Dystopia In Brave New World

A Dystopian Apocalypse Imagine a society where individualism is suppressed and the government gives the illusion that things are fine by using propaganda and fear to keep their citizens unaware of their fate. Welcome to the world of dystopia. Authors Aldous Huxley, George Orwell and Veronica Roth each have literary works that propose the dangers of an omnipotent government. Brave New World (Huxley), 1984 (Orwell) and Divergent (Roth) may provide insight on the the political, technological advances and social classes that may give rise to a dystopian society in America. However, there are characteristics present in America that are not found in dystopian societies. America has been known as a nation conceived in liberty where everyone has

Brave New World was written toward the end of WWI where the first chemical weapons were used and began to become more advanced during the start of WWII. After the two great wars were over in America, industrial production began to decline since less supplies were needed for the war effort. In Brave New World the phrase “Ending is better than mending” is often used and has come to mean the consumerism of the U.S. citizens always buying new goods than mending old ones. The rise of technological goods and advertisements persuading people to buy them has lead to a fuel of consumerism in American citizens. Mass production of technology for consumer demands has helped the economy flourish, but also has consequences. According to a newspaper, ‘The Guardian”, a government agency called Intelligence Support System (ISS), consisting of all the governments of the world, gathered together in Washington DC to discuss the security of the world. They have been discussing latest methods to spy on citizens which include computer hacking and GPS tracking. With more people buying technological gadgets, there is more power for the government to keep watch on its citizens. Our modern society has declared a “war on terrorism” which is a reason the U.S government uses

In Brave New World, the Inner Party gets the most benefits since they worship Big Brother, while the proles are the working class that live by meager wages. 1984 and Divergent both have the individual move up in political power by taking an aptitude test; for 1984 the test determines if a person is suited for the Inner Party and for Divergent the test determines what your faction will be. In Divergent, there is a choosing ceremony when a person turns sixteen and you can choose your faction: Candor (honest), Amity (Peaceful), Erudite (Wise), Abnegation (Selfless) and Dauntless (Brave). However, in Divergent you are allowed to choose your factions, but in Brave New World you are predestined for a caste (Alpha being the highest and Epsilons being the lowest) and there is no social mobility once you choose your caste or have it chosen for you. In all three literary works, there is an uneven balance of power between the social classes. In Divergent, Erudite and Dauntless have more power than the other factions because Dauntless has the weapons and soldiers, while Erudite is the one making the inventions allowing the two to become formidable allies that often make the other factions fearful. In modern society, celebrities are often extolled and can pay the best lawyers to represent them while the middle class and poor are still paying lots for health care and other bills. We are not predestined to a