The Death of John Savage in Brave New World

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A “utopia is that which is in contradiction with reality,” said the famous French novelist Albert Camus in his collection of essays, Between Hell and Reason. History shows us that seemingly exemplary ideals in practice have led to the collapse of societies. Just examine the two most prominent attempts at a utopia: Hitler’s attempt to socialize all of Europe and create the “perfect” Aryan race coupled with Karl Marx’s beliefs to instate communism into society. The final result was the destruction of their perspective visionary worlds. There was one major facet that prevented these two from creating their paradigms: utopias take away individual freedom and identity and therefore society cannot exist. Aldous Huxley’s science fiction novel Brave New World examines the large disconnect between the future and present day societies, showing how several aspects of this dystopian world lead to the downfall of the individual identity, most prominently exemplified by the death of John Savage. Before examining how utopias rob individuals of their identities, it is important to note the large cultural differences between the present in Brave New World and the modern-day present to show how utopias cannot function even in a highly technologically advanced future. A common phrased used by most of the characters in the novel is, “Oh, Ford!” (Huxley 21) as opposed to “Oh, God!” in modern-day language. This shows how the Brave New World society views Henry Ford, one of the fathers of modern technology, as its deistic figure. The manner in which Henry Ford is viewed is similar to the way ‘God’ is viewed in the present day, as the omniscient, omnipotent figure. Likewise, the futuristic society is one driven largely by the consumption of drugs, spe... ... middle of paper ... ...il, Josephine A. "Alienation in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Alienation, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb. com/activelink2.asp?It emID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BLTA005&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 25, 2011). Pollerd, Jake. "State Versus the Individual: Civil Disobedience in Brave New World." In Bloom, Harold, ed. Civil Disobedience, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/acti velink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=&iPin=BLTCD008&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 25, 2011). Woodcock, George. "Brave New World: Overview." Reference Guide to English Literature. Ed. D. L. Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.

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