealers have the same aim. The product is filled with foul substances but as long as people find it enjoyable to consume they buy it. "Crack Addict", "Chocoholic", ultimately they are both just by-products of an individual trying to make a dollar. The difference lies in what is socially acceptable and what is not. In Aldeous Huxley's ideal society portrayed in his novel Brave New World, mind-altering substances are perfectly acceptable due to the government playing the role of the drug dealer. The difference between the dealers of today and Huxley's dealers of the future is that the ones of the future were more intelligent. The World State didn't introduce the drug "Soma" to make a profit from the actual drug but rather they made it freely available to allow the occurrence of the "brave new world" where mass production has lead to the wealth of the nation, and human life has lost its value. No one is anything more than an easily replaceable cell in the social body. No one can show their resistance if their mind is constantly numb from excessive drug use. Soma is not bought but given out in rations, as