Aldous Huxley was a living anachronism, writing literature about a currently nonexistant dystopian world. At the time of its release in 1932 the concept seemed just a bit far fetched (even after World War I), but when World War II rolled around the corner Huxley’s one-world, eugenic riddled story became plausible. Years later in a world filled with valium, legalized marijuana, open and celebrated promiscuity, a nearly one world language, and technology galore Huxley’s utopia feels closer and closer. In Brave New World, Alfdous Huxley creates a frightening world of satire to discuss the worlds resemblance to a haunting dystopia. He does this with symbolic characters, allusions and a setting that jabs at the automation of the modern world, and …show more content…
Bernard doesn't quite fit the picture of perfection that Alphas in the Brave New World are embody. He’s small for an Alpha (the result of an accident with the alcohol in his blood-surrogate), uninterested in soma or promiscuity, and freethinking; as a result he is looked down upon, leaving him angry and jealous. Fanny describes him to Lenina as “ugly” and “so small” with a “grimace” because “smallness was so horribly and typically low caste” (BNW, 46). Being treated like an outsider leaves Bernard, not only angry and jealous, but because of his free thoughts feeling superior. While talking to some Delta Minus attendants Bernard is described as giving his “orders in [a] sharp, rather arrogant and even offensive tone of one who does not feel himself too secure in his superiority” (BNW, 64). Bernard’s differences allow him to view himself as an individual, giving human emotions to a Brave New Worlder for the first time in the story. The only person Marx can relate to is Helmholtz Watson, a fellow Alpha with physical defects, but even Watson looks down on Bernard. Huxley uses the journey of Marx’s character from outsider to celebrity to illustrate the effects of a suffocating societal pressure to conform to the social norm. Initially a freethinking, rebellious hero, Bernard makes a complete transformation once he is accepted, ending up …show more content…
He is not considered by those on the reservation as one of them so he is rejected. He has already been rejected by the “civilized” world, making him a complete outsider. This scene marks the point in which the protagonast shifts from Bernard to John (SparkNotes Editors, Analysis of Major Characters- John). Huxley makes the first encounter with John a rejection to set the tone for his rest of the story, as well as give an indication for how John has been treated his before he encounters Bernard and the “civilized” world. Being the grey area in a black and white world of “civilized” and “savage”, John serves as a reminder of the concepts and beliefs of the “old world.” John remains connected to the old world through a worn copy of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, taking his conduct from the book and using it as a tool to criticize the State. Shakespeare embodies all the values lost in the new world state and John serves as a “Shakespearen character in a world where poetry that does not sell a product is prohibited” (SparkNotes Editors, Analysis of Major Characters- John). The ironic use of a Shakespearean phrase as the title helps display the apparent lost value of “civilization” and Huxley uses Shakespeare (John) as the foil to illustrate this throughout the story (Frost, 456). John’s naive romanticism and idealism, learned from Othello, points out the
Jett Phillips 07.02.2017 Dearing AP Lit & Comp A.3 Aldous Huxley’s Satirical Ironic World There is no novel more synonymous with irony and satire than Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel Brave New World. Throughout the novel, Huxley takes advantage of irony and satire to bring about his message, in an attempt to criticize those who would like to see the expansion of the state and proliferation of promiscuity, by showing those how such a world would look like, through his depiction of the “World State.” As presented in the novel, the World State’s citizens are designated by birth into genetically engineered classes, controlled throughout life through drugs and endless promiscuity, and pushing the never-ending production line forward in the satirically stated year of 632 “After Ford.” However, Huxley’s use of irony shines brightest through the names of his characters, such as Lenina Crowne, Bernard Marx, and John the Savage. The former two names are in reference to Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx, and the latter being an ironic name based on how, essentially,
In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, truth and happiness are falsely engineered to create a perfect society; the belief of the World Controllers that stability is the the key to a utopian society actually led to the creation of an anti-utopian society in which loose morals and artificial happiness exist. Huxley uses symbolism, metaphors, and imagery to satirize the possibiliy of an artificial society in the future as well as the “brave new world” itself.
Brave New World is an unsettling, loveless and even sinister place. This is because Huxley endows his "ideal" society with features calculated to alienate his audience. Typically, reading Brave New World elicits the very same disturbing feelings in the reader which the society it depicts has notionally vanquished - not a sense of joyful anticipation. Huxley's novel presents a startling view of the future which on the surface appears almost comical. His intent, however, is not humor. Huxley's message is dark and depressing. His idea that in centuries to come, a one-world government will rise to power, stripping people's freedom, is not a new idea. What makes Huxley's interpretation different is the fact that his fictional society not only lives in a totalitarian government, but takes an embracive approach like mindless robots. For example, Soma, not nuclear bombs, is the weapon of choice for the World Controllers in Brave New World. The world leaders have realized that fear and intimidation have only limited power; these tactics simply build up resentment in the minds of the oppressed. Subconscious persuasion and mind-altering drugs, on the other hand, appear to have no side effects.
Bernard Marx was alienated in the Brave New World because of his general appearance. As an Alpha Plus, Bernard was unusually short and ugly. Suggested by Fanny, Bernard's condition resulted from an error when he was still in a bottle, the workers "thought he was a Gamma and put alcohol into his blood surrogate." Bernard did not fit in the structured order of the Brave New World and was therefore shunned by others. The error resulted in Bernard developing outside the barriers of his caste level. His ugliness and short stature led Bernard to become a perpetual outsider, alienated by society. As an outsider, Bernard was cynical of the order and structure of the Brave New World. He eschewed Electric Golf, and other social amusements in favor of loneliness and solidarity activities, such as, thinking. Bernard attempted to find a way "to be happy in some other way," in his own way, not the established way.
