Symbols in Brave New World

885 Words2 Pages

In the dystopian novel, Brave New World, Huxley uses symbols to create meaning and to get his agenda across. The use of sex and reproduction, and Shakespearian writing and religious texts, as symbols in the novel help to push Huxley’s agenda that total government control is devastating, and the inner human drive to be an individual can never be suppressed. Also, the fact that the novel was written in 1931 shows that Huxley was attacking the newly forming Socialist nations. The first two chapters of this novel consist of the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning showing students how the reproduction system works in the World State. The students are taken to the center where they make the babies using ovaries and reproductive systems removed from humans. They are shown how the government controls all of the reproduction in the country. This shows that the government has complete control because the government even controls the most basic part of life. Children do not have parents and are trained by the government from the time they are born. Immediately this seems alien to the reader because this is obviously not how society works. This seems like a violation of human rights; especially to readers that live in democracies because all human rights are taken away immediately starting at the reproductive state of life. Not only does Huxley use sex and reproduction as symbols of stealing human rights early in life, but he uses it for their adolescent and adult lives. Strange and alien sexual control is showed at an early age in this society when children of a young age are told to be playing an erotic and sexual game. This continued push on sexual promiscuity, especially on women, is in stark contrast to our own soci... ... middle of paper ... ...production, and Shakespearian writing and Biblical/religious texts, he successfully creates meaning and pushes his agenda of the fact that total government control is devastating, and the inner human drive to be an individual can never be suppressed, which attacks the rising Socialist and Fascist societies of the time. This makes the novel Brave New World more than just a great novel to read. It makes it a socio-political masterpiece that makes people value their own human rights. Works Cited Shmoop Editorial Team. "Brave New World Theme of Sex" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Brave New World Allusions & Cultural References" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Schellenberg, James. "Challenging Destiny." http://www.challengingdestiny.com/reviews/bravenew.htm. N.p., 22 002 2004. Web. 1 Jan 2012.

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