Category: Brave New World

Introduction

The government institution has a tendency of using anything that is in its disposal to ensure that it is in control through hook and crook. This includes to some extent cases whereby the government uses technology to manipulate its subjects and ensure a severe handling of any disloyalty issues.

The books 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and A clockwork orange by Antony Burgess portray a common way in the manner in which governments use technology and other resources to manipulate its citizens both physically and psychologically. The paper analyzes successfully the manner in which the three playwrights develop the theme of government manipulation in the three texts with an effort of portraying the common results attained.

Manipulation in George Orwells 1984

Having been set in 1949, the novel 1984 was a prediction of what could happen to a country where totalitarianism became deeply rooted (Hillegas 43). The novel portrays the cruelties and oppression of citizens who were subjects of a totalitarian government of Oceania. The novel is mostly concerned about the manner in which technology has been employed to oppress citizens by regimes as well as establish control over every aspect of their lives therefore making them remain like slaves (Aubrey 50).

In the portrayal of what people can call the perfect totalitarian government, the novel examines the different techniques that the party uses to control its citizens. These include psychological manipulation of the citizens, exercising physical control on the people, and using technology to control information, history and the citizens for the benefit of the party.

The party exercises psychological control over its people by replacing individual thought with distorted psychological stimuli. The use of propaganda ensures a constant feeding of the people with lies that in turn shape their thinking (Aubrey 23).

The use of Telescreens to enhance the propaganda is effective in that the citizens are kept aware that the authorities are scrutinizing them. You had to live  did live, from habit that became instinct  in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized (Orwell 5).

This ensures that every move to be disloyal even by simply having a disloyal thought is completely dealt with and can be viewed as a crime against the party.

The citizens seem turned against each other using propaganda. For instance, children seem turned against their parents and recruited in the organization referred to as junior spies where they can act as watchdogs for the party by reporting any disloyalty even from their parents. People consider those who go against the party as enemies of the state.

The party employs physical control in its efforts to exert completely the control on its citizens (Bowker 220). This is evident through the manner which the party takes control of the bodies of its subjects.

As Winston observes, the party can read a tiny facial twitch to mean disloyalty, which could lead to arrest and prosecution. Your worst enemy, he reflected, was your nervous system. At any moment the tension inside you was liable to translate itself into some visible symptom (Orwell 211).

In fact, the party issues decree that force the subjects of the state to undergo mass morning exercises, which it refers to as the physical jerks. They also encounter situations of long working hours at government agencies. For those who try to go against this, he/she has to face punishment and reeducated through a severe tortured.

Winston says, People simply disappeared, always during the night. People removed your name from the registers wiping out every record of everything you had ever done, and further denying and forgetting your one-time existence. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word (Orwell 345). As Winston points out after he was subjected to this torture, the state takes advantage of it to control reality and suppress opposition as there is nothing more intense to a human being like physical pain.

The party uses technology to control both information and history by changing all documented truth and replacing it with propaganda. The government prohibits keeping of historical evidence, such as photographs. These leave the people with only one choice, which is to rely upon their memories for the truth (Aubrey 56). This makes them easily manipulated.

The party abuses technology, as it uses it to enhance the control and oppressive measures of the government. The party ensures that there are the telescopes and microphones hidden all across the city to keep a close eye on the citizens.

According to Bowker, this deprives them of their privacy and personal freedoms as every of their moves is monitored (230). Technology seem further used to exert control on the production and sources of information as well as inflicting torture on those who are deemed disloyal. This proves that technology when in the wrong hands can facilitate the most diabolical of evils.

Manipulation in Brave New world

Huxley in his brave new world sounds a warning on what may transpire upon giving the state a control over new and powerful scientific innovations and technology. This is because the state is bound to use them in manipulating the citizens. This can be witnessed in the manner the state uses technology and medical interventions to control reproduction (Huxley 45).

Another example stands out where the state uses technology to create the complicated entertainment machines and the complicated drug soma that is prove of such misuse of technology.

Brave new world is not only a warning but also a satire of the society in which Huxley is part. In this state, societys economic values determine what a persons happiness entails. A person is therefore happy if they can satisfy their personal needs (Howe 89). The society has influenced the psychology of the citizens to equate success to the ability to grow economically and prosper.

The citizens therefore spent most of their time enjoying themselves as well as looking for ways to attain pleasure at the expense of their personal liberty about which they are less concerned.

Like 1984 by George Orwell, Brave new world sends a warning by depicting a dystopia in which a totalitarian government controls the movements, bodies, minds and actions of its people in order to preserve itself and continue being in power (Aubrey 56).

The kind of manipulation is however different in the two texts in that rather than the constant surveillance, torture and murders illustrated by Orwells 1984, brave New world achieves the same by manipulating people indirectly through technological interventions that exist throughout the lifetime of the citizens and shape what they deem as important to them.

This makes the people so happy and satisfied to an extent that they do not think about the possibility of the oppression they seem subjected to (Meyers 64). This in other words is that they are kept satisfied to an extent that they are no longer concerned about their personal freedom.

Manipulation in A Clockwork Orange

Burgesss belief that the freedom of choice is the most important human attribute that a person can have and that distinguishes humans from all other things in the world which include both machines and animals is the major concern of this book (Meyers 56). When the character Alex exercises his free will by choosing to do evil things, the government represses his quest.

Upon doing this, he ends up losing his ability to function as a man and he therefore exists as only a thing. The minister says, If a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man (Burgess 88). He loses his free will due to the manipulation of the government as well as its meddling with affairs of individuals.

