Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale Essay Example

Crowne, in a procedure that has abundant empirical control, is not very surprising. This creates a lasting impression for the reader that there is indifference towards meeting others who have the same surname. In contrast to our world where relationships are greatly valued, as indicated by paternity testing and natural births, a difference in parental morality is highlighted between their world and ours, which could potentially fascinate the reader even more.

Both novels explore the World State's implementation of "Bokanovskification" and a "caste system" that categorizes children into differing levels of abilities. The lower castes, like the "Epsilons", are destined to live mundane and interchangeable lives, barely existing at all. The authors emphasize the hierarchies of worth by using color representation, such as the color "khaki", in different ways depending on who it is associated with.

In Atwood's novel, the powerful "Aunts" wear "khaki dresses," indicating their high clearance level, similar to the prestigious connotation of the Armed Forces. In contrast, Huxley's lower-ranking "Delta" castes wear khaki-colored uniforms, which associate them with menial tasks and hard work. Offred, in Atwood's story, explains how they dress in the "color of blood, which defines us." This reduction of a person's complexity to the connotations of a color is extremely immoral, appealing to a reader who cannot imagine living in a world where everyone loses their individuality.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the concept of impersonal procreation is reflected. Following the ritualistic and unemotional "ceremony," the Commander departs, taking care to close the door with emphasis. Interestingly, the act is referred to as a positive "ceremony," although Offred states it is only tolerable when she follows the principle of detachment and description.

Offred's numbed outlook towards this catastrophic regime portrays her as tragically robotic.

The text juxtaposes the characterisation of Offred with glimpses of her previous life with Luke and what she was capable of doing before. These glimpses may resonate with readers as they recognize similarities to their own lives, enhancing our sympathy for Offred's situation and increasing the fear and appeal we feel as readers when we imagine ourselves in her circumstances. On the other hand, it can also be argued that both worlds hold some hope, as there are small opportunities for escape for the oppressed in each. Huxley's novel offers numerous escape routes, with the most common one being a psychological escape via Soma.

The widely accepted belief that "a gramme is better than a damn" demonstrates how the drug serves as a form of immediate satisfaction, possessing "all the benefits of Christianity and alcohol; none of their flaws." The drug also operates according to "Our Freud's" concept of the "Pleasure Principle," which involves "the innate desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain [...] in order to fulfill biological and psychological needs." Soma presents a central theme of the inability to reconcile happiness with the truth; individuals are taught to depend on artificial contentment, which prevents them from recognizing their dystopian existence.

The lack of humanity among World State citizens is not their only unappealing trait, but also their intentional obliviousness towards the dystopia they inhabit. This idea is alluring and menacing because it suggests that one could be living in a dystopia without even realizing it, as John Joseph Adams suggests. This appeals to readers who see the novel as a cautionary tale, as

they too may be unaware of the dystopia surrounding them. The totalitarian regime known as the Republic of Gilead instills fear, but their ambiguously named figures such as the Aunts, Angels, and Guardians are presented as biblical saviours who ultimately control the vulnerable population.

Unlike Huxley's characters, the Handmaids in the novel are aware of their dystopian circumstances but seldom witness them physically. The motif of sightlessness serves as both a theme and means of escape in the story. In chapter 4, there is mention of the "wings" on the Handmaids' attire that obstruct their peripheral vision. Offred's eyes are described as obediently closed during ceremonies, while the Aunts in chapter 14 restrict the Handmaids' view of the world through selective film screenings, only showing victories and never defeats. This idea of sightlessness is connected to darkness and taps into readers' fears, adding to the thrill and allure of the novel.

The intro to chapter 10 in "The Handmaid's Tale" illustrates a prominent instance of intentional ignorance. Offred sings the hymn "Amazing Grace" but confesses uncertainty about the correctness of the lyrics, stating, "I can't remember." Notably, she changes the last line from "Was blind, but now I see" to "Was bound, but now am free." By admitting her inability to recall, it suggests that her lyrical choices are unconscious, rooted in the hidden and inaccessible part of our psyche known as the Freudian 'Id'. This aspect is linked to our innate drives and deepest desires.

Offred uses the word "free" to express that she doesn't want to eliminate her wings and face her reality, but instead, she only wants to avoid it and be truly free. This

makes the readers feel sympathetic towards Offred because Gilead's harmful influence on its citizens, even on an unconscious level, highlights their wickedness and strength as a dominant force. Both novels condemn interpretation because it can lead to differences in belief systems, which in turn can generate chaos by undermining each ruler's goal of achieving balance.

