Brave New World Essay

BNW Rough Draft
Morally, the novel: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is not acceptable to me. The plot, suggestive actions, and even the overall standards in the book do not appeal to me as a reader. One example that demonstrates my dislike for the book, Brave New World, is on (pg 19-20): “’Bokanovsky’s Process,’ … One egg, one embryo, one adult – normality. … A Bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide.” This instance from chapter one, personally as a reader, makes me dislike the book. I personally don’t like reading about scientific facts; and/or uncanny extraterrestrial-like customs. I think it is just, very plainly, odd. A second reason that shows my dislike for Brave New World is on (pg 88): “Swallowing … that second dose of soma had raised a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their minds.” This case from Chapter 5 [part 1] is a huge reason why I do not like this particular novel. Soma is a reference to a perfect drug. Supposedly, there is nothing wrong with it at all, and it makes you completely happy; leaving behind no negative effects whatsoever. I think this is a very bad idea to put into a book due to today’s society of teenagers. Due to the already very enormous number of kids who use drugs, they might become influenced and argue that the characters in BNW can take Soma and not be affected. So then this leaves them to rationalizing that maybe everything will be perfectly satisfactory after consuming a certain drug in the real world. My last instance that shows my disapproval for BNW is how the word ‘Pneumatic’ is used especially by Henry Foster and Benito Hoover to describe what it’s like to have sex with Lenina. She herself remarks that her lovers usually find her “pneumatic,” patting her legs as she does so. In reference to Lenina it means well-rounded, balloon-like, or bouncy, in reference to her flesh, and in particular her bosom. And the use of this odd word to describe the physical characteristics of both a woman and a piece of furniture underscores the novel’s theme that human sexuality has been degraded to the level of a commodity. Personally, I dislike the very thought that the novel basically revolves around drugs and sex, and being a Junior in High School currently, I don’t really appreciate reading such material. Weird material as such often revolts the attention of the youth. In deduction, the overall content, plot, characters, and drug references make me, as a reader, ill-fated. I personally don’t like the overall message/theme in which it presents either which is that human sexuality has been degraded to the level of a commodity. I just don’t think this is suitable reading material for people like me who are in High School. Let alone, I’m just not that interested in a book with topics like so.