The Influences of Drug Use in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World

To the government and citizens of the Brave New World (BNW), the Savage Reservation represents the history of the world as it was before the Nine Year’s War. Most of the citizens, and of course the World Controllers, are aware of the events of this war; they know about the anthrax bombs, the British Museum massacres, as well as the fact that almost everything that appeared before A.F. 150 was banned in this New World. For this reason, the Reservation is seen as a wasteland of unethical virtues, an unwanted lifestyle, and a place of death and disease. This is because they’re brainwashed to believe that,

Soma is a means of mind control in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Soma is a drug given to the citizens of the World State to make them more euphoric and to better accept their fate as citizens in this dystopian society. The scientific basis of soma is that it is an opiate that makes the user feel happy; the user feels happy and is therefore easily manipulated. It could be argued that soma is basically alcohol; people take it to escape from reality and to feel better about themselves. Soma is significant to the novel because the government uses soma to control the World State citizens and take away their individuality, which makes them easier

It is important to note that the citizens in Huxley’s novel are always happy. While happiness in its purest form is greatly treasured in our modern society, happiness in World Society existed in the form of a drug by the name of ‘Soma.’ In their society, the commonly used, “euphoric narcotic pleasantly hallucinant” drug symbolizes a state of happiness that is rarely attainable in the contemporary era” (37). However, it is significant because it symbolizes the powerful impact that science and technology have on society. In situations of unease and apprehension, and also in individuals are not only encouraged to, but conditioned to take doses of Soma, which brings them back into a state of high which ensures absolutely little to no acts of rebellion. Furthermore, Soma is commonplace that it is “served with the coffee” (50). This come to illustrate the immense amount of influence that scientific innovation and government regulations have on individuals to the point where it becomes integrated into their everyday lives. While the usage of drugs is greatly ridiculed in the modern world, it is encouraged in World Society, and this comes to demonstrate how great emphasis on scientific innovations can be destructive, stripping away natural human

Soma is used so frequently that it is just another normal item used by consumers. Some people even use it religiously. The controller states, “Christianity without tears-that’s what soma is.”(Huxley 238). Comparing it to a religion not only signifies its relevance in society, but also its strength. Religion brings hope and courage to someone and eliminates worry. This is exactly what soma is, except it is not actually a religion. It is just a drug that takes someone out of the realities

In chapter three Huxley has Bernard presented with soma while in surrounding lines he has Mustapha Mond, a world leader, talk about drugs like cocaine, morphine, and enormous amounts of alcohol all of which can have lethal, controlling effects on users. This shows the reader that soma decimates part of one’s being, while also conveying the absolute power that controllers have over their citizens through drugs. In chapter 5 part I Lenina and Henry’s doses of “soma had raised a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their minds” (77). This split from reality is what Huxley wants to convey to the reader that science, drugs, and technologies if we are not careful will cause us to lose ourselves and blind us from the rest of the world and ourselves. In the end of the novel Linda is killed due to her taking obscene amounts of soma and John thus throws the soma rations out of the window because he knew the soma to be “poison to the soul as well as body” and he said that he wanted to “bring [them] freedom” (211).

Soma is a hallucinogen that whenever someone takes it, they instantly become happy and more carefree. The characters use this drug as an escape from the world. They don’t want to feel pain or sadness, they constantly want to feel the need of being joyful and happy. The government uses soma as a way to gain social stability. “‘Stability,’ said the Controller, ‘stability. No civilization without stability. No social stability without individual stability’” (Huxley, 42). Stability is a major role that is needed in this kind of society. Without stability, the society will be in shambles. However, so many people in the community loves soma, because many people constantly become distressed with topics they aren’t used to. For example, when two characters named Lenina and Bernard go to a Reservation, Lenina says, “‘But it’s terrible,’ Lenina whispered. ‘It’s awful. We ought not to have come here.’ She felt in her pocket for her soma--only to discover that, by some unprecedented oversight, she had left the bottle” (Huxley, 111). Soma has become addicted throughout the community, and people can’t go one moment out of their norm. Lenina goes on saying, “‘Oh, I wish I had my soma’” (Huxley, 116). Lenina is constantly wanted soma whenever she pinpoints something wrong than her norm. This is because she was conditioned to feel this way. “‘A gramme in time saves nine,’ said Lenina, producing a bright treasure of sleep-taught wisdom” (Huxley, 89). The term ‘sleep-taught wisdom’ is meaning that she remembers this from hypnopaedia, and with the use of ‘bright treasure’, she thinks that the government is always right. However, the government is controlling the community and Lenina portrays the perfect character who believes that the government is always

