Huxley, Aldous - Brave new world (4)

Brave new world is a science – fiction fable about a rigidly controlled global state. The story is set in the 7th century AF ( after Ford ), referring to Henry Ford, a famous American automobile manufacturer. In the society Huxley describes science and technology have advanced tot the point where social stability is determined by a scientific caste system in which human beings are born artificially. At the top of this hierarchy society are the Alphas and Betas, the most intelligent and physically perfect men and women; they are followed by the Gammas, while at the bottom of the scale are the Deltas and Epsilons, who together form a subhuman slave workforce used for the hard works. Social and personal satisfaction is guaranteed by the regular consumption of a drug called “ soma “ , a Greek word that means body. The protagonist of the story is Bernard Marx, an Alpha – plus specimen, that decides to visit a reservation in New Mexico, where he met a savage, John, that he brings back to London. John is a no ordinary savage because he learned English by reading the works of Shakespeare: he at first was fascinated by the efficiency of the new world but after a bit of time he discovers the dark side of this society. He decides to live in a lighthouse near London but his particular lifestyle makes him a figure of amusement for tourists from London. At the end he decides to commit suicide.