Tyler Camp								English Independent Reading Essay


Brave New World
By Aldous Huxley

	It's unclear what Huxley's original intentions for how the world he had created were to be perceived as. It is a dystopia when compared to the beliefs, values, virtues, and social responses we have come to learn from our society, and is probably viewed in the same fashion by those belonging to other societies. However, it is a utopia when you look at the visible contentment of those living within the portrayed modern world. Huxley started from scratch, he built a world that was meant to please those within it and completely threw away the values of the current-day 1930s.

	Brave New World practically walks, stomps on, and smudges the line dividing utopia and dystopia. This is the premise of the book itself. From the first chapter we are introduced to London, somewhere around the 2500s (referred to as 632 A.F. from within the book). A scene is painted, several future employees at the Hatchery and Conditioning center follow the Director of the facility during a tour. The process for human reproduction is explained, which is far beyond the current conventional means. It is referred to by the Director as mass-production applied to biological reproduction. The entirety of the process is done via test tubes, trays, and the addition of compounds and mixtures to control the growth of the embryos. A caste system is outlined, Alphas, Betas, Deltas and Epsilons, with more miniscule variations determined by an appended plus or minus. The caste of an embryo was determined supposedly when it was created, which also determined how the embryo would be treated during its 9 months of growth. Alphas would receive substances to enhance the mind, Epsilons and Deltas being given alcohol, among other things, intentionally, to stunt growth both mentally and physically. Engineers that were to be working in zero gravity would undergo conditions during their embryonic state that would supposedly cause them to enjoy their work, with the constant turning of their respective containers. After birth, they would undergo further conditioning to make them think in a non-controversial way, to cause them to be prepared and to enjoy whatever task they were meant to be assigned. A technique called hypnopædia would be used during the infant's sleep, however, it was not used to assist in the learning process. It was to shape their minds into something that would easily fit with the rest of the society. They would be taught phrases that they would chant whenever a relevant opportunity came. For example, “Spending is better than mending,” was used to give the idea that aging items were to be discarded of, that the past was to be left behind. Another concept transmitted through hypnopædia was the view of other castes. Alphas were given thoughts of how they were superior to the other castes, Betas were told how they were better than the Deltas and Epsilons but never had to work as hard as the Alphas, and so on.

	While traditional means of reproduction is still frowned upon, intercourse is still emphasized as a major part of life, with another hypnopædic phrase “Everyone belongs to everyone.” During the end of the noted tour they arrive in a garden, with children of ages approximately 8-12 practically frolicking in the garden bare naked. The Controller for Western Europe, in a sense equivalent to the King of the area, referred to it as erotic play. During the conversation in which this is noted, another concept is added to the mix of ideas making up the world being painted by Huxley. Soma is introduced, a drug that is manufactured and distributed by the government. There are no precautions against taking it, in fact, it is advised that those who are undergoing a stressful series of events ingest it. The time during which the drug is taking effect is called a Holiday, the full effects of which aren't quite described.

	All of the aforementioned details are meant to add eventual satisfaction of the individual, people wouldn't do what they were supposed to unless they enjoyed it. Through these means they subtly force enjoyment and as such provide and maintain a stable society, a society where there riots and protests are nearly non-existent.

	During this first chapter we are introduced to two of the main characters, Bernard Marx and Lenina Crowne, both employees at the Hatchery and Conditioning center. Bernard is anti-social, and behaves as your typical anti-social male from present-day. His personality fits that of a present-day school student with social deficiencies, constantly anxious and generally avoiding contact with others. Any thoughts that he has are generally negative towards others and as such he keeps these thoughts to himself, leading him to be perceived as outwardly shy. It is this shyness that causes people to think poorly of him, with a rumor being spread about how someone may have accidentally put alcohol in his blood surrogate while he was still undergoing the embryonic phases of the first 9 months of life. However these rumors are not out of a sense of superiority, but rather a sense of pity, as Bernard is meant to be an Alpha Plus. Seemingly a result of this social deficiency Bernard tackles sociology in a mundane and provincial way and forms complete misunderstandings of those around him. Lenina, however, is the opposite. She is the epitome of the society laid out in the novel. She doesn't attempt to think outside the box, sociology never crosses her mind. She uses the forms of entertainment given to her and lives as she is expected to. Anger and dissatisfaction with something in her life isn't prominent, and if at any point she experiences either of these sensations she simply takes soma.

	It is after the tour of the factory, when the day shift workers leave and the night shift workers enter, when Lenina takes up Bernard's offer from days ago to visit what's known as a savage reservation, which is similar to an Indian Reservation.