Alienation In Brave New World

Government control is enforced through the use of soma, a hallucinogen that is known to sedate and distract individuals from realizing their enslavement, and this drug is exploited as a way to escape reality. However, this abuse ultimately leads to mental corruption. The majority of society consumes this substance to combat pain, worry, and tension. This narcotic is used in everyday life and “served with coffee” (Huxley 75) to help fill people’s days with mindless acts. Soma gives a feeling of euphoria, often times withdrawing the feelings of depression and illness. “Soma, the perfect pharmaceutical, soothes pain” (McQuail) leaving individuals in a state of pleasure and nirvana. Within the corrupt society, a few characters refuse consumption of the hallucinogen. These individuals are regarded as

The effects of soma are very “drug-like”. Soma is often used by the government to control or condition the members of Brave New World.The use of soma or drugs in Brave New World is different than today and the past’s usage of drugs. During the 1930s, substance abuse and addiction began to rise. In World War II, amphetamines were widely distributed to soldiers to fight fatigue and improve their mood and endurance. Marijuana and a large wave of opiate addiction began to rise greatly. Today, marijuana is the most common illicit drug used.An estimated $193 billion are spent on illicit drugs today. Like today, people during the 1930s used these drugs as “feel good” drugs. Substance abuse and addiction is still a rising problem in today's

In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, John’s identities are influenced by two opposite societies, and even though he tries to prove his manhood and change the framework of brave new world, he can’t gain real acceptance from anywhere. John’s mother, Linda, is from the brave new world but gave birth to him in the savage reservation and her different behaviors based on the framework of the brave new world caused John’s isolation in the savage reservation. John decides to move to the brave new world and becomes popular in this society, but his identity, influenced by his “savage” culture, can’t be accepted by the community. His conflict with the brave new world finally forces him to try to change the framework of the society, but his attempt is

In the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley characters in the novel live in a world where everyone is always without a doubt happy.Mustapa Mond says to John while he’s trying to prove that civilation doesn’t need nobility and heroism because there’s no need for it and that divided allegiances don’t exist because “Now you swallow tow or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are.Anybody can be virtuous now.You can carry at least your morality about in a bottle”[237-238].Soma is a drug that helps you take a “holiday” from all your troubles and escape the real world

Cursed to a life of isolation because of his appearance, values, and outrageous thoughts, John was alienated mentally, emotionally, and physically in both the Savage Culture and the World State Culture. Torn between keeping true to his virtues and conforming to society, the treatment of John highlights the values of both cultures in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

In the novel Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, the use of “soma”, a drug similar to an opiate, is used to help control peace and the world. Since soma has been used to configurate the world, there has been no war, mental disabilities, depression or sickness throughout the people. The people are given soma every day to function throughout society without having to deal with stress, anxiety, depression or any other negative feelings, the soma blocks out “feelings” in order to properly thrive without any implications. Soma is not just only used to hide feelings and keep the people feeling youthful, but also to keep the community become more societal and unified. Soma is depended on through the society to deal with any problems, whether

In the Brave New World, people who are different from the normal standard are alienated and isolated from society because of their individuality. The society of the Brave New World is structured and ordered – the government attempts to control everything. Alienation in the Brave New World can be categorized into three areas, appearance, intellect, and morals.

John, also known as John the Savage, is the son of Linda and his father, who are both members of Utopia. He was born and raised on the Savage Reservation. John is an outsider both on the Reservation - where the natives still practise marriage, natural birth, family life and religion - and the apparently civilised Brave New World: a totalitarian welfare-state based on principles of stability and happiness, even if it`s a happiness of a superficial and bland nature.

This theme pertains to the possibility that the world may fall into the hands of the government in the name of a “utopian” society, resulting in a robot-like world without any feelings or imaginative thought if the world becomes too technologically dependent. Huxley portrays this theme through many occurrences, such as when the main character, John the Savage, is arguing with the head of the society, Mustapha Mond. John, in response to Mustapha saying that society should be based on efficiency and comfort, states “But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin” (Huxley 240). The theme of oppression and restraint of emotion is characterized by Huxley’s decision to give the characters of the novel insight as to what is actually going with this “utopian” society. The absence of diversity among people and the social barriers caused by technology asserts Huxley’s overall theme of the falling of society due to technological advancements. In the society that the characters of the novel are living in, technology has made it so that people are designed to work to create more people, all in a thoughtless, monotonous manner. All in all, Huxley is able to convey a theme of Brave New World which portrays a new world run by technology in which all that

