About Brave New World
According to Merriam Webster dictionary, the connotation of happiness is a state of well-being and contentment; it is the experience of pleasure or satisfaction. In the novel, Brave New World, the author, Aldous Huxley, argues how a society can redefine happiness through the government’s manipulation of the environment. The authorities in this novel define happiness as the absence of all conflicts by relying on the constant consumption of drugs. The citizens of this society live in a world where happiness is merely superficial, and therefore they lack the human satisfaction that would free them from the restrictive society vindictive. Through the use of characterization of the protagonist Bernard, Lenina, and John, Huxley conveys the idea that happiness should not be created by social construct, but by achieving genuine happiness by facing life challenges and sufferings.
To begin, Bernard is illustrated as the protagonist, who lives under a life of false happiness. He brings an outsider, John the Savage, and utilizes him in order to satisfy his own purposes. Despite Bernard’s high caste in society, his desire is to be accepted by his peers, since he believes that by doing so, he will find his happiness in society. For this reason, he shows John to the rest of the people and they are all amazed to see a unique human being from elsewhere, among them. The people of the society started being friendly and Bernard gradually became socially accepted among others. As Bernard states, he feels “for the first time in his life, treated not merely normally, but as a person of outstanding importance” (Huxley 156). The characterization of Bernard reveals his longing desire to achieve his connotation of happiness. However, he does not realize that what he believes to be happy is merely a false representation of happiness, since the people are only friendly to him because of John’s presence. However, Bernard’s acceptance quickly comes to an end when John refuses to show himself to the people at Bernard’s event. He loses the respect of the people and is again criticized for being odd. As the writer narrates “what should have been the crowning moment of Bernard’s whole career had turned out to be the moment of his greatest humiliation” (Huxley 176). All his feelings of “happiness” are gone, and he is left with humiliation, and defeat, both of which genuine happiness never results.
In addition, Lenina, a vaccination worker, plays a major role in maintaining the stability of the society, also pretends to live false happiness in this dystopian world. She believes that she lives in a perfect society where happiness always consists of taking in soma doses and the motto “everyone belongs to everyone else” (Huxley 47) until one day when she meets John, she can’t explain her emotions. We can clearly see that generalizing the notion of love and saying that every person has the right to have sex with anyone else isn’t only dehumanizing but also acts as a source of small, short-lived pleasure. However, the presence of the Savage has sparked up the effects of genuine long-term happiness. For instance, when John disappoints Lenina by dropping her off at her apartment without staying for sex, Lenina feels different emotions that she can’t explain, and therefore is forced to take soma to achieve a little bit of happiness. Genuine happiness can never be easy to achieve, at least a small amount of turmoil and distress is required for one to enjoy the long-lasting effects of happiness. Furthermore, by analyzing Lenina’s emotions towards John, we can imply that somewhere deep inside her there is still a hope of living a life without any false pretenses, therefore achieving authentic happiness. However, in the outside, she restrains these feelings and avoids any emotion that might compromise her status in society. We can clearly see that society restricts individuals from focusing on their desires since this society emphasizes standardized happiness which promotes state stability rather than genuine and enduring happiness. When Lenina faces John’s rejection she gets devastated and experiences sentiments of “dreadful emptiness, a breathless apprehension, nausea. Her heart seemed to stop beating” (Huxley 174). This portrays the normal human emotions of an individual who is in love with someone else, gets rejected by the loved one. In order to forget and escape the human emotions that at first made her truly happy for once in her lifetime, she takes in soma medication which would break her connection with the human world and would bring her back to an immoral World. In this case, we can see that Lenina, strongly relies on soma intake, just so as to achieve a little happiness; even though her desire of being happy is met by taking in the drug, even that happiness is conditioned by the society, which results in a low quality of life.
Finally, John is another character in which Huxley demonstrates the false meaning of happiness in this dystopian Brave New World. John is characterized as a humbler and more emotional person since he grew up in a Reservation where human values such as family, parents, love, and culture still prevail. However, upon arrival at the Ford Society, he learns that everything he has imagined about this perfect society is just a lie. A clear example is when John observes the injustice among the social classes and becomes disgusted with the treatment towards the lower caste workers. Moreover, he is terrified to see how the act of true love has been transformed into an immoral act. John’s perception of happiness towards this brave new world changes and therefore he becomes unhappy about living in this dystopian society. “Well, I’d rather be unhappy than having the sort of false, lying happiness you were having here.” (Huxley 179). John recognizes that the government has created false happiness and states that the happiness the World State provides the people is a case of imprisonment. The citizens are confined and restricted to the knowledge that has been forced upon them. This, therefore, reinforces the universal message that happiness cannot exist without a sense of unhappiness. In addition, John wants to suffer and stay away from pleasure, but the fact that he chose to live in an old lighthouse overlooking the countryside defies his purpose of inducing suffering, which is ironic. We can clearly see that John can’t give up his sense of pleasure. At the end of the novel, John’s participation in the final orgy and his suicide can be seen as the result of the major conflict between his values and the reality of the world around him.
In conclusion, the novel, The Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley portrays how a society can redefine happiness through the government’s manipulation. The dystopian Ford society consists of a government that has created false happiness. This effect can be seen through the characterization of Bernard, Lenina, and John (the Savage). Each character has their own definition of happiness; Bernard’s happiness can be seen when he is accepted by his peers and is considered important in his society, Lenina’s is expressed upon the consumption of soma, and John (the Savage) demonstrates by understanding what’s happening in the society, and participating in the orgy. Each of these instances, only portray a small portion of false happiness that quickly dies away. The author conveyed her message that happiness should not be created by social construct but instead achieving genuine happiness by facing challenges through the characterization of the three main characters.
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Writing an essay on ‘Brave New World’
The Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, is a powerful and thought-provoking novel. By exploring the themes of technology, social control, and human identity, Huxley paints a vivid picture of a future world where individuality and freedom are lost.
The first theme to discuss when writing an essay about the novel The Brave New World is technology. Technology has become an integral part of our lives and its impact on our society is vast. Huxley’s novel explores the dangers of allowing technology to become too powerful, as it is used to control the citizens of the Brave New World and strip them of their individuality. Technology is also used to manipulate emotions and behavior, thus making it easier for the government to control its citizens. The novel raises important questions about the implications of an overly powerful technology, and how it can be used to manipulate and control individuals.
The second theme to discuss is social control. In The Brave New World, Huxley paints a vivid picture of a society that is controlled by a powerful government. The citizens of the Brave New World are kept in a state of ignorance and are provided with a false sense of security. Through the use of propaganda, emotional manipulation, and strict laws, the government is able to maintain its control over the population. The novel raises important questions about the implications of a powerful and oppressive government, and how it can be used to manipulate and control its citizens.
The third theme to discuss is human identity. In The Brave New World, Huxley paints a vivid picture of a society where individuality and freedom are lost. The citizens of the Brave New World are conditioned to conform and act in a certain way. They are given false identities and are not allowed to have any true sense of self. The novel raises important questions about the implications of a society where individuality and freedom are lost, and how it can be used to manipulate and control individuals.
These are just a few of the many themes and topics that can be discussed when writing an essay about The Brave New World. By exploring these themes, readers are able to gain a better understanding of the novel, and the implications of a society where technology and social control are used to manipulate and control individuals.