Brave New World

Brave New World is a great dystopic and satirical novel. Aldous Huxley created a world where babies are created in test tubes; love, art, literature, religion, and even science are all things of the ancient past; promiscuity and brainless happiness are qualities to be revered; people are conditioned to be satisfied with their place in society, no matter where it is. These concepts sound outlandish and crazy, but in some ways, this is our society today. Just look at the stars we choose to idolize, like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Also, the discouragement of people who do well in school by calling them “nerds” or “geeks” exemplifies this as well.

This novel also shows us where we might be in the future. Many dystopic novels and movies have utilized the idea that the masses will be tamed and controlled by mass drug use, such as the film Equilibrium and The Futurological Congress by Stanislaw Lem. Who knows if we are yet to develop such a drug?

With the introduction of John the Savage, into the story, we see that some of our ideas and our social norms have no place in this society. He doesn’t fit in to the “savage” society because his mother is from the world of decadence beyond the wall. He also doesn’t fit into that world because he holds on to his literature and religion, even though he has limited knowledge of both.

Huxley did a great job of showing that happiness 100% of the time shouldn’t be the only thing we, as a society, strive for. Other things are more important, like freedom, creativity, and compassion.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins