Individualism In Brave New World

In order for a utopia to exist, everyone must be on the same side, and content. However, because of individualism that cannot happen. Individualism allows people to feel emotion and to be happy, the ideal goal of a utopia. However, it can also lead to instability. The suffering and submission of the characters in these three works result from the destruction and abuse of their individuality by totalitarian power to maintain control, revealing that true happiness cannot be obtained through utopias. Individual identities stem from past experiences and memories, however, the power in all of these societies manipulate people’s past experiences and emotions to ensure that there will not be social unrest. The yearning for freedom exhibited by

The rulers of all three books abuse elements of individuality in order to maintain their control to ensure a false sense of happiness. Past experiences and memories are vital parts of a person’s sense of self. It leads people to feelings of sadness but it also leads people to happiness. It provides a sort of reference point for people so that they can truly experience happiness. However, this element of individualism necessitates sadness, something that the rulers of all three books cannot have. In Brave New World, they use soma to numb people’s negative past experience so they are always happy. If people have this false sense of happiness, they will not rebel. But, crucially, their submission results from the abuse of their individuality. The soma essentially creates fake experiences for the people so no one has any bad memories. True happiness is obtained through perspective. However, it also creates instability. The citizens of the World State submit because their individuality has been tampered with and they do not have any reason to rebel because they have no past experiences. In 1984, Winston constantly has dreams about

Within these tightly controlled worlds where individualism seems to be eliminated for the sake of stability, there are still hints that suggest individualism is necessary for humans. In Brave New World, there is a highly neglected scene that possesses a lot of meaning. An elevator worker of one of the lower castes in the society is forced into his job. There is a sense of happiness and relief when he sees sunlight. His sudden outburst of happiness shows how individuals cannot survive and be truly happy when they are forced into conformity. The worker’s suffering and sudden burst of happiness reveal how vital individuality is to happiness. He yearns for freedom from the society that he is forced into and the role he must play. He yearns to be an individual because he is discontent with his job. His suffering results from his inability to make his own choices as an individual, but its the prevention of these choices that creates utopic social stability. In 1984, conformity is not enough for Winston. He needs to be an individual. He works relentlessly to find some form of individuality. He risks his life to write in the diary because there is no other way to be an individual in that society. The fact that he makes such a risky move reveals that conformity may create stability but will never create happiness. He suffers because he has no outlet for his individual thoughts. In the Tempest, Caliban is