Summary Of Brave New World By Aldous Huxley

In 2016 it is estimated that 64,000 people die of drug overdoses per year. Huxley’s society “The World State” is a dystopian society, yes the men and women that don't partake in controlling the society seem to be happy in what they consider a utopia, but the people who do control “The World State” like the world controller Mustapha Mond and people like John The Savage, are victims of the true nature of reality. In the novel “Brave New World” by Aldous
Huxley, some of the fantasies that are now a reality in our society include substance abuse, openness to sex and genetic engineering or the use of technologies to control and manipulate its population.
One of the fantasies that “Brave New World” portrays that is now a reality for some people
in our modern world is the use of stimulants. In Huxley’s novel, not only is it encouraged but the government allows the use of “soma” which is a drug citizen's of “The World State” can take if they choose to do so "Glum, Marx, glum." The clap on the shoulder made him start, look up. It was that brute Henry Foster. "What you need is a gramme of soma." "All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects." (Huxley Pg. 53). To ease pain and receive pleasure people use drugs just like in our society today. Substance abuse is now becoming somewhat of a norm among our people and a good example of why is “Half an hour later they were back in his room. Bernard swallowed four tablets of soma at a gulp, turned on the radio and television and began to undress.” (Huxley Pg. 92). Bernard needs to forget about his reality to fit in society and uses soma to do so. Substance abuse leads to addictive behavior to the drug resulting in dependency which builds tolerance “Greedily she clamored for ever larger, ever more frequent doses. Dr. Shaw at first demurred; then let her have what she wanted. She took as much as twenty grammes a day.”(Huxley Pg. 154). Linda gives herself the biggest dose of soma she has ever taken to escape her reality. In other words “The World State” use of soma is a reality in our society.
In 2014, there were 24.2 births for every 1,000 adolescent females ages 15-19. The “World State” stand on sex which is not only licit but also controlled, conditions their population at an early age “We had Elementary Sex for the first forty minutes, The Director walked slowly down the long line of cots. Rosy and relaxed with sleep, eighty little boys and girls lay softly breathing.” (Huxley Pg. 27) This is where I view their government as apathetic because humans have emotions, they are capable of loving one another and by allowing this conditioning to happen, love and sex are partitioned to be viewed as something separate similarly to our society hence the high birth rates in young adults in our world but maybe the source of this outcome is from influence of the hip pop culture of today. Lenina is a good looking character in the novel and as a result, she sleeps with anyone she has lusted over “The lift was crowded with men from the Alpha Changing Rooms, and Lenina's entry was greeted by many friendly nods and smiles. She was a popular girl and, at one time or another, had spent a night with almost all of them.” (Huxley Pg. 57) “The World State” view on sex is entertainment, something fun to do. At the beginning of the novel Huxley gives us an insight of to what we might expect further on in the story "Charming, charming," murmured the Director and, giving [Lenina] two or three little pats, received in exchange a rather deferential smile for himself.” (Huxley Pg. 16-17) The way how the Director acts towards Lenina expresses the way sex is viewed throughout the novel. All in all, “The World State” is a place where sex is normal as early as childhood which is not the only factor but makes sex a separate entity of its own, somewhat like our modern world.
Genetic engineering is an astonishing new technology in science because it will enable us to make advancements in the well being of everyone but with “The World State”, using technologic advancements like this one, moral complications begin, the mass production of humans specifically.
In “The World State” there is a fictional process called the “Bokanovsky Process” which is how they clone humans “One egg, one embryo, one adult-normality. But a bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide. From eight to ninety- six buds, and every bud will grow into a perfectly formed embryo and every embryo into a full sized adult. Making ninety-six human beings grow where only one grew before.” (Huxley Pg. 6) This technology might eventually be present in our world with great advantages but the main concern here is how we use this in an ethical manner. “The World State” has different plans when it comes to genetic engineering, the way humans are made is through an incubator and the temperature is what differentiate the male and female "These," he waved his hand, "are the incubators." And opening an insulated door he showed them racks upon racks of numbered test-tubes. "The week's supply of ova. Kept," he explained, "at blood heat; whereas the male gametes," and here he opened another door, "they have to be kept at thirty-five instead of thirty-seven. Full blood heat sterilizes." Rams wrapped in theremogene beget no lambs.” (Huxley Pg. 5) The accuracy of this science is what makes this nerve wrecking. Genetic engineering has its pros and cons, today we use it to remove diseases and is also used to make newborn babies have certain traits but the fact that they can do this is scary. “The World State” is a perfect example of a totalitarian government where even light is controlled “The overalls of the workers were white, their hands gloved with a pale corpse-coloured rubber. The light was frozen, dead, a ghost. Only from the yellow barrels of the microscopes did it
borrow a certain rich and living substance, lying along the polished tubes like butter, streak after luscious streak in long recession down the work tables” (Huxley Pg. 3) Like in our modern world the use of force in technology is present like when people are glued to their phones.
In conclusion, the novel “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley has sociological flaws, for example, the use of stimulants like soma to escape reality, mainstream sex “everyone is for everyone”, and how technology is used in their society to control their people from mass human production to psychological conditioning. Huxley shows the reader that the fantasies in his novel are things that could happen, has happened, or are happening. Flaws that we could or already dejectedly have in our world.