![]() ![]() Huxley effectively builds the plot through gradually revealing Marx’s dissatisfaction and then introducing Helmholtz as someone who shares his unease. The story centers around the life of Marx, a citizen of the State. Huxley makes use of all of them to paint a picture of a possible future, one in which mankind willingly gives up freedom in exchange for an illusion of happiness and a sense of fulfillment from performing their role in society. Three distinct characters, Marx, Helmholtz, and John, share the same disillusionment with their society. ![]() This results in a caste system with intelligent humans at the top of the hierarchy, suited to the most powerful positions, and subordinate beings at the bottom, who are genetically programmed to carry out menial, low-value tasks.Īs a novel, Brave New World explores an interesting and impeccably structured storyline with well-developed characters and an intense, impactful climax. ![]() The State enforces a system of totalitarianism, controlling everyone’s lives through test tube babies and hypnotism. The “Brave New World” which Huxley explores is one where the “World State” consists of a brutal, emotionless society calibrated to breed a flawlessly intelligent population. The society depicted in his novel refers to Ford in place of God through phrases such as “Oh My Ford!” instead of “Oh My God!” Huxley uses Ford’s success to showcase his main argument: that the increasing importance of technology and its creators in the lives of people can only have negative effects. Huxley drew inspiration from Henry Ford’s industrial innovation of the assembly line at the time, which has haunting relevance 86 years down the road, as technology and its seeming benefits cast a looming shadow on people’s lives. Set in London and published in 1932, the book explores a dystopian society following a eugenic breeding system, in which different mechanisms are employed to ensure a society of desirable hereditary characteristics, such as intelligence and beauty. The quote perfectly captures an underlying theme in the novel: the importance of human emotion against rationale. This is one of my favorite quotes from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, a remarkable writer whose take on the future of society set off a wave of dystopian thinkers in the 1900s.
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