Two groundbreaking books cast their shadow over our future in the second half of the twentieth century. Among them was the Brave New World of Aldous Huxley (1932), a dystopian novel which suggested a different and softer model of totalitarianism: one of conformity accomplished by manufactured, bottle-grown babies and hypnotic manipulation rather than through brutality; of boundless consumption that keeps the wheels of production spinning and of officially enforced promiscuity that prevents sexual frustration; in a pre-ordained caste system that ranges from a brilliant management class to a subgroup of dim-witted servants programmed to enjoy their menial work; and, a drug that offers no side effects of instant happiness (Burgmann 1-5). And, oddly, 90 years later, it is frightening. In the Brave New World, the World State's culture has shadows of our contemporary society, just as aspects of the World State appear to be invoked by modern society. However, although there are areas of convergence, there are also areas where industrial culture and the State of the World setting cannot be further separated (Burgmann 2-5). Therefore, this paper will give a detailed analysis of how the book complements modern-day society, especially in the United States and Europe.
The novel begins at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre in the immediate future. The institute plays a critical role in the non-natural reproduction and social acclimatizing of the world population (Woiak 105). The Director of the Centre (D.H.C) proudly discusses in the first chapter the biochemical technology that makes the creation of nearly identical human beings possible and, in doing so, introduces Huxley's theme of individuality under attack. The method of Bokanovsky, which arrests normal human development while encouraging the creation of thousands of identical eggs, purposely deprives human beings of their unique individual natures, thus making it unnecessary to monitor overt procedures (Woiak 106). Huxley brings home the importance of his dystopian society with the motto "Community. Identity. Stability." in the first glimpse.
All the technology, preparation, and conditioning of this World State exist solely to support and sustain these ends. Notice, too, the presence of stereotypes in dystopia at the beginning of the twentieth century, for example, in the racially charged (and unscientific) comparisons of human ovaries and the student all-male community. Another argument is that all is governed by the World Power, which determines whether women are sterilized. They can produce many humans with just one egg in the New World, so they no longer need so many fertile women. That is why two-thirds of them are sterilized by World Power, which is done right after birth. Women who are not sterilized, which is also part of sleep-teaching education, must use contraception. This means that they do not get pregnant.
Such specifics show that any futuristic novel depicts as much as hopes or fears for the future about a writer's reaction to the present. The novel compares to European society as it is stated to be the largest market in the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), therefore highlighting Huxley's premonition in the near future (Woiak 105-108). Surrogacy has been on the rise, especially in the United States, in pursuit of bearing children of absolute beauty and not for the intended purpose, which was assisting women with difficulty giving birth. Furthermore, the rise in contraceptives is witnessed in the united states, whereby young girls are encouraged to use any form of contraception to reduce the increasing cases of abortion among young girls who become pregnant earlier on in their teenage years. For years the number of young girls who become pregnant is alarming. It is now okay to have sex. Might also adopt Huxley's abnormal ideology of sterilizing girls at birth in the coming years.
In the second chapter, at the Central London Hatchery, as the D.H.C. continues with his tour of the area, he experiences Conditioning from Neo-Pavlovian. He sees how nurses expose books and flowers to a group of babies and then incorporate a violent blast, alarm bells, shrieking sirens, and an electric shock at last. According to the D.H.C., the experience will lead to “instinctive hatred,” which will unalterably condition the babies’ reflexes regarding books and nature. Additionally, the D.H.C. notes that such social conditioning eventually influences economic consumption among the population (Woiak 110-113). In support of his sentiments, he demonstrates how a dislike for nature can be transformed into a love for country sports. He recounts a tale, “sleep-teaching or hypnopaedia,” “greatest moralizing and socializing force of all time.”
In comparison to Europe and the United States, modern publicity is analogous to the brainwashing and conditioning of the State of the world. Advertisers repeat the same commercials over and over again so that the effect becomes hypnotic, as with the recordings the kids hear over and over again while they sleep. To add to this, we might remember that, depending on the caste or class of people being discussed, the brainwashing and conditioning are altered in Brave New World. Betas are conditioned, for instance, not to want to wear the color of the Delta, khaki, whereas Deltas are conditioned to like khaki. The quote “The khaki of Deltas and a sniff of asafœtida, roses and electric shocks, wedded indissolubly before the child could speak. Yet wordless conditioning is crude and wholesale; the finer distinctions cannot be taken home; the more difficult therapeutic courses cannot be inculcated. There must be words for that just words without excuse. Hypnopædia in short (Burgmann 8). As consumers are segmented and targeted based on class characteristics, this also exists in our culture. For example, some market segments may repeatedly be conditioned on the desire to acquire foreign cars that represent a specific taste and class of individuals. The purchase of luxurious sports vehicles will outwardly point out to a particular social class compared to buying “the regular” vehicles.