Neutrality and apathy as preached by oppressive governments become the two greatest enemies of free will (Meyers 45). As exemplified in the novel by Alexs parents who choose not to meddle in the affairs of the state but are lured into sleep by a world cast program, the state uses such mechanism as entertainment to invoke apathy and neutrality in its middle class and make them comfortable and not in a position to question anything whatsoever. There freedom is therefore taken as they sleep (Burgess 70) as Alex puts it.

The institution of government as portrayed in the novel which champions for free will constantly seeks to suppress individuals in favor of the majority (Howe 564).

The state is desperate to the extent that it can employ any method to ensure that it survives. By the use of technology, economy as well as the threat of violent measures, the state is able to manipulate the individual as well as take away his free will. The state values someone or something when it matters and when it is of great importance only to drop it and discard it later when it thinks it is of less importance.

Common criminals like this unsavory crowd(that meant me, brothers, as well as the others, who were real pre-stoop-nicks and treacherous with it)can best be dealt with on a purely curative bas (Burgess 78). It uses technology to make hardened criminals harmless and then turns against the dissidents such as Alexander whose public opinion threatens the stability of the state.

Conclusion

The three texts in their different contexts explore the theme of manipulation by government and the effect that this has to the individual citizens. The manner in which these governments use technology as well as manipulate the economy to attain this is similar in all the three texts.

Technology for instance, is used in all the texts to suppress any instability either by directly barring the citizens from this or indirectly. This can be seen for instance the manner in which the use of advanced technology is put in place to ensure that all the hardened criminals are made harmless in A clockwork orange and also to reeducate enemies of the party in 1984.

This implies the direct abuse of technology by state machinery to exert torture and ensure that people do not challenge the governments policies. However, Brave New world uses a different approach in the manner it uses technology to exercise control on its citizens.

It ensures the production of entertainment and luxury machines, which make the citizens so occupied and happy to the extent that they cannot possibly think of themselves as oppressed. Whichever the manner of using technology to manipulate the citizens, the results are all the same: It must manipulate people, robbing off their rights and personal freedom.

Works Cited

Aubrey, Crispin. Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1984 and Brave New world: Autonomy, Control and Communication. London: Comedia, 1983.

Burgess, Anthony. Clockwork Oranges: In 1985. London: Hutchinson, 1985.

Bowker, Gordon . Inside George Orwell: A Biography. Palgrave: Macmillan, 2003.

Hillegas, Mark. The Future As Nightmare: H.G. Wells and the Anti-Utopians. Southern Illinois: University Press, 1967.

Howe, Irving. 1984, Brave New world and Clockwork oranges Revisited: Totalitarianism In Our Century. New York: Harper Row, 1985.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. London: HarperCollins, 1932. p. 113

Meyers, Jeffery. Orwell, Burgess and Huxley: Wintry Conscience of a Generation. London: Norton Publishers, 2000.

Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four: A novel. London: Secker & Warburg, 1949.

Affect of Circumstance on an Individual: Huxleys Brave New World

John, in Brave New World, tries to hold fast to the values that he has developed by himself in the Reservation. These values were formed out of the mix of Christianity and indigenous, quasi-animist spiritual practices of the Native Americans prevalent on the Reservation, the influence of reading the Bible, and the inspiration of reading Shakespeare. He is not allowed to participate fully in the rites and ceremonies of the Reservation, so he fashions his system of thought out of the scripture and the dramas he reads.

His values are not only out of touch with the Brave New World, but would be profoundly out of touch with our society today, and, for that matter, the values of Huxleys England or America in 1932.

Does he cling to his values or abandon them? He clings to his values while reaching out for what he finds appealing or interesting in the unfamiliar world outside the Reservation. He falls instantly into infatuation with Lenina. He is intrigued by the notion of a world wider than what he knows. He takes the opportunity, without question or hesitation, to explore the universe beyond his childhood limits.

It must have become apparent to him soon after John arrived in the civilized world, that Bernard had brought him back to shame and discredit his superior. Tomakin, after all, had acted selfishly even by the standards of his society in leaving behind his companion without making a serious attempt to locate her or check back to inquire whether she or her body had turned up. John becomes keenly aware of his status as a tourist attraction and political football, as evidenced by his refusal to attend Bernards party.

If he had gone with the flow, succumbed to the unsubtle bribery of being taken everywhere and being shown everything, and had become one with the society around him, it would have been a coup for the Director, but John remains his own man for the most part, throughout. He retains his values and his identity despite great distractions and temptations.

Once arrived in the World Estate, he follows his star from first to last with very little deviation. He embraces his father with respect upon meeting him, as would any well-brought-up offspring in his world. He treats women like Lenina with courtliness and individual attention, rather than casually and indiscriminately using them sexually, He tries to care for and cherish his mother, Linda, even when she is far gone in a drugged stupor. He avoids soma, he prizes solitude, and he eschews and forswears all the amusements of the world, among other choices.

Although he has no obvious ambitions in the World Estate, the death of his mother inspires him to take some action. As Huxley puts it, It was as though a shutter had been opened. He sees an opportunity to try to make a difference, and he seizes it. He tries to encourage the hospital workers to avoid soma, at risk to his safety and liberty. The results are entirely negative, and he has not the slightest impact on the workers behavior. The incident brings him unwelcome official attention and contributes to the exiling of Bernard and Helmholtz. However, it is entirely consistent with his values and one of the only open, un-self-interested protests against the system that is voiced in the whole book.

