Concetti Chiave
- Brave New World is a dystopian novel by Huxley, published in 1932, depicting a scientifically controlled society.
- In this future society, humans are artificially created and conditioned into strict castes, each with predetermined roles.
- The novel introduces soma, a drug used to suppress emotions, ensuring societal happiness and stability.
- Bernard, a high-caste member, questions this controlled world and visits a Savage reservation to witness natural human life.
- The story culminates with the arrival of the Savage John, whose presence challenges the societal norms, leading to tragic outcomes.
Brave New World is a dystopian novel by Huxley. Published in 1932, it propounds that economic chaos and unemployment will causa a radical reaction in the form of an international scientific empire that manufactures its citizens in the laboratory on a eugenic basis, withouth the need for human intercourse.
The society of the future
The novel is set in London in 632 A.F. (after Ford). In this society human beings are born artificially; they are predestined and conditioned to a certain level of intelligence, to a certain caste, according to the role they are assignes in this new community. Like I said, the Hatchery destines each fetus for a particular caste in the World State. The five castes are Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon undergo the Bokanovsky Process, which involves shocking an egg so that it divides to form up to ninety-six identical embryos, which then develop into ninety-six identical human beings. Oxygen deprivation and alcohol treatment ensure the lower intelligence and smaller size of members of the three lower castes. Fetuses destined for work in the tropical climate are heat conditioned as embryos; during childhood, they undergo further conditioning to produce adults that are emotionally and physically suited to hot climates. A recorded voice whispers to each sleeping child. It states that Alpha children have to work harder than the other classes and it disparages the lower intelligence and inferiority of the lower castes. The voice teaches pride and happiness in the Beta caste: Betas do not have to work as hard as the cleverer Alphas, it explains, but they are still smarter than the Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons. The Director explains that the lesson will be repeated one hundred and twenty times, three times a week, for thirty months.
The role of soma
A drug, soma, is used as a substitute for all human passions. There's a peace and enough resources because the population is kept under 2 bilion people. Everyone is happy, but only because everyone takes artificial drugs.
Bernard, a member of the high caste, is not completely adjusted, because of a fault in his conditioning. He is critical of the world around him, so, with his girlfriend he visits a Savage reservation in New Mexico, where people still live in the old ways. In which the two observe natural-born people, disease, the aging progress for the first time.
The encounter with the wild
There they meet the Savage John and his mother Linda, exiled from the New World for commiting the unforgivable crime of becoming pregnant. Linda has tought John to read, although from the only two books in her possesion: a scientific manual and the complete works of Shakespeare. Bernard brings John and his mother back with him. The Savage creates a sensation amoung the people of the New World and he starts preaching against the conditioning of human beings. At the end Bernard is exiled and the Savage commits suicide.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the societal structure in "Brave New World"?
- How are human beings created and conditioned in the novel's future society?
- What role does the drug soma play in the society depicted in the novel?
- How does Bernard's perspective differ from others in his society?
- What impact does the Savage John have on the New World society?
The society in "Brave New World" is structured into five castes: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. These castes are predetermined and conditioned for specific roles, with the lower castes undergoing processes to ensure lower intelligence and smaller size.
Human beings are artificially created in laboratories, with fetuses assigned to specific castes. Conditioning includes processes like the Bokanovsky Process and environmental conditioning to suit their future roles, reinforced by repeated lessons during childhood.
Soma is used as a substitute for human passions, ensuring peace and happiness by keeping the population content and under control. It is a key tool for maintaining societal stability and preventing unrest.
Bernard, a high-caste member, is critical of the world due to a fault in his conditioning. His dissatisfaction leads him to visit a Savage reservation, where he encounters natural-born people and experiences life outside the controlled society.
John, the Savage, creates a sensation in the New World by preaching against human conditioning. His presence challenges societal norms, ultimately leading to Bernard's exile and John's tragic end.
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