In Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley’s Brave New World everyone is identical. Huxley writes about the loss of human individuality. “Twelve of them ready to be made one, waiting to come together, to be fused, to lose their twelve separate identities in a larger being.” Each citizen loses power and pride in their own identity. Every human being, in both utopian worlds, is conditioned to fit society’s needs. In Brave New World, the DNA of a embryo is arranged exactly the same as several others, producing several twins. Then as a child, you are put through different drills and routines, including psychological conditioning, and “sleep-teaching”, forcing you to become a product of a certain class: Huxley wrote out of his scientific background and mass-produced his population in the fashion long popular in science fiction, growing them in bottles and conditioning them from birth in all the ways proposed by psychologists. This shows that the products of the conditioning process do not know nor understand the realities of the world. They are hidden in illusion their entire life and are modified from the time that they are first placed in a bottle, to believe in the utopian ideals. In Brave New World, John, the savage sees the illusion. “You’re so conditioned that you can’t help doing what you ought to do”. John, the savage, points this out to Lenina, a product from the utopian society, but she is so caught up in the illusion that she cannot see the conditioning. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, O’Brien, a member from the elite class, confesses to the corruptness of the political party, ‘...the Party seeks power for its own sake…Power is not a means; it is an end.’ This shows the Party’s intentions in keeping society an illusion. They have power to do anything that they wish to do. Since this is true, the Party brainwashes thoughts into the followers heads believing that they live in a utopian society.
Winston, in Nineteen Eighty-Four, has been brainwashed: Winston gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark mustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother. This shows the power that the Party and O’Brien has had over Winston; they have taken his old understanding and beliefs and transformed them into an attitude that complies with those of the Party.
The conditioning of an individual for a utopian society often results in the repression of individuality. Both novels attempt to create a utopian society. The major thing that holds these societies together is because they are stable. Stability is a goal for both Oceania (from Nineteen Eight-Four) and for the Brave New World. It reinforces the control and power of the elite class. “Stability means minimizing conflict, risk, and change. Without conflict, risk, and change, Utopia is realistic.” When stability is attained, the world of Utopia becomes an illusion. Individuals that are stuck in this illusion can no longer see reality. The Party, in Nineteen Eighty-Four, creates goals, that they place all over the city. The signs say: “WAR IS PEACE”, “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY” , and “IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” . The Party is adding to the illusion, forcing people to have no choice but to accept the oppression. This is the Party’s way of controlling and brainwashing its people. Brave New World has a similar, yet different, way of control: “Both heredity and environment were absolutely determined. These bottle products were released from moral tensions because they were so conditioned that none of their actions had moral consequences.” This shows that society is stuck living an illusion. The elite class has so much power that the other classes cannot understand and will never be able to deal with the true problems within the world. This is evident in Brave New World, when Lenina and Bernard first arrive at the Indian Reservation. While being guided around the island, the whole reservation has gathered for a ceremony in the center of the island, and Lenina sees sickness, age, scars, pain, and a woman breast feeding their children. She is repulsed by all of this, and cannot cope with any of it. The Indian island is not stable, and that is why Lenina cannot deal with realities, as she has never been exposed to these things before. As soon as stability has been broken, so has the utopian ideal.
Through the vast uses of human conditioning and the constant stable environment, human individuality is no longer be present. In the case that there is no human individualism, the utopian ideal remains dystopic. The repression of artistic and creative desires are contributors to the unrealistic state of utopia. The depletion of language and history is present in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley’s Brave New World and acts as a part of the repression of artistic and creative endeavors. Everyone has the need to express themselves; whether it is through poetry, music, writing or painting; it should be a wonderful passion that individuals enjoy. With a ban of creative or artistic activity, there will definitely be a change in society. ‘…And passion and neurasthenia means the end of civilization. You can’t have a lasting civilization without plenty of pleasant vices.’ This shows that individuals must be able to express themselves in order to have an interesting and pleasant society.
Language and history are slowly being erased from Oceania and brave new world. Newspeak, the local news station on the telesceen of Oceania in Nineteen Eighty-Four, aims to reduce the number of words in the language. The plan continues with the reporters using less and less words to decrease the thinking in the brain, and the eventual dissolve of one’s imagination. “In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it” Now there is no need for the Thought Police because there will be a little amount of words left in the English language.
History, in both novels, contributes to the development of stable society. Winston, from the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four works for the Ministry of Truth. This Ministry is completely immoral, where Winston’s job is to change history constantly so “:..the chosen lie would pass into the permanent records and become truth..” In Brave New World, people have no desire for history and literature because they have been brainwashed to stay away from books. In both societies, people will never learn how to make their lives better or be aware of the illusion that is present. This results in living in a stable society, where nothing will ever change.