This all has far-reaching implications for him, indeed. He eventually sees that he cannot manage to live in this world without violating everything he holds to be important. His vision of beauty, voiced by Shakespeares Miranda, is revealed to be crass and shallow and corrupt in its reality. His dream for finding inclusion with those of his mothers kind is a nightmare instead. He will be included in the Brave New World, but he will no longer be himself.

John finally withdraws to a sort of hermitage to avoid conflicting with the abhorrent values he sees around him. He chooses this style of life despite the barely livable conditions there. Even at this stage of his war against the Brave New World, however, he is still enchanted by the new and innovative and succumbs to the lure of convenience foods in packing for his move. However, he forswears the nutritious convenience foods for the more difficult fare. He pursues independence and self-sufficiency by gardening for himself.

He tries to purge his mind of desires and images he finds incompatible with his values by whipping himself, a technique long used by religious purists. However, even here in attempted isolation, he is pursued by the behaviors he fears and detests. His ladylove, Lenina, follows him and attempts in all innocence to engage him sexually.

The crowd, drawn to his hiding spot, and intrigued by the drama and novelty of his flagellation, work him and themselves into a frenzy of mimicry and excitement, entirely at cross-purposes. Eventually, he awakes to a memory of being led, without conscious volition, into a massive breach of his values in a soma-fueled orgy-porgy. This horrible betrayal of all that he esteems in himself leads him to take his own life.

What is Huxley trying to say in showing us this unfortunate young man struggling to live according to his ideals while in a violently alien environment of opposed values? John seizes control one last time in taking his own life  that is not a cheerful message, but a clear one. Huxley seems to be telling his readers that the kind of moral swamp that the world is headed towards is so bad that death represents a more honorable fate.

The whole book is a warning to all of us to examine closely what our governments and institutions do while we are not paying attention. During the wars and plagues, Huxley points out through the Director; people stopped monitoring the government and allowed the ruling entities to assume the role of moral arbiter. By showing Johns brave, if wrong-headed attempts to stick with what he thought was right and beautiful and good, Huxley points up the hideousness and shallowness that we risk when governments operate unchecked, unwatched, and without principled participation by all.

The novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley takes place in the distant future, in the world of consumption. All people live in the same state, their whole life is standardized to the smallest detail, and everyone knows their place and is obliged to obey everything that every member of society is taught almost from birth. Regardless of all the rights given to these individuals, there is still inequality between men and women, Alphas and Betas.

In society, there are no concepts of family or marriage; the words mother and father are considered indecent, and everything once natural is dirty and disgusting. People live in a mutual use mode, sexual partners change, and permanent connections are not welcome. When it comes to inequality, women were sterilized while men were not. In addition, the Malthusian belt  a means to stop childbirth  also limited womens rights.

Moreover, the members of the lower castes are instilled with respect for the members of the higher castes, while the higher castes should dislike the lower ones. It is indicated in the line: the lift was crowded with men from the Alpha Changing Rooms, and Leninas entry was greeted by many friendly nods and smiles (Huxley 58). It shows everyone is happy about meeting Alphas, whereas Betas are treated poorly.

The inequality is vividly seen between these people in a way that Beta people still believe in spirituality, and gods, give birth naturally and are devoid of technology. These individuals claim: But I dont want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin (Huxley 267). It signifies they still have intentions to preserve human qualities in order not to become a machine.

In conclusion, Brave New World depicts a utopian society that is so close to the idea that, in general, it does not even look crazy but rather attractive for living. However, it highlights the differences between men and women by humiliating the latters reproductive rights. In addition, the clash of Alphas and Betas is drastic  some strive for recognition and living in a fake world, while others try to preserve their human nature.

Work Cited

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Vintage, 2004.

The novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley takes place in the distant future, in the world of consumption. All people live in the same state, their whole life is standardized to the smallest detail, and everyone knows their place and is obliged to obey everything that every member of society is taught almost from birth. Regardless of all the rights given to these individuals, there is still inequality between men and women, Alphas and Betas.

In society, there are no concepts of family or marriage; the words mother and father are considered indecent, and everything once natural is dirty and disgusting. People live in a mutual use mode, sexual partners change, and permanent connections are not welcome. When it comes to inequality, women were sterilized while men were not. In addition, the Malthusian belt  a means to stop childbirth  also limited womens rights.

Moreover, the members of the lower castes are instilled with respect for the members of the higher castes, while the higher castes should dislike the lower ones. It is indicated in the line: the lift was crowded with men from the Alpha Changing Rooms, and Leninas entry was greeted by many friendly nods and smiles (Huxley 58). It shows everyone is happy about meeting Alphas, whereas Betas are treated poorly.

The inequality is vividly seen between these people in a way that Beta people still believe in spirituality, and gods, give birth naturally and are devoid of technology. These individuals claim: But I dont want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin (Huxley 267). It signifies they still have intentions to preserve human qualities in order not to become a machine.

In conclusion, Brave New World depicts a utopian society that is so close to the idea that, in general, it does not even look crazy but rather attractive for living. However, it highlights the differences between men and women by humiliating the latters reproductive rights. In addition, the clash of Alphas and Betas is drastic  some strive for recognition and living in a fake world, while others try to preserve their human nature.

Work Cited

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Vintage, 2004.

Taking the setting of a world where “happiness” is readily served for every citizen with the help of technologies we have yet to imagine, “Brave New World” can be classified instantaneously as a novel of the science fiction and dystopian genre.