The text highlights the idea of religion being eradicated in dictatorships, except for the ones they establish. In Huxley's novel, a new faith called "Fordism" is created to venerate Henry Ford's methods of mass production. Characters in the book use satirical phrases like "for Ford's sake" and "Ford knows" in a Fordism tone. It is intriguing that Mustapha Mond, a World Controller, possesses a copy of The Holy Bible, while most of society is brainwashed into embracing Fordism.

Mond acknowledges in a conversation that he keeps “God in the safe and Ford on the shelves”, which implies his fondness for a previous era of religion and his hypocrisy in then creating a new society without it. In the declarative statement, Mond's use of the transitive verb "make" epitomizes the deliberate thought process that shaped the World State, stating that tragedies cannot be created without social instability. Perhaps a reader from the 1930s would find Mond's manipulation of religion more alarming, as the Great Depression during that time led to a resurgence of the church in America, offering spiritual solace.

Readers may find the audacity of Mond's actions in reimagining Christianity as a means to dehumanize others appealing due to their socially forbidden nature. Atwood incorporates the phrase "Blessed be the fruit" in the greetings of the Handmaids, referencing a passage from the Book

of Deuteronomy in The Holy Bible that begins with "Blessed be the fruit of your womb..." This use of biblical language highlights the immense religious authority within Gilead, where women are expected to adhere to Christian teachings regardless of their personal beliefs.

In a similar vein to Huxley's novel, the Commander locks up "the Bible" because it is seen as a dangerous tool. The Handmaids are permitted to have it read to them but are not allowed to read it themselves. This prohibition on interpretation confines the Handmaids within the boundaries of Gilead's beliefs. Drawing from the perspectives of American criminologist Gresham Sykes, it is argued that when individuals are deprived of freedom and autonomy, it often results in increased aggression.

It is from this that the reader may be attracted to Gilead's fearless methods of religiously imprisoning the only group of women who are highly valued for their ability to reproduce, as they could potentially ignite an aggressive uprising and lose their reproductive capabilities. In Huxley's novel, the masses lose their individuality through unity. Le Bon's 'Crowd Theory', combined with Freud's theories, brings to life the idea of 'Deindividuation' - "as a part of the crowd, the individual gains a sense of limitless power, which enables them to act on impulses that they would otherwise restrain as an isolated individual."

The concept of a collective consciousness is exemplified in chapter 14. After the passing of John's mother Linda, the nurse hesitates and John's anguish is reduced to a solitary figure on his knees. The babies being conditioned to embrace death alongside this scene are portrayed as a horrifying vision of uniformity, comparable to maggots. The transformation of

the twins into maggots portrays the group as a unified force, akin to an army dressed in khaki. This elucidates their disturbing actions, which stem from the loss of individuality.

The act of being "Bokanovskified" has resulted in a feeling of "indistinguishable sameness". This means that each person is made anonymous, creating a more powerful and unpredictable collective. This is appealing to readers because it makes the characters' actions unpredictable. The Handmaid's Tale includes multiple instances where characters lose their individuality and act impulsively due to the belief that there is safety in numbers. In Chapter 13, a group of Handmaids join together in a chant directed at Janine, a Handmaid who was raped. The chant forms a group of voices that are both unethical and unidentifiable, and it strengthens the group's resolve for their attack.

In chapter 43, the crowd's animalistic nature is emphasized as they "surge forward" and resemble a "tide of cloth", causing them to lose their individuality. Ofglen, a seemingly mild Handmaid, is seen "propelling herself with her elbows", illustrating how the power of a group can greatly influence an individual's morals. This concept may appeal to readers in a similar way that The Stanford Prison Experiment (Professor Phillip Zimbardo, 1971), which predates Atwood's novel, captivated many people.

The social-psychological phenomenon reveals that the Deindividuation of artificial 'guards' and 'inmates' can result in an outbreak of anonymous hostility. In both Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale, death is trivialized, reflecting the bleakness of birth and life depicted in the novels. In Brave New World, the Nurse attending to Linda is confused by John's reaction to death, seeing it as something terrible, as if

anyone actually mattered that much. Similarly, Offred in The Handmaid's Tale admits that she has become accustomed to the death penalty bells and no longer hears them. The death sentence is met with repetitive platitudes, slogans, and phrases that dehumanize and rationalize the process. The act of hanging felons becomes a staged event as the Handmaids gather on the lawn to watch, blurring the lines between performance and fascination with death and lifelessness for modern readers, despite its chilling nature.

Overall, both novels create evil populations of non-human creatures that appeal to readers. This is supported by psychological theories that portray the human mind as being drawn to the unfamiliar and frightening. Ultimately, readers are fascinated by the similarities between these dystopian novels and our own reality. As Margaret Atwood stated, "I would not include anything in [the novel] that human societies have not already done."