In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, there is a drug used and mentioned throughout the story called Soma. The characters have been conditioned by birth that Soma is always the answer when you feel alone or sad. This drug is used so people can go on "holidays" from their reality and is used as payment for the lower caste groups. People want Soma because they go on these highs and live in their "Heaven" to escape reality. After all, they do call Soma "All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects"(Huxley 54). Soma becomes a tool to control the people in society.

In Brave New World, the soma that people take can quickly become addicting. When Lenina and Bernard see Linda and John at the Savage Reservation, Linda tells Lenina, “What I had to suffer - and not a gramme of soma to be had” (Huxley 120). The people in Brave New World are happy when they have soma. Soma does not have the awful side effects that alcohol has. When John, the Savage, starts to throw people’s soma distribution’s out the window “…the khaki mob was silent, petrified, at the spectacle of this wanton sacrilege, with amazement and horror” (Huxley 213).

Soma is the best weapon the government in "Brave New World" can use to control their citizens and maintain their ideal society. Soma creates a clam feeling while also distracting citizens. The distraction the drug provides is it's most powerful side effect, because while taking soma the citizens do not realize that that there is actually something very wrong in their world. Using soma to keep it's citizens content is the only way the citizens of the World State, in Brave New World continue to be enslaved.

Soma is “the drug sponsored by the state to reduce or eliminate feelings of unhappiness” (Huxley 23). If a drug like Soma were to be created in today’s world it replace all the drugs in the world because there is no side effects. The number of Americans abusing prescription drugs has almost doubled from 7.8 million in 1992 to 15.1 million in 2003 (The Washington Times, 2005), where soma is used worldwide in Brave new world. The drug Soma in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, could easily be described as a modernized prescription drug.

In the Brave New World, they used soma to free their minds and to stay happy in that utopia. If too much was taken, it would put you into a coma and it would kill you eventually, even if you didn’t overdose it still kills you. They controllers and the other leaders would have people take soma if they started having feelings

In a perfect society, humans do not need to take drugs to keep society in balance. In Aldous Huxley’s novel “Brave New World”, society is based on keeping everyone happy. If for some reason someone becomes unhappy then there is always soma, the “perfect” drug. Humans are conditioned from the very start to be happy while performing their specific tasks. While they are children, the adults bring them to the crematorium to show the kids burning lifeless bodies.

The World State forbids the citizens from experiencing any negative emotion, for fear of losing control. Soma, Latin for sleep, renders its users to a coma-like blissful state, which Congdon describes, borrowing the statement from Huxley himself, that soma allows the citizens to,“periodically escape from the pressure of routine and worldly cares”(Congdon). Citizens are conditioned to use the drug at the slightest challenge to the cultural norms, preventing any thoughts of rebellion or contempt against the government.

The novel Brave New World uses soma as a symbol for power and control over citizen’s emotions. Aldous Huxley, the author of the novel uses symbolism to show soma helps user receive a quick fix for their problems and the consequences that comes with the drug. Everyone has their own obstacles to face, some may be harder than others. We cannot experience all the good things in life without some of the bad. Taking drugs and alcohol to escape from problems is not the solution. They might make you feel blissful for a while but sooner or later you will have to face those issue that you were once running away

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