Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
The brave new world
In the novel Huxley describes a world that is ruled by one totalitarian government. People are “produced” in laboriatories, communities like family are aborted. The people are genetically divided in five categories (alpha – epsillon).
Alphas: Wear grey; these are the intellectuals of society. Some examples of professions can be World Controllers (Alpha double Plus), Directors of Hatcheries, and Wardens. Bernard, a psychologist, is also an Alpha.
Betas: Mulberry colored; these persons are somewhat intelligent and often work as mechanics.
Gammas: Wear green; often work as machine minders/manipulators, butlers, and other semi- thought-provoking jobs.
Deltas: Wear khaki, helicopter attendants, cold pressers, screw-cutters, package packers; are mass produced and have no individuality.
Epsilons: Wear black, can’t read or write, Sewage Workers, liftmen, foundry-workers, carriers, semi-morons.
Everyone is conditioned from childhood on to like his caste and to be happy not to be born into another. Children make sexual experiences from early years on and they are “educated” by electric shocks and “dreamteaching”.
The regime controlls people and keeps them happy by giving them Soma. Soma is a kind of multi – function drug that has no side effects like a hangover and helps to calm down, feel happy and provides happiness.
Freedom and religion in society are fully sacrified for what Mustapha Mond calls happiness.
plot
The beginning chapters describe this brave new world as the D.H.C. (the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning) gives a group of students a tour of the facility. The reader meets Lenina Crowne who had been dating Henry Foster for some time, and starts dating Bernard Marx to prove she is not engaging in courtship, which is unheard of in the civilization. Bernard and Lenina go on a vacation to the New Mexico reservations, and meet Linda and her son John. Bernard discovers that the D.H.C once was on vacation with Linda and lost her after an accident and that John is his son. Lenina is shocked when she sees all the dirt and old people in the reservation. Linda for example got fat and ugly and smells disgusting for her. In the brave new world nobody looks old or ill because of the hormons they get. Bernard and Lenina bring John and Linda back to civilization with them for research purposes.
Bernard learns that the D.H.C. is about to exile him for his 'uncivilized' behavior when he and Lenina return to civilization."..He (Bernard) has proved himself an enemy of society, a subverter, ... of all order and stability, a conspirator against civilization itself."Bernard calls John and Linda from the next room, and they call upon the director as son and wife. Bernard is saved from exilation and everyone is shocked when John calls Linda “mother” because this term stands for something dirty.
Bernard becomes very popular in the civilization due to the connections he has with John the savage. Bernard's friend Helmholtz befriends John and they share literature with each other. John does not like the civilization, and becomes more disgusted with each day that goes by.
Lenina falls in love with John, and constantly seeks him out. John thinks of Lenina very highly until she makes advances at him that are against his morals. He gets extremely upset one evening when Lenina makes a sexual advance towards him."The savage pushed her away with such force that she staggered and fell."
John's mother dies shortly after his violent confrontation with Lenina. This event set off a tick in John's head, and he get's crazed. He lectures the civilization during a soma distribution process. Some of his statements include:"Don't you want to be free and man? Don't you even undertand what manhood and freedom are?"
Helmholtz, Bernard, and John are called to Mustapha Mond's study. Mustapha exiles Helmholtz and Bernard for their 'uncivilized' behavior. John is forced to stay so he can continue to be tested.
John flees to a deserted lighthouse near London. There he goes about purifying himself and practicing religion."From time to time he stretched out his arms as though he were on the cross, and held them thus through long minutes of an ache that gradually increased till it became a tremulous and excruciating agony."
Spectators from civilization accidentally stumble upon John during one of his self-torture purifying acts for God. The word is spread around, and John is the craze of civilization.
After a movie showing John whipping himself is released, numerous amounts of people show up to question John. The crowd is mad to see John inflict pain upon himself. John eventually goes berserk and joins the crowd in it's crazy antics."Drawn by the fascination of the horror of pain, they (the crowd) began to mime the frenzy of his gestures, striking at one another as the savage struck at his own rebellious flesh..."
Frequently asked questions about Brave New World
What is Brave New World about?
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, describes a dystopian world ruled by a totalitarian government. People are artificially produced in laboratories, and traditional family structures are abolished. Society is genetically divided into five castes: Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons.
What are the different castes in the novel?
The five castes are:
- Alphas: The intellectuals, wearing grey. They hold positions like World Controllers, Directors of Hatcheries, and Wardens.
- Betas: Somewhat intelligent, wearing mulberry. Often work as mechanics.
- Gammas: Wearing green. They work in semi-thought-provoking jobs such as machine minders and butlers.
- Deltas: Wear khaki. They are mass-produced and have no individuality, working as helicopter attendants and package packers.
- Epsilons: Wear black. They are intellectually limited, working as Sewage Workers and foundry workers, and cannot read or write.
How does the regime control its citizens?
The regime uses several methods:
- Conditioning from childhood to like their caste.
- Encouraging early sexual experiences.
- "Dreamteaching" using electric shocks.
- Providing Soma, a multi-functional drug that promotes happiness and calms down.
What is Soma?
Soma is a drug with no side effects that provides happiness and calmness. It helps to control the population and keep them satisfied.
What is the central conflict in the plot?
The story follows Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, and John (the Savage) as they navigate this engineered society. John, raised outside the World State, represents traditional values and struggles to reconcile his beliefs with the hedonistic and controlled environment of the brave new world. The conflict arises from the clash between individual freedom and the engineered happiness provided by the World State.
Who are the main characters?
The main characters include:
- The D.H.C. (Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning)
- Lenina Crowne
- Bernard Marx
- John (the Savage)
- Linda
- Helmholtz Watson
- Mustapha Mond
What happens on the New Mexico reservation?
Bernard and Lenina visit the New Mexico reservations where they meet Linda and her son John. Bernard discovers John is the D.H.C.'s son. Lenina is disgusted by the dirt and aging people on the reservation. They bring John and Linda back to civilization.
What is the significance of John calling Linda "mother"?
The term "mother" is considered dirty and taboo in the World State, which prioritizes artificial reproduction and eliminates traditional family structures. John's use of the term shocks the society.
What happens to Bernard and Helmholtz?
Helmholtz and Bernard are eventually exiled by Mustapha Mond for their 'uncivilized' behavior and subversive tendencies. John is forced to stay in civilization for further testing.
What is the significance of the lighthouse?
John flees to a deserted lighthouse near London to purify himself and practice religion. He seeks solitude and engages in self-torture.
How does the story end for John?
After being discovered and becoming a spectacle, John, overwhelmed by the hypocrisy and his participation in the sins he detests, commits suicide.
- Quote paper
- Peter Voss (Author), 2001, Huxley, Aldous - Brave New World, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/100360