The people from this society unwillingly paid the price of their creativity and their ability to think, which results in their lack of expression and imagination. These creative and artistic endeavors that are necessary to sustain a utopian ideal, create an unrealistic utopia. Expressed in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, is the unfeasibility of the Utopian ideal. There perfect state remains dystopic when a lack of familial bonds, the sacrifice of human identity, and the lack of creative and artistic desires try to create stability in their society. The illusion of the utopian society is obvious. Both of these authors do an excellent job in depicting the reality of utopia ideal: ‘But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.’ ‘In fact,’ said Mustapha Mond, ‘you’re claiming the right to be unhappy.’ ‘All right, then,’ said the Savage defiantly, ‘I’m claiming the right to be unhappy.’ ‘Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind.’ There was a long silence. ‘I claim them all,’ said the Savage at last. This quote represents the failure of the utopian ideal. John in Brave New World, is the last one to see through this illusion. He recognizes what the controllers have done; they have deteriorated family relationships, lost the individualism in each human, and repressed artistic and creative endeavors to a minimum to ensure a stable society. In Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston has almost reached the state of seeing through the illusion. The Party realizes this and sends his to Room 101, where ‘your worst fear becomes a reality’. The purpose of this being to readjust Winston’s attitudes. He is conditioned and at the end of the novel comes to a realization, “I love Big Brother” . The Party is too powerful for Winston to see through this illusion. It is evident through both novels, whereby both societies strive for this utopian state, that in the end, it is proved that with a lack of familial bonds, the loss of human individuality, and the repression of creative and artistic endeavors, both societies remain dytopic.
Undoubtedly, the thought of living in, or forming a utopian society has flashed through every person’s mind, a few people have even tried to make this ideal dream society a reality. Unfortunately, within the pursuit of these societies the leaders become corrupt and begin to become paranoid with the fear of rebellion. Hundreds were murdered under the reigns of Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin in what they considered measures to maintain peace and stability, one must also consider the hardships that the citizens were forced to endure while living under these oppressive governments.
This dream of forming and maintaining a utopian society was immortalized in two novels dealing with the same basic ideas, 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Both of these novels deal with the lives of main characters who inadvertently become subversives in a totalitarian government, however these two books greatly differ with the manner in which the government controls the population and the strictness of the measures taken to maintain these stability. This essay with compare or contrast the message and tone of each novel as well as whether the utopia is a positive or negative one. In 1984, George Orwell explores the many facets of a negative utopia.
Orwell seems to focus on the measures that the government takes to maintain a public of plebeians who have no personality or identity and believe that they not unique individuals, but instead are part of a greater senseless mob of people who constantly work for a hostile and oppressive government which is involved in incessant wars. These people are taught to love, and then learn fear, their government while believing all of the propaganda that is constantly instilled into their minds as they willing follow their government without contest for the duration of their meaningless lives.
The government controls all forms of the media (thus denying the people the basic right of free speech) and use it to personify the government (known as “big brother”) and make it seem omnipotent, or all knowing and always correct. Forecasts are changed from one week to the next always proving the government was correct. As was mentioned before, many of the rights that present day Americans take for granted, such as freedom of speech and the inalienable rights of individuals are withheld from the common citizen, the proles. George Orwell obviously meant to portray a negative utopia in the novel 1984. Although the novel Brave New World is comparable to 1984 as both are views of a totalitarian government which attempts to provide its citizens with a utopian society, the differ drastically as Brave New World could be perceived as a positive utopia (in contrast to negative one in 1984). Although there are many drawbacks of this "future" society such as its lack of individuality and loving relationships, which include not only the love expressed within the confines of a family but also the loved shared between partners in a married couple.
Humans were treated as laboratory experiments, "created using the Bokanovsky process…embryos are like photograph film, they can only stand red light." On the other hand, though, the citizens had a much greater deal of freedom than what is allowed to those living in the 1984- society. The society is maintained not by force, but through a much simpler and more ingenious solution, the caste system. Every member of the caste system is truly happy with their lives; from the lower three castes whose lives consist of meaningless jobs like elevator operators to assembly line workers to the intellectual alpha's who were the thinkers and consumers of the society. This is a much more peaceful way of maintaining the stability of the populace. Since every member of the society is truly content with their lives this is a positive utopia. Fear, paranoia, loneliness, sexual desire and other emotions experienced by Winston Smith, the main character in 1984, are conveyed from the author to the reader through the tone in which the novel is written. Winston Smith is constantly afraid of the government which controls every aspect of his life and is always paranoid that he might accidentally say something in his sleep (in which case he would be detected by the screen which is in his apartment) or to another person (in which case he might be reported).
