How Can Soma Be Controlled In Brave New World

1508 Words7 Pages

People living in the world today surrender themselves to the effects of drugs and alcohol. In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, the drug soma is used to satirize people who allow stimulants to suppress their problems and create happiness, but true happiness can only be obtained through control over one’s own mind. With the drug soma, the citizens are able to provide their own superficial happiness and instability is prevented. It allows each part of society to work in perfect order. With the help of soma, all of the people are happy and satisfied with their manufactured lifestyles. “In Brave New World, soma stands for alienation, dehumanization and superficial mind-numbing pleasure.” (Schermer 119). Some characters depend on soma, while others abstain from it because they want to know what true happiness feels like. The characters who maintain their own control have the ability to threaten the stability because the people won’t be perfectly conformed to the ways of the …show more content…

She consumes insane amounts of soma, daily, and especially when she needs to escape real life. Lenina visits a reservation that is the exact opposite of her society. It is dirty, dark, and the people do things that make Lenina uncomfortable. She immediately cries out for her soma because she knows it will make everything better. ‘“But it’s terrible,” Lenina whispered. “It’s awful. We ought not to have come here.” She felt in the pocket for her soma--only to discover that, by some unprecedented sight, she had left the bottle down at the rest-house.”’ (Huxley 111). She faces a reality unlike her own, and she immediately turns to her soma, just like people would turn to drugs or alcohol in tough situations. Lenina progressively feels worse. ‘“Lenina was still sobbing…”Too awful!...She shuddered. Oh I wish I had my soma.”’ (Huxley 116). She is unable to manage her stress without