Science fiction, or sci-fi, is a genre, as perfectly encapsulated in the name, that explores the field of science and technology advancements, typically in the future, through the imagination and speculation of the author. Some recurring themes in science fictions are space exploration, time travel, and extra-terrestrial life. Works of sci-fi, aside from providing us glimpses into the glamourous possible outcomes of the present, often raise in our minds consideration of what consequences will the technological developments bring, and sometimes even criticism of our own present-day society.

Dystopian and utopian are genres that dive into the problems of social values, political makeup, and, occasionally, authoritative powers. While a utopian setting presents a desirable world operating with a set of virtuous morals, a dystopian setting depicts a society founded on dehumanizing ethics and corrupted beliefs. Distinctive as they maybe, many books combine both genres as an allusion to what path humanity will go down to, depending on its choices. In some cases, readers can be introduced to a place designed with such a sense of happiness and fulfilment, it feels like a perfect utopia, only to be revealed the dreadful reality of the dystopia as the story progresses.

With the set of attributes of the genres above, it is easy to spot the characteristics of “Brave New World” that have earned the book its place as one of the most prominent examples used to described the genres: the nuances, the language, and even the cover illustration. However, one aspect that differentiates the book from others of the same kind is how it does not portray any character as an antagonist to the story. The author did not criticize the dystopia deliberately, but let us examine it thoroughly and come to our own censure of its morality.

Standing as one of the most iconic examples of science fiction and dystopian novel, “Brave New World” undoubtedly bears many recognizing features of the genres. At the same time, the book has some trope-breaking details that proved its worth as not only a famous book but one classic work of literary.

In order not to misunderstand and answer this question wrongly, leading to the repetition in ideas in later parts, in this part, you should first point out what is impressive/ good related to various aspects of the content (for example the storyline, a certain character, a certain detail, plot twist, etc.) and explain your assessment.

Praised by many critics in and out of its times, “Brave New World” certainly have many elements that fascinate readers. To me, the elements shone most brightly would be the world-building, the portrayal and the role of characters.

After only the first few pages, it became clear to me, as any reader, how carefully crafted the setting I was reading was. When considered, one can see that the process of explaining the World State – the place where the novel unfolds – takes up a substantial portion of the book. The picture of the seemingly perfect utopia was scrupulously painted and described with such details, it remained vivid in readers’ mind even after the novel has finished.

Throughout the story, one feature that piqued my interest was with each character introduced, they can be found depicted with both good and bad sides of their nature. In Bernard, one of the protagonists, we see him as an out-spoken individual who feels isolated for seeing things differently at first. But when he brought John to the civilized world, he exploited John’s fame for his own relations, for which he later regretted. And Mustapha Mond, portrayed as an antagonist in the beginning, never created hindrance to the protagonists, but rather posed as a neutral, all-knowing figure tasked with maintaining a morally controversial society. We see the characters in different lights, understand them better, and, thus, feel that they are more genuine, more “human”.

“Brave New World” also took a bold, but no less effectively interesting, move in devising the role of each character. At first, the novel left me perplexed: no apparent threat nor antagonist have appeared even though the book has long passed the mid-point, while there have been two introduced protagonists. Only when the final pages are reached did I realize that the antagonist, all along, have been the dystopian state of society itself. It is an inconspicuous, silent contender. And with the end of our characters, we can see that it has, and always will, won.

In my own criticism, Aldous Huxley has done an outstanding job in not only building the futuristic dystopia but also delivered a range of complex characters in mould-breaking roles.

Aldous Huxley, in his lexis and syntax, have proven his proficiency in language through the successful delivering of the layering meanings behind “Brave New World”.

The book, “Brave New World”, has certainly stood different from other books, especially with the challenging set of vocabulary it requires of the reader to wholly understand its meaning. Worthy and reflective of the author’s scholarly upbringing, the abundance of long, complicated words in the novel radiated the formal, scientific tone of the future. In addition, the book also featured many unique terms Huxley created in order to accurately depict the World State.

Alongside his impressive choice of word, Huxley had an undeniable talent to thread those words into lustrous, flowing fabrics of literature. His gift revealed itself in the use of complex, lengthy sentences, the third-person narrative, and the lack of individual’s appearance description, all of which further reinforce one of the book’s main theme: community. Furthermore, his repetition of phrases, imitating the World State’s way of hypnopaedia education, highlighted the characters’ absence of freedom in will, even as far as in thought. Within the novel, Huxley employed an extensive number of rhetorical devices, most noticeably: metaphors of humanity, allusions to historical figures and references of Shakespeare’s works.

Through the academic lexicon and intricate sentence structuring, the language of “Brave New World” has both provoked the tone of the setting and signified the controlling theme of the book. As such of any creation, there are imperfections that accompany the appeals. Of no exception, “Brave New World”, praised it may be, contains a number of shortcomings I would like be revised, most notably: the arrangement of protagonists, explorations of the background settings, and the clarification of context implications.

Protagonists are identified as those of the story’s main focus, and usually bestowed with the most developed introspection. In the case of “Brave New World”, though, I was surprised by the extent to which Huxley covered the protagonists’ characters. Our first protagonist – Bernard – seemed to have fallen into the cast of supporting characters at the mid-point of the novel. The narration was no longer from his point of view, but instead of John, our new protagonist. The shift in central character made me feel that the growth for two protagonists is too much to cram into the novel, which resulted in one left out of the spotlight and both under-developed. Thus, I believe it would be beneficial if Huxley has either included Bernard more towards the ending, or stuck with only one leading protagonist so the character can be examined in further depths.

