Brave New World Dystopian Analysis

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Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel Brave New World, written in 1931, is a cautionary tale that details a possible future where society is conditioned for stability under The World State. This science fiction novel successfully establishes a complex but plausible future for humanity that is devoid of many elements that people consider essential to society. However, the story fails to fully convince that a society under The World State would truly be a horrible reality. While Brave New World does well in setting up a realistic society based on oppression, it fails to be fully convincing of the society’s undesirability. The story initially follows Bernard Marx in his efforts to woo the beautiful Lenina Crowne. Though Bernard was born into the highest …show more content…
Throughout the entire novel, everything about the society is set up for criticism. However, the fact that The World State has managed to eliminate unhappiness cannot be ignored. Individuals are conditioned to be happy in all cases, and this seems to be the case among all main characters – with the exception of John who has an extremely unique circumstance. The common perspective is that the characters do not experience true happiness under The World State, but that conclusion is close-minded and ethnocentrist. Proponents of that perspective are criticizing the society using their own standards, based on modern/post-modern values without considering the utility of the new society. What made the novel so interesting was the clash between old and new world perspectives, and Huxley seemed to disproportionately support the old-world. Overall, Brave New World serves as a perfect example of a science fiction dystopian novel. The society portrayed is chillingly familiar, but also far removed from humanity. Though Huxley does not satisfactorily address the interesting question of whether full happiness is worthwhile, he does manage to effectively warn against unchecked societal change and certain types of scientific expansion – which was his main reason for writing the