Brave New World Story Essay Example

needed to be controlled to prevent civil unrest, conflict and revolution. As stated by Huxley, "Stability...no civilization without social stability, no social stability without individual stability" (pg. 37). However, fascism relies on discipline and strict conformity for a nation's success, which aligns more with George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" than the benevolent power structure depicted in "Brave New World". As Orwell put it, "The world's stable now".

According to Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' (1994, Flamingo Press, pg 200), people are content because they receive everything they desire, have safety and never experience sickness. However, Huxley harbored considerable anxiety and skepticism towards democracy at a large scale and the possibility of revolution. This is why there is dictatorship in the novel, resulting in a more organized and structured society without civil unrest compared to reality at the time.

In 1926, while visiting America, Huxley was struck with pessimism and decided to write a satire based on his observations. Brave New World reflects Huxley's contribution to the widespread fear of Americanisation, as he was particularly affected by the Ford production lines and the 'illusion of individuality' that dehumanised man. The 'Fordist' America of the twenties, where the individual's life was determined by Big Business from conception to conveyor belt reproduction, disturbed Huxley. The excessive organisation that accompanied technological advances turned people into automata, exemplifying "the dehumanising effects of over-organisation" (Aldous Huxley 1994 'Brave New World Revisited', Flamingo Press, pg 80). (David Bradshaw 1993 introduction in 'Brave New World Revisited' 1994, Flamingo Press).

"People are representations of economic roles" (Huxley, 1994, p.32) and "everyone contributes to everyone else's work" (Huxley, 1994, p.66). This conforms to the emerging 'Social Ethic' which values

the collective worth of society over individualism and echoes the fundamental beliefs of Brave New World (Huxley, 1994).

The social ethic of adjustment, adaptability, and group loyalty/thinking/creativity would align well with production values in Brave New World. During the time period, America saw significant growth in new industries such as gas, chemical, plastics, and factory automation leading to an increase in consumer durables after 1931. However, this growth resulted in "technological unemployment" with up to 200,000 workers per year being replaced by automatic machinery. In Brave New World, this would be viewed negatively as it would lead to the elimination of manual and repetitive tasks and leave lower castes dissatisfied and without a role. This is allegedly a good reason for freezing scientific progress as it would be cruel to afflict those with excess leisure time. To maintain full employment and purchasing power, New Worlders are given differing levels of intellect to cater to all jobs. The two extremes of government at the time, the dictatorship of Lenin/Hitler and laissez-faire attitudes of America presented problems for Huxley.

During the early 20th century, American presidents such as Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover supported non-interventionist government policies that allowed markets to operate freely. However, this led to the formation of monopolies and unprecedented levels of wealth and income inequality. These themes were possibly alluded to in Huxley's Brave New World where production and consumption were controlled by intervenist controllers. It is even suggested that Huxley may have predicted ways to avoid the Great Depression of October '29. Despite experiencing rapid growth after World War I, the US economy was abruptly halted by the Wall Street crash which

resulted in a worldwide depression.

In 'Brave New World', Aldous Huxley highlights the significance of consumption over mending, which correlates with the great depression's fundamental cause: overproduction and under-consumption of commodities. The economic interdependence between Europe and the US was demonstrated in the 1920s, where any changes in America's economy had a substantial impact on Europe's economic fate.

Huxley's beliefs, found at org/huxley/htm, highlight the insufficiency of laissez-faire capitalism during the great depression. He believed that dictatorships were strengthened due to their ability to suppress opposition and control state economies. Anthony Wood's book 'Europe 1815-1945' states that when Brave New World was published in 1932, around one in four Americans were unemployed. Huxley's main concern was the significant gap between a country's productive capacity and its people's ability to consume, which he sought to address through supporting the Keynesian Theory advocating for increased consumption. In addition, Huxley also recognized the importance of commercial propaganda or persuasion in indirectly driving industry growth as noted on page 70 of his book 'Brave New World Revisited', stating that "consumerism requires the services of persuasion".

Brave New World features a 'fordist utopia' that revolves around the creation and use of manufactured items. Citizens are deliberately kept busy and directed towards acquiring additional commodities, as "No leisure from pleasure" is the motto. Within this world, joy arises from the utilization of mass-produced products, including 'obstacle gold'. Conventional religion is seen as perilous, so society has adopted a new religion centered around the incredibly positive consumption of large quantities of such products.

Advancements in radio, cinema, and press encouraged mass consumption of goods and repetition of adverts led to manipulation and subconscious

persuasion. Consumption acted as a distraction from socio-economic realities according to Aldous Huxley in his book 'Brave New World Revisited'. In the novel, 'feelies', 'orgy-porgy', and 'centrifugal bumble-puppy' were the distracters, while propagandist materials in the 1930s relied on more subtle conditioning through radios, loudspeakers, and moving pictures. Huxley also observed that propaganda convinced people to accept certain matters without questioning them.

While writing about hypothetical tranquillisers that would bring happiness and compliance to future generations, Huxley coincided with biochemist P.R. Irvine's discovery of serotonin after two years of researching the chemistry of the brain in 1931. Stimulants and tranquillisers are utilized across all countries as a short-term solution for coping with stress, depression, and conformity.

It seems that in Brave New World, safeguarding against political upheaval involves preventing undesirable conduct and enhancing the influence of government messaging through substances like soma. Huxley amplifies the population's preexisting anxiety about state-sanctioned mood-altering drugs that might create apathetic addicts. The novel envisions a potential future world, viewed through the lens of the 1930s, that incorporates novel ideas like 'test-tube babies' and 'genetic engineering', as well as all the possibilities of science and technology to reshape human existence.Brave New World, along with George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', is a significant work of anti-utopian literature. It represents all that is frightening and disgusting about the future world. Huxley's writing reflects the disillusionment of the twenties and cynicism of the future. He is considered "one of the most acute and observed observers of the social and ideological trends of the interwar period," (David Bradshaw 1994 'Aldous Huxley Between the Wars: Essays and Letters, Chicago Press, pg 253). Rather than a literal

depiction, Brave New World is a conceptual novel that critiques society's desire for social stability, which ultimately impinges on individual freedom. "Huxley's sombre mood in the late twenties was epitomised in Brave New World, a defence against what he regarded as the vulgarity and perversity of mass production," (David Bradshaw 1993 in 'Brave New World Revisited' 1994, Flamingo).