Another facet I would like to see be displayed in greater complexity would be the functioning and application of the World State. Huxley has dedicated almost the entirety of the beginning to building such a detailed vision of the future. Yet, it appeared that just one part of the design was featured as a plot device, while the rest remained as only background settings for the world the events takes place. As a reader, discovering the life on the islands that Hemholtz and Bernard are banished to, or taking a glimpse into the work of the World Controller would interest me immensely.

Through every flip of the page, readers are familiarized to the vaguely obscure tone of the book, which created an underlying emphasis on the communality of the world. However, there are moments where I find the ambiguity a bit confusing, and can lead to false or deficient interpretations of the context. Upon my first read, I failed to catch the hints of John’s unconscious participation in the crowd’s chaotic revel, which I only realized after thorough research on the novel’s plot. In my opinion, as much as I enjoy contemplating the meaning behind each act, delivering the story in a slightly more direct way would let the implication of a situation be more comprehensible to readers, without necessarily making it too blunt.

In my subjective point of view, I regard “Brave New World” as a thought-provoking novel with, inevitably, a few minuses in certain aspects. If improvements were to made to the book, I would recommend they be in allocation of the central characters, discovery of the meticulously built world, and elucidation of context insinuation. With the core of satirizing the contemporary society, the book is written with little to no target group of audience in mind, but rather addressed to the community as a whole. Perhaps it is the ever-changing nature of humanity that drove the impact of “Brave New World” to change so incredibly throughout the course of history.

Upon its initial release, the book received much criticism, each varying greatly on the spectrum of praise and condemnation. Many papers, literary critics and even political figures voiced their disapproval of the novel’s content as well as Aldous Huxley’s capability. And while there were positive reviews, only a handful of them reserved the more awe-inspiring adjectives to laud Huxley’s work. The public seem to also shared the critics’ thoughts, with largely mixed feedbacks, leaning more towards scepticism and reproach of the book.

Social status is not always determined by the money that somebody has. Sometimes, it may be determined by the ability somebody has to adapt to what they are given. Other times, it can refer to what type of person a specific human may actually be. In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, social status is given at birth, and this depends on how much a person does. Nobody can control what social class they are actually into, it is all up to fate. Traditional birth is not how new life is formed in the novel though, instead, humans are artificially created with certain qualities that affect how they think and what they will do. When faced with different situations, if two people are in different classes, they will react to the situations they are given differently. This is due to the fact that humans are now being artificially constructed. There are also different ways some people are born, whether it is just being them being created, or if there is a lot of identical people being created at once. Babies are fertilized in the eggs and then given different treatments and tests to shape who they will actually become. When people in this new world are born, they are, “conditioned to become one of five basic varieties: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Epsilon (The first five letters of the Greek Alphabet)” (Wilson et al.) Alphas are the highest of social class, while epsilons are at the bottom in London, but not all of society. Epsilons have the least mental capability of all the classes though. The story showcases this theme through how some characters have a life much easier than those who were not created at the higher class. The theme of social status can be analyzed through the characters Lenina, the beta class, and John.

The alpha class is the highest of all the classes that somebody could be born into. Lenina Crowne is part of the alpha class, the highest class that somebody could be created into. This class often does the least amount of work, and a lot is given to them that they do not need to work for. Alphas have the most capability of doing things due to the conditions they are given when they are created. They are the smartest of all the classes, and they are the only class that can have critical individual thoughts. The other classes have their thoughts taught to them when they are being created. Lenina is one of many, “people destined to be leaders–alphas–are produced from a single ovum and are therefore capable of individual thought; those meant to be followers and workers are mass-produced.” (Wilson et al.) This shows that of all the classes, alphas are the most dominant. They are able to do what others are not capable of, which is to bring up that individual thought. This thought puts them ahead of the other social classes. If there is a problem that comes up, the Alphas will be able to come up with the best solution. At the top of the class, the alphas have so much luxury. While the lower classes are working, the alphas still do work, but they are smart enough to do it. Also, they have a lot more enjoyment in life as whenever they have free time they are always playing some sort of game. The alphas live the easiest lives. Although the alphas are able to have individual thoughts, these thoughts are not always positive. When “The young man tried to explain himself. Linda and he– Linda was his mother (the word made Lenina uncomfortable)–were strangers in the reservation. Linda had come from the other place long ago, before he was born, with a man who was his father. (Bernard picked up his ears)” (118). As an alpha, Lenina is so used to having everything set out for her, that when she sees a society that is struggling, it disgusts her. In London, everything is clean and organized compared to New Mexico, which is very filthy, and they have a different culture than what Lenina is used to being a part of. With being artificially created, the concept of having parents is very foreign to the alpha class and will stir a reaction when both mothers and fathers are mentioned.