Bernard is pretty high up in the social system in Brave New World. He is an Alpha Plus at the top of the caste system and works in the Psychology Bureau as a specialist on hypnopaedia. Bernard, though, is flawed according to his culture on the inside and out. " 'He's so ugly!'... ' And then so small.'
Bernard Marx is an intriguing character in the book Brave New World. At the beginning of the book, he is a very main character, but as the book goes on he is put more and more into the background of the story. The reason for this can be explained by the way his character changes as the book progresses. Aldous Huxley makes an interesting point by showing how a person can be changed by obtaining something he desires. It makes the readers wonder whether success would change them in the same way or if they would be able to maintain their character.
Alduos Huxley, in his science fiction novel Brave New World written in 1932, presents a horrifying view of a possible future in which comfort and happiness replace hard work and incentive as society's priorities. Mustapha Mond and John the Savage are the symbolic characters in the book with clashing views. Taking place in a London of the future, the people of Utopia mindlessly enjoy having no individuality. In Brave New World, Huxley's distortion of religion, human relationships and psychological training are very effective and contrast sharply with the literary realism found in the Savage Reservation. Huxley uses Brave New World to send out a message to the general public warning our society not to be so bent on the happiness and comfort that comes with scientific advancements.
He effectively explores the controversial issues and corrupt values of the past to create this feared dystopian future. He also indirectly incorporates historical references, such as Shakespeare, allusions, satire, and fascism to provide the implications of his work. Because of this, Brave New World is considered to be the most enduring piece of Huxley's literary career. His prophesies, if they prove to have any sort of credibility in the future, could result in the ultimate defeat of humanity and predicts a scientific totalitarian ruling, which will become a necessary
In Brave New World, Huxley introduces multiple characters and problems to explore both internal and external conflicts throughout the story. One character we see in depth is Bernard. An alpha in society, Bernard struggles with inner conflict that separates him from the rest of his peers. Unlike others he sees the world he lives in as flawed. He questions everything and as a result of this, feels isolated and different. He struggles with his inner feelings as others start to judge him. He has the option to go against the part of him that says to act like every other Alpha, or to go with the part of him that wants to stand up for what he believes to be morally right.
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.
Through Brave New World inscribed by Aldous Huxley in 1932, which takes place in a dystopian world distant in the upcoming, positioning primarily in the London area. Huxley’s central focus in the novel is to satire the most prevalent topic in the time, technological evolution. Through the use of radical technology, a despotic government basically turns humanity “upside-down”, withdrawing all ordinarily known values in order to accomplish the “perfect” collective system. This revolutionary yet fundamentally abhorrent world provided a sharp divergence to the optimistic understandings on technology at the time, bringing to light some very grim accountability. Huxley’s Brave New World as a satirical cautionary against genuine progress, effective
Even though the novel, Brave New World was written quite some time ago, Huxley still makes points that are relevant today. By using satire, he warns us on issues such as science, technology and religion. We should slow down our uses of science and technology, especially when using them for abusive purposes. We also need to be careful about letting the government get too involved in aspects of our everyday lives. If we start letting simple freedoms go, we could lose some major ones.
Aldous Huxley’s wrote the novel Brave New World in 1931. This dystopia novel is mainly narrated in the third person from the characters Bernard or John the savage, but also comes from the view of Lenina, Watson and Mustapha Mond. The time setting for this novel is referred to A.F. 632 meaning 632 years after the ford production of the Model T car. As for the place setting it takes place in a hatchery that is set in England, however, there is also a scene that takes place in New Mexico where the savage is from. The tone for Brave New World is very juvenile, silly, ironic, and pedantic. Within the novel’s themes there are motifs, recurring structures, contracts, or literary devices that help the themes develop. Pneumatic, “Ford”, sex, and Shakespeare all help the themes to develop the plot for this novel that Huxley has written.
In most countries in our world, society has experienced technological advances to the point of being able to accomplish what Huxley envisioned. In contrast to Huxley’s vision, the moral standards of most nations allow all humans to enjoy basic human rights that embrace family, personal relationships, and individualism. Today’s society is able to comprehend how with the technological advances Huxley’s world could be a reality, but with the privilege of a democratic society, civilization would not allow the medical intervention for reproduction, the conditioning for happiness and consumerism. Work Cited "Brave New World by Aldous Huxley : Barron's Notes" Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Barron's Notes. N.p., n.d. Web.
Bernard Marx an Alpha plus specialist in sleep teaching is an example of a character that changes in the brave new word. He changes from a character that symbolized individuality to a character that just wanted to desperately belong to the society. At the beginning of the novel he seemed to be very different from the society, he acts like a rebel trying to battle against the order of things. He seemed to be an “individual” in the first few chapters. For example On his first date with Lenina with lenina he says ” I’d rather be myself. ‘Myself and nasty .Not somebody else, however jolly”(77). He wanted to be something else different from the rest of the society. However we see that his root concern is to be socially acceptable and not really about becoming an individual. In chapter 6 Bernard shows signs of undergoing a change in his character. When the Director summoned Bernard to his office for being unorthodox, Bernard goes on to brag to his friend Helmholtz Watson on his victory over the director when he says” I simply told him to go to the bottomless past and marched out of the room and that was that “(85). We get the sense that Bernard’s victory wasn’t so much about personal integrity as it was social acceptance. Finally, his character undergoes a c...