"I don’t want comfort. I want God! I want poetry! I want real danger! I want freedom! I want goodness! I want sin!"
Philosophies like utilitarianism often regard pleasure as the ultimate human good. However, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley explores the idea of pleasure as an instrument of societal and philosophical control.
The novel presents a hedonistic society that lacks emotional and philosophical depth.
Key themes: the importance of happiness, the perversion of gratitude, comparison to Huxley's tranquilized citizens.
Synopsis and Setting
Setting: Post-war Earth governed by a global government run by 10 governors called Controllers.
Society is based on stability and pleasure.
Creation and Classes:
Citizens are artificially created and divided into classes (Alpha Plus to Epsilon) at conception.
Classes determine their entire lives, including jobs and social positions.
Lower classes (Deltas, Epsilons) are stunted intellectually and physically to ensure they can only perform menial tasks.
Conditioning and Drug Use:
Raised by the state; concepts of mothers and fathers forbidden.
Conditioned to hold specific beliefs about culture, society, and other classes.
Happiness drugs like Soma are used to maintain contentment.
Main Characters
Lenina Crown: Attracted to John but finds his values alien.
Bernard Marx: Psychologist; feels alienated and craves social acceptance; leverages John's arrival for higher social status.
Helmholtz Watson: Government propagandist; disillusioned with the superficial nature of society; intrigued by Shakespeare.