The betas are the second-highest tier of social class. They are above the Gammas, Deltas, Epsilons, and Savages. They are below the Alpha class though. Although no main characters are actually from the beta class, they are depicted as being very unique. The Betas can be seen as their own class. After being created as a beta, they have to be trained on how to think and what to think. When in this training, the message played for the betas was, “Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they’re so frightfully clever. I’m really awfully glad I’m a Beta, because I don’t work so hard.” (Huxley 21) This is showing that although they may not be as high up in the social class as Alphas, Betas still can live solid lives. They do not need to put as much effort and thinking to things that the Alphas have to. This also shows the dominance of Alphas by the class below them stating that they are clever. Although, this cleverness may benefit the Beta class. The expectations for the Betas are much lower than the expectations are for the Alphas. Betas are expected to do what they have to do with the abilities that they have. Betas are also told, “we are much better than the Gammas and the Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and the Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don’t want to play with Delta Children.” (Huxley 21) Betas are taught to think highly of the Alphas above them, but still be grateful for what they have. They are also trained to not respect and criticize the classes below them based off of what they wear, and also how they act. This shows how in the middle the Betas are between everything. Betas are smart, but they are not as smart as the Alpha class. Betas do hold themselves to higher standards when it comes to fashion. The betas are what mixes the Alpha class and everything below it.

John is part of the lowest social class in a society which is also known as the savages. The savages are below all of the other social classes. The savages are the most outcast by the other classes. John is said to also be, “unable to adjust to his new surroundings, despite the support given him by his new friends Bernard and an “emotional engineer” named Helmholtz Watson.” (Wilson et al.) The savages do not think like the other classes do. They are the closest to traditional humanity. They believe in having parents, where the other social classes despise that idea. John showcased emotions when his mother passed away, where the other social classes laughed and wondered why John was crying. Before Bernard and Linda actually met John, they were flying to New Mexico to see what the area was actually like. “At the pueblo of Malpaís, the couple see an Indian ceremonial dance in which a young man is whipped to propitiate the gods. Lenina is shocked and disgusted by the filth of the place and by the primitive aspects of all she sees.” (Neilson) In any other social class, there will be no ceremonial dances, only by the Savages will this occur. The standards are completely different than what others are used too. The Savage Reservation is a filthy place that is not well taken care of because it is so low in society. For Lenina to go all the way up in society to visit the lowest is such a drastic change. Everything is given to Lenina whereas for John everything has to be earned. When John was taken to the upper classes, he could never blend in. He showed emotion which others did not. He also used the words mother and father whereas everybody else is artificially created. In the end, John could not fit in with everybody and he outcasted himself from society. This outcast caused depression for John which was his ultimate downfall.

The theme of social class can be seen with all of the characters in the story whether they have a major role in the story or not. Whether it be through the way that they execute jobs or think about the problems in front of them, there are major differences between the classes. Those at the top have the most given to them, while those at the bottom have to work for what is needed. At the top of the class, there are the Alphas like Lenina who are the smartest of all the classes, and have the most given to them. The Alphas are the most honored of all the classes due to them having the most ability to perform tasks. Although there are no major characters in the beta class, their thoughts are still emphasized. They are born with the thought to be grateful for where they are and respect those above them, but they are also programmed to criticize those below them. The betas are neutral between all of the classes. They still do work, but not as much as the alphas or the classes below them. The Betas also criticize those below them based on clothing. The Betas are a judgemental class that does what needs to be done. Then there are the savages who are completely outcast from society due to the thoughts that they have. Even if attempted, the savages are not meant to fit into the rest of society. The savages are stuck in the older times where humans were not created. Social class will always be a factor in determining how successful someone is.

Social inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a society. It is a serious problem and happens everywhere and everyday, but its effects are often not solved. Brave New World and Gattaca are two texts where social inequality affects the world heavily. In both texts, inequality between the society exists but the people within the society doesn’t appear to take action upon it as they think either nothing can be changed, or nothing needs to be changed. Brave New World shows how the Worlds’ state leaders use technology to wield the castes, where humans are predetermined and grown in a manner appropriate to their status. The people are unaware about this inequality and are happy about the way it is, due to the conditioning. As adults, the two upper castes, the Alphas and Betas, socially interact with each other but never with the lesser groups which are the Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. Similarly, in the film Gattaca, social class is based on the quality of gene, ignoring determination and focuses on those who are made to be successful. Gattaca shows that inequality between society threatens the entire population within the society. However, Brave New world displays that the society is aware that there is an unfairness between the valid and in-valid and chooses to ignore it.

Although the effects of social inequality are often not dealt with, there are still many stories which address this issue. Telling stories about social inequality can help inform and bring more attention towards the issue also inspiring and empowering others to fight against inequality between the social classes. In both Brave New World and Gattaca, the higher and better the social class, the more opportunities and benefits there are present. Both the characters, Vincent in Gattaca and John from Brave New World has an aim to break the boundaries between the social classes and find freedom and truth.

In Brave New World, John is unimpressed with the world which he is in, disgusted about the processes of growing humans and that the lower castes exist not as individuals but as batches lacking identity. He goes on a quest to find freedom of life and truth, arguing that even if suffering is involved in seeking the truth, it is better than living an easy life with pleasure and happiness. In Gattaca a quest to finding freedom of life is also conveyed. Where Vincent is an invalid who aspires to become an astronaut. In order to do so, he uses Jerome’s valid DNA to gain elite status in the society. These actions taken by John and Vincent shows the beginning of an attempt to break boundaries, in different ways, the characters attempt to do so. John is shown trying to find freedom by trying to run away from the society’s rules whereas, Vincent tries to make himself be similar to others in order to find freedom.

Both texts show that going against what is seen as normal is a challenging task and that living in the comfort of the society may just be the easier option. Stories are told to tell that if a goal is set and needs to be achieved, sacrifices may need to be made which may either go with or against our own morals and beliefs.