Besides, consumerism and the use of technology are brought out through the character Mustapha Mond who was the world regulator. In the novel, a lifestyle that was heavily reliant on technology was created. Mustapha Mond denied any form of technological advancement that did not add to consumerism. The quote “ending is better than mending” is reiterated mainly in the book; hence the people are habituated to hate nature (Burgmann 10). Consequently, in modern society, the “idolization” of smartphones is experienced globally. Specifically, parts of the United States where each month new additions are made to the smartphones, especially the iPhone model leading to people continually changing these electronic gadgets in less than a year, especially when their previous handsets have zero malfunctions. This is especially so because, in contemporary society, everyone wants to go with what’s “trending,” making companies be in constant production of the same. Just like the world state, consumerism in modern society is at work. We see constant and unnecessary replacement as an utterly ordinary behavior.
The endless spinning wheel of fashion, and the world of clothing in general, becomes even more disquieting with this in mind. High street chains are becoming cheaper and cheaper, but the products' quality is being affected. Cheap clothes made from cheap fabrics (and let's not even get into the horrible realities of cheap outsourced labor because that's a whole different essay) means that customers continue a repetitive loop of purchasing and chucking.
In utopias and dystopias, sex is always center stage. Who can do what the collection of genital organs, and with whom, is one of humanity's critical concerns of humanity. Huxley uses his fiction eyes to paint a representative environment where sex is seen as recreational. In Brave New World, almost all of the main characters are from this society. When they are born, through sleep teaching and electroshock therapy, they are educated and conditioned. In this preparation, sexual and reproductive patterns are also established. For example, the kids in the hatchery and conditioning center play erotic games. To them, this is normal for children. Sex becomes an act of release, an escape, a mode of entertainment when people are older, and is no longer a means of procreation (Burgmann 15). The quote "well, I hope he's right," said Lenina. "But, Fanny, do you really mean to say that for the next three months you're not supposed to" gives the notion that sexed is consumed regularly.
In different contexts, promiscuity is celebrated. They use sex in feelies and rituals to make people happy. So, you might say that sex and love, or sex and some deep emotion, are no longer a real relationship. Huxley has eliminated some relationship with respect to the World State in general. A real bond is no longer made up of two individuals; it has become a large group. This could be seen as an appeal to our culture, that something is going wrong in our world, and that we should not forget romantic relationships and emotions in our lives.
This is complementary to the present times in the United States and some parts of Europe, such as Paris, also known as the "city of love." The United States is hailed to be the biggest in the entertainment industry, mostly in Hollywood. In the various productions, sex scenes are incredibly evident in most movies and even in the music videos. There are clear illustrations of sex orgies, "groupies," and what is now commonly known as "three some." These scenes compliment Woiak views in his fictitious society, where sex is seen as a party (117). Also, in Paris recently, there is the introduction of dining naked and walking naked at the beach, a culture seen as usual to the communities in Paris. Also, this leads to sexual fantasies and hence group sex. Besides, there is an increasing number of "friends with benefits" relationships in this millennial era. Therefore sex is used as a means of outlets, fun but both parties, in the end, have mutual benefits. The idea of having real relationships that entail romance and intimacy is disregarded. This is also attributed to creating some dating sites such as Tinder that do not offer platforms for developing relationships but one-night stands and continual hookups. Also, the clubs are perceived as the most comfortable places for finding casual sex. In the book, it is quoted, "Oh no, dear. Only for a week or two, that's all. I shall spend the evening at the Club playing Musical Bridge" (Woiak 122). Additionally, there was an increased use of the drug soma and alcohol that brought happiness to the people. This led to increased sexual exploits, as is the case in our society.
The inverted distinction between public and private is a more intellectual (and perhaps even more relevant) detail, striking in Brave New World. There are affairs out in the open in Brave New World. Everyone knows the business of everyone else, just not in the scurrilous neighborhood gossip way. It's an everyday part of life. It's vital that everyone knows with whom you're going out (and with whom you're going out) and how many people you have at the same time. It is illegal in the book to desire to be alone, which can lead to punishment by the world state authority. Lenina laughs when Bernard asks to speak to her alone, not out of spite, but because the thought of not being seen or heard by the masses is so ridiculous. To give it meaning, everybody must know everyone else's business. Something that occurs secretly would not have existed in Brave New World, which has a frightening resemblance to our modern society. Epitomized by the "photos or...