The society in which Winston Smith lives is strictly against loving relationships, thus Mr. Smith is constantly lonely. Mr. Smith's wife disappeared many years ago and though the society is against sexual relations (other than for procreation) Mr. Smith still desires to spend time with a woman. Much like in 1984 the author of Brave New World uses tone to convey the emotions of the main characters, however they are (for the most part) much more pleasant than those of 1984. In Brave New World the reader experiences mindless happiness and fulfillment. In the beginning of the novel most of the characters are satisfied with their lives and are happy with their society, thus the tone is light-hearted and pleasant. Towards the end of the book, however the tone suddenly shifts. Confusion is expressed as John is transferred from his small, confined world on the reservation to what he perceives as an immoral society in the "brave new world." Also, the reader experiences the excitement and fear created during the encounter between - among others - John, Bernard and Mustapha Mond. Finally, in 1984 George Orwell urged the reader to not sit back quietly and allow a government of such qualities to form. Orwell shared with the reader a view of the future and the horrors that may be yet to come.
Orwell used Winston Smith not only as a prediction of what life may be like in the future but also as a means in which to explore how the government would use propaganda and fear of the missile attacks to control the proles. Since Winston Smith ironically was, himself, a member of the very "Big Brother" government he gave his life to fight against. In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley delivers unto the reader what appears to be a message of appreciation.
Although the society Huxley created was not entirely bad, Huxley urges the reader to be appreciative of their families, loves, and individuality. In Brave New World everyone but the alpha's and beta's travel through a meaningless life filled only with work and rest. When one reads this novel they see the society as acceptable, myself included, but when one considers it one only contemplates living as an alpha or beta because the reader can not contemplate living without being able to formulate ideas and basically think. No one considers living as one of the lower castes and only working throughout life until death. Thus, the conclusion can be drawn that Huxley intended to portray an acceptable society on the surface with undesirable traits hidden deeper.
In conclusion, both of these novels portray and attractive life in a utopian society - in one can conform to the rules. However, when people cannot conform to the societies in which they dwell (as the main characters of both novels cannot) they are branded as subversives and punished as traitors. A life in 1984 would be almost too unbearable to live and in Brave New World unless one is willing to accept the caste system and live a life meant only to produce (as a lower caste) or consume (as a higher caste). Thus far this essay has compared, but mainly contrasted the great differences between the societies in these two novels, there is one great similarity however: be thankful for having been born into a freethinking society where a person can be truly free. Our present society may not be truly perfect, but as these two novels show, it does not get much better than this.
Lenina
In Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” the setting is set many years into the future. This future describes a world where science and technology have been allowed to progress unchecked. There are no moral or spiritual obligations and the good of society is placed above individuality and freedom. Lenina Crown is a perfect example of this society and all that it represents. Lenina Crown is a model example of how unchecked technology can destroy humanity. If you allow every desire to be satisfied with no work or effort it teaches people that they are entitled to privileges and should not have to work for them. With only physical wants considered the moral, emotional, and spiritual aspects of society are eliminated, leaving only pleasure as a deciding factor.
The lack of care for resources is shown with the hypnopaedic phrase of “Ending is better than mending.” This along with, “Every one belongs to every one else” capture the spirit of the New World perfectly. There is nothing needed except pleasure and instant gratification to factor into a decision. If you allow science and technology to be your god and savior it is proof of a decaying society. If progress becomes more important than spirituality you begin to lose your soul, the very part of you that makes you human. Lenina’s complete lack of knowledge of God, religion, and faith show that even though there is little suffering in the New World, there is no real joy or happiness. True happiness can only come from faith and without it there can only be a mediocre existence. Lenina can not understand John’s religion, the Indian’s beliefs or anything that resembles faith. This is because the New World discourages anything but the present and physical pleasure. This keeps the citizens happy only because they have never experience true emotion.
For all her beauty and brains, Lenina lacks one of the corner stones of a normal society, morals. She is not a bad person but does not have any set of guidelines to live by. The Solidaity Services with “Orgy-Porgy” and the belief that, “Promiscuity is a citizen’s duty” are meant to promote group pleasure and social stability, sacrificing the individuals morals and personal beliefs. Without these beliefs people are not individuals but programmed robots who do what they are told is best for them. To leave science and technology to progress without regulation is to open the door to the decline of humanity. Everything is done according to what is best for the entire society as dictated by the World Controllers. With no emotions, pain, joy, morals, or spirituality to say what is right or wrong technology continues on into areas where self-control and restraint are needed but none is used. With nothing to guide science, only chaos and death can come in the end.