Identity In Brave New World

Similar to power struggles, rehearsal and predictability appear as characteristics of conversation. Fortunati describes a particular conversation in 1984 where even though the exchange does occur, the dialogue is foreseeable. The conversation appears forced and simulated. Winston essentially repeats O’Brien as Winston’s conditioning results in the two having the same mindset (Fortunati 143). In Brave New World, Bernard and Helmholtz try to have a conversation with the World Controller when he threatens to banish them from the island, but the World Controller fails to change his mind (Huxley 220). This extreme control over conversations and power struggles leads to a loss of identity. The loss of identity allows individuals to fit within

In Brave New World, The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning describes the hyponaedia and conditioning practices as “Till at last the child’s mind is these suggestions, and the sum of the suggestions is the child’s mind . . . But all these suggestions are our suggestions!” (Huxley 28-9). The DHC blatantly admits that the government controls the citizens’ thoughts and beliefs from conception. Therefore, the people lack the opportunity to form their own ideas, and just breathe governmental standards. In 1984, the people participate in a daily Two-Minute Hate where the government shows a short video of all of their current enemies. “Of course he chanted with the rest: it was impossible to do otherwise. To dissemble your feelings, to control your face, to do what everyone else was doing, was an instinctive reaction” (Orwell 15). Even though Winston may not agree with what he is saying, he cannot help but chant along as that allows him to fit in. Unfortunately, not all citizens realize what they believe and simply agree with the powerful as a result of

The citizens live without knowledge of decision-making. The loss of reason clearly indicates the dehumanization and identity loss. “Goodness is something chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man” (Burgess 93). One of the mottos in 1984 is “Ignorance is strength” (Orwell 3). This is the idea that the proletariat’s lack of knowledge is the bourgeoisie’s strength. “For of course some sort of general idea they must have, if they were to do their work intelligently - thought as little of one, if they were to be good and happy members of society, as possible” (Huxley 4). From the onset of Brave New World, the DHC says in keeping the members of society happy, limiting knowledge is key. A specific goal diagrams the official language of 1984. “Don’t you see the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?” (Orwell 46). The government restructures and condenses the language to create a language with less words and with less words to pick from, less thoughts are possible. Still, this hidden reconstruction means the majority of the proletariat remain unaware of bourgeoisie