Gender Equality is Brave New World

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The book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a utopian - or some may argue dystopian - novel, similar to 1984 by George Orwell, except that there is more science and psychological conditioning to control people in Brave New World. In this novel, every person is fertilized, grown, and decanted from bottles at the Hatchery and Conditioning Center. All bottles are predestined to grow upper caste or lower caste individuals, ranking from alpha to gamma. The lower caste individuals are born mentally and physically impaired, and then, when they are out of the bottle, they are conditioned to like their life. If individuals ever have feelings, they take soma, which is like a happy pill. All of this is done to maintain stability in society. Huxley portrays a futuristic and scientific society, but he retains his 1940s view of women. Although he does not depict housewives or typical domestic roles for women, there are distinct differences and inequalities between the two genders regarding leadership roles, representation, sex, and sterilization. "Oh, she's a splendid girl. Wonderfully pneumatic. I'm surprised you haven't had her" (49). This is a quote from one of the men in charge, Henry Foster. He talks about Lenina as if he's recommending a meal to try out, not a woman. “‘Lenina, my dear, come with me,’" obediently but unsmiling, Lenina walked after him” (161). It is the same man who recommended her. She did not want to go with him, but the conditioning and what is expected of her are more important than her feelings. A page later, she takes “a couple of grammes of soma” so she can have sex with him. The inequality is shown by Lenina having to say yes to him. The rulers and World Controllers in Brave New World are all men, and in the classes alpha to gamma, only men are alphas....

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...Aldous Huxley separates men from women in class based on the highest level a woman can be decanted, which is beta, and the highest level a man can be, which is alpha. This suggests that women cannot be considered equal to men. Women are sterilized and looked down upon if they become pregnant, while the word "father" is considered humorous. This indicates that childbearing is considered repulsive in this society, while being a father is seen as comical. Women are conditioned to acquiesce to the desires of men, even if they do not want to. To be a woman in this novel, one must be a sexual object who cannot conceive and must comply with men's wishes.

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