The future of the world is a place of thriving commerce and stability. Safety and happiness are at an all-time high, and no one suffers from depression or any other mental disorders. There are no more wars, as peace and harmony spread to almost every corner of the world. There is no sickness, and people are predestined to be happy and content in their social class. But if anything wrong accidentally occurs, there is a simple solution to the problem, which is soma. The use of soma totally shapes and controls the utopian society described in Huxley's novel Brave New World as well as symbolize Huxley's society as a whole. This pleasure drug is the answer to all of

We can see that in this world people are conditioned to like drugs and things like that so it's no wonder they become addicts to the thing. In the real world drugs are seen as bad as robbing a bank, but in the book taking drugs is as normal as showering, we can see this comparison when Linda says “What I had to suffer—and not a gramme of soma to be had. Only a drink of mescal every now and then, when Popé used to bring it. Popé is a boy I used to know. But it makes you feel so bad afterwards, the mescal does, and you're sick with the peyotl; besides it always made that awful feeling of being ashamed much worse the next day. And I was so ashamed.” (pg. 120) We can see that in the book the reservation is a reflection of our world and taking alcohol as much as linda did is bad and seen poorly, but back in her world is was as common as anything else which is why she suffers a lot when she loses her access to drugs. Another time we see this socially acceptable behavior is when Huxley show us Lenina's addiction to soma “Lenina felt herself entitled, after this day of queerness and horror, to a complete and absolute holiday. As soon as they got back to the rest-house, she swallowed six half-gramme tablets of soma, lay down on her bed, and within ten minutes had embarked for lunar eternity. It would be eighteen hours at the least before she was in time again.” (pg.

Huxley reflects the consequences of totalitarian World State, upon the concern of oppressed citizens. Provoked by Freud and with Mendel’s work on genetic engineering and consumerism early 20th century, Huxley chose a science fiction medium to warn the audience as they venture into the political beliefs and attitudes of the World State and identify its dehumanising effects. The imperative verb, ‘unescapable’ as Huxley states “All conditioning aims at…making people like their unescapable social destiny” (Ch 1) illustrates the loss of freedom due to scientific means which have constrained them into accepting the ideology taught by the World State. Huxley provides ‘John the Savage’ a sense of freedom from the Mexican Reservation where he is given thought, emotions and choice. Although he exclaims “How beauteous mankind is!” in the metaphorical “O brave new world” (Ch8) compared to the Reservation’s society, after seeing the oppression and nothingness of the World State he feels the oppression. This is stressed by the asyndeton of his desires using the personal pronoun ‘I’ in “But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin” (Ch 17) as John identifies the powerlessness and mindlessness of the citizens. Though Huxley through John’s anti-thesis “I’m claiming the right to be unhappy.”

Although the phrase of “every one belongs to every one else” (Huxley 43) is used by the society of the World State to show social conformity and unity, multiple cases of alienation and isolation are present among the main characters within the novel. In the World State, people live “where everyone is happy, but no one is free” (“Brave New World”). In the beginning of the novel, readers are introduced to Bernard Marx, who is conditioned to be an alpha, one of the highest rankings in the social ladder, but is alienated because of his size and anti-social approach to the civilized lifestyle lived out by the majority of his colleagues. Bernard’s characterization by Huxley sanctions the reader to enter into the controlling society of the World State. Bernard has “erratic attempts to conform to a society in which he feels essentially alienated” (Neilson). Correspondingly, John, the savage, believes in love and marriage, which are values instilled into him by the natives while he lived on the reservation.

In Brave New World soma is seen as “the perfect drug”. It has all the benefits that any other drug has (calming, 10-hour high), yet it does not have any of the side effects (brain damage). The citizens of this perfect world have been conditioned to love the drug soma. They can use this drug whenever they feel remotely dissatisfied. John the Savage believes that people who take the drug soma are constantly “absent” (Huxley 104). He believes that soma makes people emotionless human beings.

Aldous Huxley also uses John’s mother Linda to illustrate the facility with which conditioning dominates over innate traits. Linda is a Beta from the “Other Place” (p. 78) and has therefore been conditioned to be promiscuous, to take soma and to be repulsed by the idea of having children. During a visit to the Reservation she became impregnated and was too ashamed to return to the World State with a baby so has lived there ever since. Though she has tried to immerse herself in the “savage” (p. 76) culture her state conditioning has made her an outsider. Since living in the Indian village, Linda has followed her conditioning to the best of her abilities: she continues to promiscuously sleep with other men, takes the alcoholic beverage mescal as a poor yet available substitute for soma, and is still horrified at the idea of taking care