Sacrificing Personal Identity

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How would it feel to be brought into the world where lives are predestined or real life situations are constructed to work in order to benefit society as a whole? Within the book, Brave New World and the movie, The Truman Show, the theme of sacrificing personal identity in order to benefit society runs throughout each work. The ideas and opinions of the public coincide harmoniously as the society they live in. Bernard Marx and John Savage are two predominant characters of Brave New World. Both are outcasts of the World State because of their differing opinions from the rest of the “conditioned” society. Truman, the protagonist of The Truman Show also is at loss because he was unaware of the false reality he was living. Marx, Savage and Truman have all had their personal identities sacrificed for specific reasons and prompts them to overcome their higher powers.

Within Brave New World social stability means everyone is identical and has a preset purpose to life. A tour guide at the Central London Hatchery And Conditioning Centre explains they”…predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as alphas or epsilons, as future sewage workers…” (Huxley 13) Bernard Marx was born by the same Bokanovsky process as everyone else. He is forced to live in a society where individuality is suppressed for stability by conformity. Marx knows he is unlike many others and tries to fit in. He is prevented to be his true self because he is already looked down on by the conditioned society and risk of exile. His anti-social beliefs include ideas of marriage, emotions and community events which are unmoral according to the rest of civilization.

It would be impossible for John Savage to accommodate himself in the World St...

... middle of paper ...

...m. According to the controller of Brave New World and the director of The Truman Show, the world is benefiting from each characters loss. Their reasoning is that it is a better and happier life for them. Conclusively, all three protagonists do not agree with how they have been controlled and are determined to overcome the suppression. Bernard and the Savage to not recant on any opinions however different they may be. Truman is determined to reach the world and move on from a televised life. It is evident that sacrificing a personal identity should not be a reason to benefit society because someone’s individuality is a precious gift.

Works Cited

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Perennial Classics, 1998. Print.

"Truman Burbank (Character) - Quotes." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 01 Apr. 2011. .

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