The endings of both Brave New World and Gattaca are unclear. In Brave New World, John commits suicide by hanging himself as he fails to complete his quest in finding freedom and the truth. In Gattaca, Vincent is seen entering the space ship and Jerome suicides where the focus switches between them constantly symbolizing they are heading towards the same ending. Compared to Brave New World, Gattaca shows that there is something which has changed about social inequality as (insert video) shows that there are more people wanting to break the boundaries and rules and possibly that the truth can be found by a mass amount of individuals which aim to achieve the same goal. Whereas, in Brave New World the society won and the good have failed. These two texts show that if the society does not work collectively, the end goal will not be as easily achieved. These stories are told to show that even though somethings may seem impossible, sometimes trying is the only way to find out what is going to happen.

In a world where humans are conditioned based off their social class, the futuristic society in Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley demonstrates the sacrifices one must take to insure stability. The mass-production of individuals and “hypnopaedic” are used to structure their ideal civilization, where they are taught what to believe, ensuring contentment throughout the society. With the conditioning they are stripped from their freedom of thought, emotions and individuality from a young age. However, within the novel there are outcast that are exiled due to their contradicting opinions towards the upbringing of mankind in their World. The totalitarian government Huxley illustrates exposes the destructive effects it can have on humanity and identity, when one resists to conform.

Alphas are known as the superior class in Brave New World, respected upon the others, yet Bernard Marx was far from the usual. His physical appearance lacked the typical dreamy qualities of this valued class, as well as the enjoyment of their rituals. Marx understood the conditioning behind each class, disagreeing with the practice because he believed in opinions and a human’s right to individuality. His relationship with Lenina models the respect he has towards women, unlike any other human within the society, as they are taught that “everyone belongs to everyone else.” Infuriated by the manner Henry talks about her as if she was “a piece of meat” or a contest, bragging to one another to “advise you try her.” Marx’s perspective on the society throughout the novel exposes the reason for his isolation, believing that one shouldn’t be conditioned into their morals, but build them overtime. Due to the societies goal for “perfection” his isolation is seen strange to others, which leads to the rumors that he had alcohol in his blood surrogate. Rather than this alerting the people about something being wrong with the world around them, their ignorance caused by the conditioning, prevents their mind to think of the world around them anything other than flawless. Accustomed to their incomprehensibility, Marx becomes isolated longing for their acceptance, yet is fortunate to have emotions. Despite his exile, his desire for a connection makes him distinct from the rest. Huxley uses Marx to show the internal conflict within living secluded, however feeling and knowing the truth, unlike anyone else in the society.

Moreover, Lenina and Marx’s relationship elevates once their trip to the reservation in New Mexico. Before leaving Bernard passes by the Director for permission to visit the reservation, which soon becomes insightful. The director shares with the two his traumatic experience at the reserve, and how he had once taken a trip with a partner, but he came back alone. With the intention to observe the reservation’s way of life, the Director’s story made him realize the strange culture of the humans within the reserve. Once arriving they observe a ritual that catches their attention, like theirs known as the “union of twelve into one.” Lenina uncomfortable, strange, and out of place doing so and demands for her soma to numb her from what she is experiencing. Meanwhile they encounter with a young boy named John that seemed different from the rest, he wasn’t allowed to take part in the ritual, but wished for the chance to prove his strength. Marx wondered why he wasn’t allowed to, but soon realized that he was born in the reserve but not from there. John calls for his mother, Linda which realizes they’re from the Brave New World once she laid her eyes on them. Marx shortly realizes the Director was the father of John and uses this as leverage when he takes them back to meet his “father.”

Linda, eager to finally see people from her society after being left in a civilization completely taboo to her, looks forward to going back to her home. Linda had been secluded from the reserve and wasn’t welcomed due to her conditioning and contradicting opinion upon their way of living. She would get into trouble with the women in the tribe for sleeping with their husbands, expressing her beliefs that “everyone belongs to everyone else.” Linda’s isolation within the tribe forced her to be John’s only true home. Raising him to be literate and read “the complete works of William Shakespeare” and about the making of embryos, which was her job as a Beta. She provided a resources for him to be prosperous in the future. Throughout his life, she had to overcome her conditioning to be a mother to him, which she was degraded by. Her undesirable life in the reservation made her become stronger and develop a sense of independence.

John expressed the beliefs of the reservation but was never allowed to be a part of them because of his mother and his lack of Native American blood. John, looking forward to at last feel accepted and welcomed to a civilization that was portrayed to him throughout his childhood as perfection, he encounters struggles once leaving the reservation. Linda begins taking high dosages of Soma, causing her to always be asleep in a soma holiday, leaving John alone in this new society he is unfamiliar with. Instead of being accepted, Marx uses John as an exhibit to his advantage, showing off the “Savage” as if he were an experiment. Throughout all of this he becomes infatuated with Lenina, but her beliefs prevent John to have a connection with her. Instead she is interested in having sexual relations, destroying his fantasy of having a relationship with her. John becomes overwhelmed with his disappointment, because of the lack of emotion. Making matters worse his mother passes away due to the constant high dosages of soma, leaving him heartbroken without a soul to confide in the World state. John symbolizes all the morals and emotions that are prohibited in the dystopian society to have happy citizens that cannot develop their own individual perspective. The drastic measures led him to the immortal sin of suicide, something unforgivable. John’s seclusion got the best of him, in the end he rather not live than to live in a world that wouldn’t accept him.

