Satisfaction In Brave New World

Likewise, dissatisfaction regarding government ruling is a prominent theme in Brave New World; specifically expressed by Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson, while less so by John the Savage and Lenina Crowe. Bernard is considered compliant, as he insists there is no freedom - conflicting against Huxley’s utopian world. Bernard’s idea of freedom is to be an individual apart from society, in his own way “not in everybody else’s way” (6.1.79). This dissatisfied comment presents an anomaly in a seemingly ‘ideal’ society - a utopia - straying Bernard from the ‘norm’ and therefore actively rebelling. The use of the pronoun ‘everybody’ separates Bernard from his fellow citizens, suggesting he is much more complex and unsatisfied, thus is erect. Yevgeny

Bernard’s emotional dissatisfaction depicted through his longing “to feel something strongly” (6.1.81), separates him from Helmholtz dissatisfaction which “stems from cerebral boundaries” . The use of sibilance, places focus on the strength of Bernard's desire to experience empathy, causing readers to feel increasingly sympathetic towards him. The presence of ‘strongly’ also evokes It can be presumed that the restrictions in terms of freedom, individuality and love posed in Brave New World could be anecdotal references to Huxley’s own life; as Huxley frequently took psychedelic drugs, explaining ‘Soma’ and the constraint of emotions consuming it resulted in. Bernard does not receive much joy from taking Soma as he would “rather be [him]self” (6.1.77) – an insult to the World State and further affirmation of his deviation from the majority. The line also exposes Soma’s ability to strip an individual of their identity, creating a façade which consumers use to escape from the inevitable oppression. Huxley’s ability to be precise when describing the emotions of characters is what distinguishes his craft from others. Like Bernard, Helmholtz also becomes “aware of his difference from the people who surrounded him” (4.1.58) – the specificity of the thoughts leading up to this revelation successfully exhibits Huxley’s proficiency in controlling displays of emotion and thoughts. Alternatively, in 1984, the destruction of thought/language is implemented by Orwell to control the emotions of Oceania. Newspeak, a controlled language of limited words, additionally restricts freedom as Winston branded “[newspeak] narrow(s) the range of thought” (1.5.23). Both authors provide the opportunity for their characters to rebel, but their attempts are futile as the respective Government bodies continue to abuse the vulnerability of