Period English
11/11/1998
Upon reading half of the book, the most distinct part of the novel seems to be the large number of messages that Huxley is trying to impose upon the reader. Strangely, from the very first page, many distinct messages about Huxley’s views on society are present, but weakly enforced.
The entire book is a warning of a potential future – one with no more individuality, and no more freedoms. Huxley uses the entire book to convey these warnings, and his ideas about a Bad Utopia to the reader, hopefully to leave a lasting impression. For the first three chapters, however, the ideas that Huxley brings forth are quite blandly shown to the reader. To get the reader acquainted with the ‘horrors’ of the Brave New World (BNW), Huxley brings the reader on a tour of the "Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre". All of the technologies at the Hatchery are shown to the reader the tour guide rattles off facts about the Utopian society’s way of life. Apparently, the ideas expressed during this tour were meant to be especially shocking to a 1930’s audience, as some things mentioned are commonplace in today’s society.
For instance, the tour guide spends a considerable amount of time discussing the reproductive practices of the Hatchery. He tells the group (and the reader) about the elaborate system of fertilizing ova in test tubes (bottles) and letting them develop completely artificially. Although the idea of then forcing the ovum to multiply into 15,000 twins is a bit shocking even in the 1990’s, test-tube babies are now considered perfectly normal alternatives to childbirth.
One of the practices discussed in the novel, however, will probably forever upset readers. In chapter two, the tour group watched a conditioning routine which consisted of letting several babies touch flowers or books and then electrocuting them, to enforce that books and nature are bad. To the reader, this shows quite poignantly that the restrictions of the BNW are quite strict, not allowing people to engage in behavior that could disturb their required duties in life.
Finally, by the end of the first three chapters, the reader is fully aware of the cruel practices that form the members of the BNW, but has yet to encounter a flock of real characters. That is, several characters with feelings, emotion, and of course, problems. Through the newly developed characters of Bernard, Lenina, and Helmholtz, Huxley brings his points to life. Huxley finally shows his message (that life in a "Utopia" is often hellish) through human actions, not monotonous speech about technology, by creating two characters (Bernard and Helmholtz) that do not enjoy Utopian life. He then employs the difficulties and internal struggles of these characters to convey the idea of being unhappy in a society of never-ending happiness.
Huxley’s method of transferring his message to the reader in BNW is very unique, but, in the end, quite effective. By the time the reader reaches the fifth chapter, he already has extensive background information about the society, and has several different situations to bring to mind the wrongs of that society. Everything from the bland discussion of forcing uniformity, to the realistic, feel-it-yourself pain of being an outcast in a perfect world, brings the reader to the conclusion that striving for group satisfaction can crush the potential for individual happiness.
Period 4 English
November 18, 1998
One of the most intriguing aspects of Brave New World is the parallels between the "savage world", our world, and the Utopian society. The "savage land" is the place where people are allowed to continue the culture of the old world (1930's) on a reservation, much as Native Americans do in the US today. The inhabitants of these reservations have avoided the "Utopian" upbringing, and are therefore not oblivious to their surroundings.
The "savages" are really the people who do not use hatcheries and decanting to birth offspring, and do not believe in the teachings of Ford. They copulate naturally, and learn from books (which are forbidden to Brave New Worldlings). The reader learns about them through the actions and words of John, the outcast son of a Brave New World Controller, who's wife became pregnant (and was promptly banished). John knows what he does about the outside world through the stories of his mother, and from reading a contraband copy of Shakespeare's works. John perceives the BNW with a very naïve view - a view comprised of a mix of Old World views, his mother's vague stories, and a classic Shakespearean knack for seeing the bad in society. This extremely unique perspective allows for a lot of commotion when he finds out what the BNW really is.
When Bernard takes Lenina to the "savage reservation", neither of the two expected to meet John, or to discover his past. Upon arrival, both seem to look on the area with that awe that comes when a European comes to watch an African tribe practice ancient culture. Effectively, it was the same thing, except this time, what we know as 'civilized culture' was the savage lifestyle being gawked at.
To think that our current culture is primitive by any standards is an intriguing prospect. Huxley's portrayal of a Bad Utopia (the BNW) forces the reader to see the wrongs today that they tried (and failed) to improve upon. Things like achieving equal wealth, not worrying about pleasure or happiness, having an assured place in life -- they all seem so intriguing, but those amenities that are so blasé in the BNW are gained at a heavy cost, the loss of individuality. Bernard and Lenina's visit to the reservation provides the contrast necessary for the reader to make the connection - to realize that, for all the splendors, everything in the BNW could be given up for the price of a novel.
There are many more topics in the way of the relationship between 1990’s reality, and the hellish Utopia that Huxley produced. Many of the technological breakthroughs discussed in the novel, which must have been astounding in 1932, are now realistic in developed countries today.
One of the more distinct similarities is that of the Hatchery described in the beginning of the book and the current process for creating test-tube babies. The same process, essentially, that was described 60 years earlier, is now a common alternative to pregnancy. Mechanically fertilizing an ovum in a test tube is considered a routine procedure now. What is still slightly ahead of our time is the procedure Huxley described in which clones are forced from the same ovum. It seems scary to consider how close we are getting, with over a dozen successful cloning experiments, and a recently (less than a month ago) forced quadruplet birth. The question is, could the more dire of Huxley’s warnings become reality?
The book, A Brave New World, is really a warning. It is a warning to the future of the human race to never strive for conformity. The book shows the reader – who may grow up to be a very influential person – that what makes humans human is our ability to think and act for ourselves. Not to suggest that a world without poverty of disease would be bad, but why would it make a difference – saving lives, that is – if the lives saved are meaningless to start with?