Brave New World: Struggle to Maintain Individuality

Individuality, ‘the quality of a character of a particular person or thing that distinguishes them from others of the same kind, especially when strongly marked’. Maintaining individuality and standing out from everyone else has always been difficult. Not just today, in the 21st century, but throughout history. Often the pressures faced from society and the fear of being cast as an outsider can cause one to conform to society and give in. This is apparent in the book ‘Brave New World’ and it has also been shown over many years in the past. All people, from celebrities to everyday people, the struggle that is to maintain ones individuality has always existed.

To stand up to everyone else and maintain ones character is never easy and can often be dangerous. To go against everyones views and opinions, especially when no one shares the same views as you can be very daunting. In the book ‘Brave New World’, the author Aldous Huxley showed that it is very difficult to stand up and be an individual. He did this through his character, the Savage. The Savage was very different to the typical citizens of the brave new world. Unlike them, he was born from a mother and he grew up in a similar way to that of someone in todays world. When he goes to the brave new world, it is obvious his views are not shared. He is seen as askew, misguided, defective, an outsider. In a completely new world, a place he’s never been in, the Savage ultimately struggles to maintain his individualism. His ethics and beliefs have never been challenged like this before. A major challenge he faced upon arriving at the brave new world is Lenina. Upon getting to know her he started to fall in love with her. Due to the way he was brought up, he doesn’t just want to have has sexual desires fulfilled, he wants a relationship with her. Lenina on the other hand doesn’t believe in relationships as that is the case in the brave new world. She has also grown fond of the Savage, but unlike