The world state that Huxley depicts, is the conditioning to one’s environment for the benefit of the civilization. Everyone was content with the social class they were conformed to enjoy. However, in the novel he uses the main characters’ exile to expose the flaws within the totalitarian government. The contradicting beliefs go against the future of technology, and intimate relationships. Determining that exile can lead to the condemnation of those secluded, but also stimulate their growth.

Work Cited

1. Huxley, Aldous, Brave New World, New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1

In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World the controller states, “One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them.” (Page 261). This displays that no one person is individual or has control over their doings, that technology conditions the society to the drastic point of seeming robots. In Brave New World and Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca, there is a totalitarian government whose ambition is to colonise an individual’s views, behaviours, philosophies and interactions entirely, so that its citizens can be sectioned to serve their conditioned purpose in society. It is apparent in both the dystopian fictions ‘Gattaca – 1997’ and ‘Brave New World-1932’ that, technology is used to control society through the destruction of individual freedoms and identities subsequent from the oppressive government’s extensive conditioning of their young. In both fictions eugenics is used to condition and genetically modify babies into certain beliefs/abilities. The controllers manipulate the grouping of hierarchy and career paths based on these habituated placements.

Maintained through technological interventions, power and control in Brave New World starts even before birth by removing the emotional and social attachment to babies and mass producing them. From 1997 Gattaca to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, dystopian societies thrive on the idea of tinkering with babies genetically otherwise known as test tube babies. Both fictions promise parents their perfect child where they have the option of creating their newborn with faultless genetics and features as shown by the following quote: “We want to give your child the best possible start. Believe me, we have enough imperfection built in already. Your child doesn’t need any more additional burdens. Keep in mind, this child is still you. Simply, the best, of you. You could conceive naturally a thousand times and never get such a result.” – Gattaca geneticists. Nothing in either society is left to chance, which is anticipated to produce stability and control. In Gattaca hopeful parents simply see their ‘local geneticist’ to order a newborn that meets the requirements they wish. Whereas, people are made/conceived in bottles along an assembly line in Brave New World where their place and future in society is determined for them: “all conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny.” – Brave New World (page 16). Therefore the children’s genetically induced traits become the criterion for being hired. “My real resume was in my cells”- Gattaca. Only those in Gattaca who poses perfect genes will have access to decent jobs.

Those conceived naturally without the aid of technology were considered “invalid” and deemed to very low level jobs, poverty and segregation. “We used to think our future was in the stars, now we know its in our genes.” – Gattaca. This quote highlights the importance of DNA, in fact, even the title refers to the four nucleotides being adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. The sequence was consistently repeated throughout the film in the human genome of which is a… to Eugene Jerome’s name referring to genes, and the staircase in Vincent and Jerome’s house represents the form of a double helix. This shows that there isn’t the slightest bit of individuality present in a household or a name, it shows that the government is in complete control of everything, and that “genes are the founders of men.” – Gattaca. Both these dystopias demonstrate the inability of human kind to line in a world without humanity.The government in Brave New World makes its citizens superficially fulfilled and happy that they are controlled to not care about their personal freedom. Brave New World and Gattaca both warn today’s society of the dangers of giving a single state the control of powerful and new technologies. Science is used as a means to develop technology to craft a happy, seamless superficial society. Both dystopias use science and technology as the fundamental basis behind a happy society with things like the unyielding control of reproduction through interventions including, the surgical removal of ovaries, hypnotic conditioning and the Bokanoysky Process in Brave New World.

In both Brave New World and Gattaca, societies are dictated and controlled by a totalitarian government that eradicates viviparous childbirths and the caste system completely in Brave New World, and push suppressive ideologies in gattaca. Both dystopians explore notions of freedom or lack of freedom and mass control where characters challenge the expectations and rules of their oppressive systems of rule. An example of this in Gattaca is where the society ruled by genoism is opposed by Jerome ‘Eugene’ Morrow and Vincent Freemen. Additionally it is seen in Brave New World by the rebelling acts from John the savage and Bernard Marx against the world state. Bernards outrage although he is an Alpha, stems from his sense of injustice making him an outsider. He is an enigma to others and his strong dislike of the world state is superficial. Compared to his fellow Alphas, Bernard is a complete juxtaposition as his appearance is thin and small. These emotional and physical defects lead to him feeling separated from society but make him value his individuality and non conformity. Page 56 reads “The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one, which increased the prejudice against him and intensified the contempt and hostility aroused by his physical defects. Which in turn increased his sense of being alien and alone”. This statement proves that this system of rule does not work. It proves that the citizen’s individuality is and has been taken from them, that society has no idea what to do once they gain a small piece of individualism like Bernard. In turn it forced him to have a lingering fear of being insulted and slighted making him avoid other Alphas self-consciously. It made Bernard envy men bitterly, “Men who never had to shout at an Epsilon to get an order obeyed; men who took their position for granted; men who moved through the caste system as a fish through water–so utterly at home as to be unaware either of themselves or of the beneficent and comfortable element in which they had their being.” – (p 57). This once again portrays the control the oppressive government has over its citizens and that individuality drives people mad because of their brainwashed upbringings.

Bibliography

1. Brave new world title page: https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.d3UGhDZOR8RcL_OocKZ5KwHaLK&pid=Api&rs=1
2. Gattaca title page: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zaR3Ak-24No/TZnvU8giz-I/AAAAAAAAAEw/eO37x-2pZpg/s1600/gattaca_movie-poster-01.jpg
3. Baby; eyes photo: http://wearechange.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/67777ccf24e2c89bfcec86a3d83f050c.jpg