Freedom's State Of Mind In Brave New World

Freedom’s state of mind in Brave New World
1579 words
Freedom or free-doom, it depends on where you came from. In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley further explores this concept through the lens of juxtaposing culture. The novel takes place in a futuristic society where the government has complete control over every aspect of people's lives. A society which values stability and efficiency above all else, and individual freedom is suppressed in favor of conformity. However, the novel also introduces the culture of the Reservation, a place where indigenous people are allowed to live in a more traditional way, free from the constraints of the New World. This serves as a contrast to London, and allows the reader to consider various points-of-view.

Citizens of the New World have been conditioned to rely on it and it is a method of regulation of the masses. Huxley incorporates irony and a hyperbole to provide the different perspectives of soma’s use. To citizens caught in societies vice it is magical and can cure anything, but to John from the Reservation it is a joke. When explaining what it was Mustapha Mond held it at a high level saying, “The perfect drug. All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects. Take a holiday from reality whenever you like, and come back without so much as a headache or a mythology. Won't that be nice?" (Huxley) highlighting the drug’s positive effects. The dramatic irony here is that the reader understands the true use of soma and how it is disguised as happiness but really carries lack of freedom. From the perspective of New World citizens, soma is a blast of bliss that shields them from challenges or discomfort in life. In a world where everyone uses it and you are conditioned to flee reality during hardship, you see no problems and will continue that high valuation. However, from an oppossing perspective it is ridiculous. John believes that it strips any true sentiments towards an ideology and that soma is used to control outward thinking. As John fervently discusses his ideas of the drug he says, “I'd like to be a martyr, like the early Christians." "Martyrdom isn't what it used to be. These days it's just an excuse for a good display of bad temper" (Huxley) which is a hyperbole to emphasize how dependent people have become on soma. It implies he is willing to suffer and die for what he believes in whereas soma has made people unwilling to suffer or sacrifice anything. Huxley included this to further justify how important