Brave New World

7 Pages 1833 Words

MacLeod1
Brave New World Literary Essay


Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a futuristic story of a dystopian society that

has rid itself of instability through science and politics, as well as the sacrifice of certain

cultural values. Although the concept of this new world seems ideal, the author portrays

it cynically. His ideas of progress, science and politics are reflected negatively in the

novel as their employment in the society cause the sacrifice of such themes as religion,

history, and freedom. The forfeitures made for stability creates a fear in the reader of the

methods used to dispose of them.


The theme of progress is one fundamental basis of the new culture. The people of

London now idolize the belief in Ford rather than a God. In this novel, Ford represents

Henry Ford who is a symbol of technological advancement and industrialization. His

ideas are reflected in the novel not only in the society’s mechanical modernization, such

as the use of helicopters instead of cars, but also in its scientific revolution. The use of

the assembly line is now used for the manufacturing of humans on a large scale. Each

human is categorized into a specific class; from an Alpha being the highest caste and of

the higher intelligence, to an Epsilon being the lowest caste and of lower intelligence. In

doing this, they have engineered human beings, not only to fulfill the various positions

needed to sustain a society, but also to enjoy the positions that need to be filled.

Therefore, they have created people in the most efficient manner possible;


‘We also predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future…’ He was going to say future World Controllers,

MacLeod2

but correcting himself, said ‘future Directors of Hatcheries’ instead. (Huxley10).


However...