Having now read the classic dystopian triangle: 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451, I think I may be in the beginning stages of being converted to proactively enjoying dystopian novels.
Brave New World is a dystopian novel written by Aldous Huxley in 1932. However, one would be forgiven for thinking it was written recently with today’s society in mind.
The novel is based in a totalitarian society where happiness is maintained through conditioning, genetic modification, brain-washing and hypnosis, and a drug called soma. No illness exists, no disease, old age, or discomfort. There is no art, no literature, and there is no solitude. In this society promiscuity is the norm. In fact, having relationships is a cause for concern and could render one an enemy of the state. After all, “everyone belongs to everyone else”. Sexual activity is encouraged from an early age (babies and toddlers), and the concepts of marriage, family, and parenthood are no more.
Humans are created in test tubes. They are grown, farmed, and modified to fit in with the societal hierarchical caste structure: Alphas, Betas, Deltas, Gammas, and the lowly Epsilons. They are all engineered to grow-up content and happy with their place in the social order. Those who voice their discontent with the status quo, or seem to be straying out of line, will be exiled to an island.
Alphas are at the top of the caste-system. They are pre-ordained to be the most intelligent, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing beings, thus placed in society’s highest positions. The Epsilons are at the bottom of the hierarchy. They are engineered to carry out and thoroughly enjoy menial and unskilled tasks. Unlike their Alpha counterparts, Epsilons are short and plain, with little to no intelligence.
There is life, however, outside of this. These are the “savages” who live inside a Savage Reservation centre and follow a traditional and old-fashioned way of life.
For me, the first few chapters were slow; but there were hidden gems of brilliance throughout, which kept me reading. It’s in these chapters we are introduced to the novel’s protagonist, Bernard Marx. Bernard is an Alpha-Plus intellectual, but there are rumours alcohol was accidentally introduced into his test-tube during his creation. As a result, he is shorter, more nervous, and more willful than his other Alpha-Plus peers. It is this difference, causing Bernard to be almost unhappy, which sees him challenge the status quo.
I much preferred John as the novel's protagonist. Bernard meets John at the Savage Reservation centre. Upon bringing John and his mother back to the Other World, John becomes a cult celebrity. "The savage" is paraded around in front of dignitaries and people of power and position. Everybody else is fighting for a glimpse of him.
Huxley distinguishes Bernard's extensive and continual conditioning, with John's conditioned nature but not nurture. Although both John and Bernard question their happiness and the way in which society is run, it is John's outspoken nature and "traditional" upbringing which I found more appealing and relatable.
We are provided with a contradictory idea of Utopia. The inhabitants of the "stable" society are conditioned to believe that is their utopia. However, we are also shown the negative effects of this "happiness" through those who are mindful enough to question and challenge the status quo.
Huxley portrays both sides of technology - it is used to provide unquestionable bliss and happiness, but Huxley shows us its dangers. He fearlessly explores the boundaries of science and how far science can be taken before it becomes immoral.
The core of this book portrays the perverse and troubling notion of eugenics. Despite the age of this novel, the ideas Huxley puts forth are relevant to our generation.
Disturbing, relevant, and thought-provoking. It is not difficult to see why this novel is a literary classic.
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Genre: Classic Fiction
Publisher: Flamingo
Date of publication: 1932
Pages: 237
My rating: 4.5 out of 5