Title Author and Publication:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was published in 1932 by Harper & Brothers of New York.
Setting:
Brave New World is set primarily in London of 2540 AD, though a portion of the novel transpires in the New Mexico Savage Reservation. The world is now governed as one state. This futuristic setting is home to a very technologically advanced society in which people are engineered to be born as members of one of five different castes. The technology utilized in this society plays a very significant role in the novel.
Main Characters:
John the Savage, considered an outsider to the World State. Born on the reservation to a citizen who became lost there during a visit, John is the ultimate example of the alienated man. He can not fit into the life of the Indians on the reservation, nor can he assimilate into the dehumanizing society of the State.
Bernard Marx, an alpha male who does not quite measure up to the standards of his class. Bernard wants more than anything to belong and he strives to bury his feelings of inadequacy and difference.
Helmholtz Watson, also an alpha male who seems a misfit to society, but because of his superior ability. Helmholtz is a philosopher and deep thinker who would like to have more meaning in his life than the shallow world he occupies will allow.
Mustapha Mond, one of the World Controllers and a very powerful man who sold out his beliefs in science and advancement to save himself from exile. Linda, John’s mother, Linda desires more than anything a return to the life she once knew as a member of the World State.
Plot:
Brave New World begins as a futuristic story of a Utopian society. As the story unfolds and the true nature of this ‘ideal society’ is revealed, it looks less and less appealing.
The story really begins with Bernard Marx’s discovery of John the Savage and his mother, Linda, on the reservation. John’s celebrity and the scandalous nature of his birth are used by Marx to guarantee his safety and to give him the popularity he craves. The degree to which people have had their humanity stripped from them causes John great distress and he must eventually find a way to reconcile the world as it is with his own ideals.
Ultimately all the characters of the novel are forced to either assimilate or to accept exile from the World State. Each character must examine their value systems and their consciences in order to come to terms with the events of the story.
Symbols
Symbols are objects, people or ideas which represent an abstract concept. Consider the importance of the following symbols as you read the novel.
Soma, the drug used to supply happiness to the population
Fordism, the new religion of society
Shakespeare, the works of which are often quoted by John
The Class System, society is divided into 5 castes, the highest being the most intelligent and the lowest the least intelligent.
Questions to Ponder:
Consider these questions as you read the novel. The topics will help you form a thesis for your report.
Relating to the thematic idea of technology vs. humanity:
- Soma is said to provide happiness to the people. What is its larger purpose?
- In what ways does the state control the individual?
- Would you like to live in Huxley’s Brave New World? Why or why not?
- Why is consumerism so important to the state?
Examine the idea of Man’s need to belong.
- How do the different characters interpret the idea of belonging and to what lengths are they willing to go to achieve it?
- What role does religion play in the world Huxley draws?
- How has human sexuality changed and what is its fundamental purpose?
Beginning Sentences for Your Report:
If you have trouble getting started, you can consider the following suggestions to get you started.”What is happiness?”
“A real Utopian society is only possible in theory.”
“Without individuality, society stagnates.”
“Freedom always has its price.”
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