Brave New World Theme Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

"'God isn't compatible with machinery and scientific medicine and universal happiness.'" So says Mustapha Mond, the World Controller for Western Europe in Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World. In doing so, he highlights a major theme in this story of a Utopian society. Although the people in this modernized world enjoy no disease, effects of old age, war, poverty, social unrest, or any other infirmities or discomforts, Huxley asks 'is the price they pay really worth the benefits?' This novel shows that when you must give up religion, high art, true science, and other foundations of modern life in place of a sort of unending happiness, it is not worth the sacrifice. True, the citizens of this "brave new world" do enjoy many refinements and benefits to life. Lenina shows one thing they enjoy when on the reservation she sees an old Indian man and reacts with, "'What's the matter with him?'†¦ 'He's old, that's all,'†¦ 'But the Director's old; lots of people are old; they're not like that.'" (Huxley 110) Evidently Utopia has succeeded in eliminating the effects of old age. Being able to live one's entire life youthful certainly would be wonderful. It is not a thrilling prospect to grow weaker with age, gradually having your sense's perceptiveness fade, so most anyone would prefer this 'unimpaired youth.' There are other things which also make life easier, pointed out by Mustapha Mond talking to John the Savage, "'But there aren't any wars nowadays†¦There's no such thing as a divided allegiance; you're so conditioned that you can't help doing what you ought to do. And what you ought to do is on the whole s o pleasant, so many of the natural impulses are allowed free play, that there really aren't any temptations to resist. And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there's always soma to give you a holiday from the facts,'" (Huxley 243, 244). The people are never unhappy, there is nothing in society to bring about strong emotions, and any desires they have are almost immediately fulfilled. If anything is wrong, the people can take soma, a drug that makes you happy and high and has no adverse affects. One might be led to believe that this society is a perfect place to live, since all the inhabitants are eternally happy. The... .... The Savage could see that it was nothing but valueless vice, and when he accidentally succumbs to that which he so detested, he commits suicide after waking from his 'soma holiday.' Aldous Huxley is also sending us many warning messages with his novel. If we spend too much of our lives pursuing happiness through physical fulfillment, we will miss out on what is truly important, our relationships with other people and with God. He is also telling us to be careful with our science, or we may end up like the Utopians, mass producing identical citizens, then brainwashing them to think alike, and to think exactly what the government mandates. Huxley tells us not to cheapen sex through promiscuity, because it is supposed to be something to express a deep and undying love to someone, not a simple carnal pleasure. These were just some of the mistakes the Utopians made, all of which contributed to their lives being shallow and meaningless. They were not truly happy, because they misplac ed their values and failed to see what brings true joy and peace in one's life. The apparent blissfulness in which they lived turned out to be nothing, their Utopia was not worth the high price they paid.