Brave New World Vs 1984

In the dystopian novels, Brave New World and 1984, the written language is seen as a threat to both governing bodies because it allows humans to express themselves. In Brave New World, novels that describe emotions and creative thoughts are kept away from the public, while in 1984, writing down one’s thoughts can be considered a crime against the Party. Literature allows the characters to gain knowledge about themselves, giving them a chance to rebel against the uniformity and conformity that dictates their lives. Throughout both novels, the protagonists rebel against their governments through the acts of reading and writing. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, literature allows people to think for themselves and create their own unique thoughts,
not the hypnopaedic propaganda that is ingrained in them from a young age. Helmholtz Watson, a professor at the College of Emotional Engineering, struggles with the inability to truly express his thoughts through his writings for his job. Helmholtz feels that he “‘could do something much more important’” with his writing, adding that “‘[w]ords can be like X-rays, if you use them properly—they'll go through anything’” (Huxley 70). Although he has been conditioned not to focus on the substance of the words he writes, Helmholtz realizes that there is a power in words and that they are able to really touch someone and bring their thoughts to life. In contrast, John, an Alpha male who was raised on the savage reservation, avoided the conditioning and hypnopaedia; therefore allowing him to enjoy novels full of meaning, like Shakespeare. John idolizes the works of Shakespeare, which is prohibited in the World State, and constantly uses the language found in his plays to express himself throughout the novel. John understands the importance of passionate language while every member of the World State does not, and unremittingly defends Shakespeare’s works, stating that “‘Othello's good, Othello's better than those feelies’” (220). The Controller of the World State, Mustapha Mond, understands the danger that words have to the way of life when he responds to John’s defense of Othello, saying that “‘Of course it is…[b]ut that's the price we have to pay for stability. You've got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art. We've sacrificed the high art” (220). Although he indulges in reading prohibited books, Mustapha Mond realizes the importance of works of high art and views them as threats to the happiness of the citizens of the World State. In Brave New World, individual thinking is not acceptable and would force a person into exile. In George Orwell’s 1984, free thought, which is called “thoughtcrime” by the Party, is a felony punishable by torture and even death.
The Party, which is the governing body of Oceania, constantly attempts to limit words through “newspeak” where they shorten and completely erase words from existence so that the people of Oceania do not have the ability to truly express themselves. Syme, a coworker of Winston in the Ministry of Truth, states that the shortening and elimination of words is “‘a beautiful thing’”, adding that “‘in the final version of Newspeak there'll be nothing else. In the end the whole notion of goodness and badness will be covered by only six words – in reality, only one word. Don't you see the beauty of that, Winston?’” (Orwell 52). The Party strives to limit its citizens the opportunity to use language as a medium for individuality. Syme later adds that “‘the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought…In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it”, further reinforcing the Party’s beliefs (52). Also, when Winston begins writing in the journal he bought from Mr. Charrington’s shop, he understands the gravity of his actions, writing that “thoughtcrime does not entail death; thoughtcrime IS death” (28). The simple act of writing is considered a crime against the Party because it allows a person to truly express their thoughts and not what the Party wants them to think. In the
novel, anyone found expressing themselves and their own opinions would be captured by the thought police and taken to the Ministry of Love, where they would be tortured or murdered.