In Brave New World, by Alduous Huxley, a new and controversial society is presented to its audience. A world of artificial intelligence where humans are cultivated in test tubes and social class is predetermined by the chemical mix they receive in vitro leads John Savage into corruption. He is torn between a world in which people’s fates were placed upon themselves and a world in which Alphas and Betas ruled a society with n identity.
Thomas Mavin gives thorough insight into the classification of the two societies and favors the world of Malpais, a society that allows people to have control over their lives and experience true feelings instead of fake happiness. Between these two worlds with different positions on free will, the only way for people to live a truly meaningful life would be to live in Malpais. In the Brave New World, Huxley created a society in which people acted upon the cast they were born in. There was no such thing as free will and happiness could be purchased in a pill, soma.
In fact, Arthur Cross wrote in A Shorter History of England and Greater Britain that “In Brave New World, there’s pleasure as a substitute for freedom. ” In this world, people would rather become blind to the truth of life by forcing themselves into a “high” instead of dealing with the facts of life. With this pill, people are able to take themselves away from stressful, depressing, or uncomfortable moments of life. They become oblivious to true life. In fact, to many of they characters who constantly use the pill, their lives become dreams because often they are not truly living in it.
Cross also points out that the Brave New World was more stable and well maintained because of conformity and single points of views. In the society today, there is the constant threat of wars and altercations with different people or countries. With a uniform society, comes uniform ideas and peace. With this in mind, countries save millions of dollars because there is no need for weapons of mass destruction. This new society becomes thoroughly efficient. There is only one leader, the World Leader, and the people live under his iron- clad fist.
With the Democratic Party and Republican Party in today’s society comes constant conflict and there is always one side that will be unpleased with certain decisions and laws. Without voting and debates, Brave New World is able to quickly control its citizens and the superior organization allows everything to become productive. Charles Boyce argues that a Brave New World would actually become beneficial because the citizens do not have to worry about aging. Elderly are in fact useless to prosperous and industrial counties. They have nothing to offer as their bodies slowly deteriorate and wait for death.
Boyce also asks why anyone would want to grow old and ugly? During the prime of people’s age, they are the most beautiful and productive. They are able to take in the benefits of society and fully reciprocate them back. As people age, they are able to do less and less until they eventually die. Their bodies weaken and their skin wrinkles. At this stage, the elderly themselves feel purposeless and unproductive. As their friends slowly die off, they feel lonely and depression becomes a common stage. They often end up in a crowded retirement home while they wait for their time.
As they age, they slowly lose all senses and are unable to accomplish the tasks that even a five- year old would be able to do. These tasks included eating, using the bathroom, and breathing properly. The nurses at the retirement home become baby sitters. It seems as if the elderly are progressing backwards. Huxley makes a strong point when he decides to create a society that makes the most out of itself by only providing for the ones who are efficient. This way, both the society and the people feel as if they have a purpose in life.
Boyce’s main argument is that it would be better for the people and the society to eliminate the elderly from a productive society. The people become emotionally happier and the society becomes economically prosperous. Arthur Cross believes that with the Brave New World, much of the economy was based on mass production. The people here believe Ford is their God. Ford is the King of assembly line and mass production for the Ford cars. As history has shown, Ford made a revolutionary impact in the business world with his new idea. His company sky rocketed and other companies soon followed.
Ford was able to make and sell his cars at incredibly affordable prices. People of all social classes were able to buy them and Ford controlled the automobile market. By using mass production for the creation of people, all of the citizens become productive as well. In the Real world, women spend 9 months housing a baby in their stomach. During these months, their bodies weaken as they physically care for two people at the same time. Their bodies are not as agile and efficient as they once were and they are not able to work to their fullest potential.
When people become produced in vitro, there is no need for leaving work and women are able to constantly work. With mass production, sickness and disease do not become a threat. Replacements are quickly available for society’s disposal. Most of society was the working class. Fewer of the Alphas and Betas were produced, as they were the thinkers of society. The Alphas and Betas were able to oversee society as the working class, who worked like robots as they only knew how to perform the tasks they were made to do.
The idea of productivity and efficiency are essential to Huxley’s Brave New World. He wanted to create a society in which every aspect of it would produce something to benefit the society. By leaving out those who would not be able to give back, the society ran with its fullest potential. The Brave New World was indeed very efficient and productive, as the technology geared to those goals, but is it necessarily better to do this for the needs of mankind? Of course, the society benefited economically, but were the people truly happy living an artificial life?
