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Brave New World Archetypal Analysis

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Lord of the Flies and Brave New World Archetypes In today’s society one can find corruption everywhere, from the government to the local grocery store, dishonest actions seem to prevail. The temptation to give into the pressure of society and loose one’s innocence becomes overwhelming at times. Therefore, many look to religion to help them steer clear of the wrong path. Both contemporary dystopian novels by William Golding and Aldous Huxley use biblical archetypes in order to stress the importance of maintaining one’s purity. In the novels, Lord of the Flies and Brave New World, the authors suggest that death should come before corruption in order to save one’s soul, and that without innocence society becomes immoral. At birth one arrives …show more content…

In Lord of the Flies after “Simon [is] dead”, Golding shows the result of the corruption in the boys’ fragile society when he writes; “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true” (Golding 202). Golding shows through the dissolution of the boys’ society, the value of virtue within any stable civilization. Without someone to maintain a moral compass, it becomes easier and easier for others to give into their inner darkness. Therefore, Golding emphasizes the importance of innocence by comparing Simon with Jesus who, in the Bible, helps keep corruption at bay in society by leading by example similar to Simon. Likewise, Huxley also attempts to show how society becomes inhumane without the presence of rectitude: ‘“It was base,’ he said indignantly, ‘it was ignoble’” (Golding 170). John, the uncorrupted Jesus archetype, sees the corruption that permeates his society and renders the people inhumane. In the advanced society of Brave New World, no one possesses a moral compass to guide them or help guide others. Therefore the society falls into a path towards endless sin and immorality.
In summation both Lord of the Flies and Brave New World accentuate the significance of resisting temptation in order to preserve one’s innocence from corruption, even at the cost of one’s own life. Without those who continue to fight sin, society would become unfeeling and eventually those who live within it could never truly experience a life free of corruption. Therefore, people must learn to listen to their conscience and continue to resist temptation, not only for their sake, but for society as a

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