Brave New World and The Day of the Triffids Essay Example

combination of biological engineering and exhaustive conditioning. Millions of standardized citizens, identified through only ten thousand surnames, are not born but rather "hatched" to fill predetermined roles. This process includes medical and surgical interventions to control reproduction, such as the removal of ovaries, known as "Bokanovsky's Process." The significant use of technology to control society is highlighted by the quote, "'Bokanovsky's Process' is one of the major instruments of social stability!"

According to Huxley's civilisation, being totalitarian is the core concept. Thus, the lack of identity within the society is evident. The Bokanovsky's Process adds to the population's easy handling as they are so customised and idealistic that they can only think within their conditioning. The Director states that happiness and virtue lie in liking what one has to do, and conditioning helps people accept their social fate. The government controls the population through social conditioning, and the caste system differs from a typical capitalist system which separates individuals based on natural selection's social class burdens.

Therefore, they are conditioned not to desire any life other than their own in the Caste system, which includes Alphas, Betas, Deltas, Epsilons, and Epsilons-minus. In 'Brave New World,' Huxley's ideas are heavily influenced by Hitler. The utilization of technology to brainwash individuals in 'Brave New World' mirrors that of Hitler's Germany in 1930, as Hitler used brainwashing to control the German people.

The world was viewed optimistically by them at all times. The ideal race was sought by Hitler, with individuals who would never challenge their position in society but instead accept everything the leader said as truth. Huxley's 'Brave New World' portrays the various elements of Nazi Germany. 'The

Day of the Triffids' functions as an ecological fable, demonstrating the consequences of human interference with nature. The Triffids are a result of some form of misguided biologically engineered intervention.

Whereas Huxley portrays a society with extreme control and advanced technology in Brave New World, Wyndham's book depicts a disordered world devoid of both. In this tale, we are introduced to the character Bill Masen who finds himself in a hospital waiting for his bandages to be removed.

The initial statement implies a feeling of impending disaster: "When a day you know is Wednesday begins to sound like Sunday, something is seriously wrong." The protagonist, Bill Masen, was previously immune to Triffid stings and worked in a factory that produced them until he was blinded by one. While recuperating with bandages over his eyes, he overheard people excitedly discussing an uncommon meteor shower that he could not observe. The following day, he awoke to discover that the majority of humanity had lost their sight. Faced with such devastation, Bill pondered the possibility of looting or scavenging for survival within the remnants of society.

According to the quote, sensibility cannot be held onto in a chaotic world where a formerly controlled capitalist system has given way to catastrophic disorder due to people's inability to see. This results in widespread suicides and looting, as well as blind individuals capturing those who can see for survival. Meanwhile, sightless individuals wander aimlessly looking for food while those who were once advantaged by their sight have become easy prey for carnivorous Triffids. Wyndham depicts this post-World War II world as a reflection of reality.

Comparing the Triffids' arrival to the detonation

of an atomic bomb, both have a tremendous impact on the world overnight, turning everything from normal to completely ruined. In "Brave New World," disconnection with others can be traced back to a faulty hatching process. This novel highlights three central characters who experience alienation for unique reasons. For Bernard Marx, an alpha male, his physically inferior stature is what makes him feel alienated.

Unconventional views on sexual relationships, sports, and community events set him apart. Insecurity over his size keeps him disconnected from the World State. Helmholtz's exceptional intelligence prevents him from fitting into the Alpha male role, causing alienation. The only character not born and raised in the World State, John faces rejection from the Indian society due to his race. Furthermore, he is unable to participate in the World State because he has learned his beliefs from Shakespeare, who emphasizes the importance of love and independence.

The following quote illustrates how the World State has caused individuals to renounce their autonomy: "You've got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art. We sacrificed the high art." This statement highlights the idea that people cannot desire what they do not know, and in the context of 'Brave New World,' where pain and suffering are unknown, art is not a valued commodity. As a result, the characters feel disconnected from society because they do not conform to the normative expectations of the World State. However, John, who was raised outside of this society, has a different set of values that he acquired through reading literary works.

Knowing that there is more to life than being controlled, he desires God, poetry, real danger,

freedom, goodness, and even sin. "But I don't want comfort," he declares.

John desires a life that the society in 'Brave New World' cannot provide, as indicated in the given quote. His upbringing outside the World State has led him to believe that a life devoid of both pleasures and challenges is not worth living. This echoes Huxley's inspiration from Nazi Germany where going against Hitler or behaving abnormally was punished by concentration camps.

The level of alienation in 'Brave New World' is not as extreme compared to other societies. The ostracized individuals are ignored and eliminated from the community, rendering them insignificant. This is deemed as the most severe form of punishment in the world state. As mentioned in the quote, "Wheels must turn steadily, but cannot turn untended. There must be men to tend them, men as steady as the wheels upon their axle, sane men, and obedient men, stable in contentment," it presents the explanation behind the totalitarian regime's justification. The belief is that the government, not the people, knows what's best.

Whilst Huxley's concept of alienation differs, Wyndham's is unique in its depiction. In 'The Day of the Triffids', character alienation is not a result of societal dysfunction, but a complete loss of civilization. With the world in ruins, survivors are cut off from all they once knew and must begin anew.

'The italicized emphasis confirms Bill's isolation in a world where only the sighted can thrive. He feels alone in desolate London due to the scarcity of other sighted individuals. The remaining sighted have left to start new lives elsewhere and have no reason to return to London.'

In conclusion, John Wyndham and

Aldous Huxley have contrasting perspectives on the future. Huxley believes that humanity is doomed to be controlled by one person with no free will, resulting in a monotonous existence devoid of individuality. This view undermines what makes humans unique and ultimately adds pathos to their plight. On the other hand, John Wyndham suggests that humanity is capable of creating its own crises, but ultimately has the capacity for goodness and hope.