Inspired in large part by the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution, authors such as H.G. Wells and Jules Verne popularized science fiction in the late 19th century. Building off of this relatively new genre, Aldous Huxley published what is widely acknowledged as his greatest work, Brave New World, in 1932. Huxley drew heavily upon the pioneers of science fiction; however, his predictions of the future differed from his predecessors. While earlier authors, specifically Wells, predicted technology would lead to utopian societies, “[i]n at least one letter dating from the period during which he was working on the novel, Huxley openly avowed his aim to expose the ‘horror of the Wellsian Utopia’” (Firchow 1-2). Huxley depicts a society
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Huxley supported the eugenics movement, regarding it “not [as] a nightmare prospect but rather the best hope for designing a better world if used in the right ways by the right people” (Woiak 106). Huxley’s support of eugenics shows clearly through the attitude of his characters; upon being asked why Epsilon embryos are purposely kept from fully developing, the director of hatcheries responds, “Hasn 't it occurred to you that an Epsilon embryo must have an Epsilon environment as well as an Epsilon heredity?" (Huxley 24). The director’s assertion goes unchallenged throughout rest of the discussion, with the members of the tour taking his word as gospel truth. Huxley’s belief in eugenics was not unique among the people of his time, “eugenics was consistent with the predominant or ‘mainline’ trend in both England and the United States” (Woiak 109). Given Huxley’s belief in the usefulness of eugenics in bettering society, the presence of a similar system in Brave New World to ensure each member of society is genetically predisposed to fit into their assigned purpose can be taken to indicate Huxley’s approval of the social hierarchy of his time, which was often justified by arguments about the genetic superiority of the …show more content…
After seeing the instability caused by the economic downturn, Huxley came to believe stability was the “primal and ultimate need” of civilization, an idea not lost on the World State, whose motto is “Community, Identity, Stability” (Bradshaw__) (Huxley 15). Therefore, to Huxley, as long as a social hierarchy provided stability, the inequalities present could be justified. According to the director of London’s hatcheries, the caste system of Brave New World provides exactly that: "Bokanovsky 's Process [a method of cloning embryos] is one of the major instruments of social stability!" (Huxley 18). The society of Brave New World is undeniably stable, as Mond tells John, “[t]he world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get” (198). Individuals who undermine this stability are exiled to islands to prevent damage to the social structure. Huxley’s overwhelming belief in the importance of
Huxley supported the eugenics movement, regarding it “not [as] a nightmare prospect but rather the best hope for designing a better world if used in the right ways by the right people” (Woiak 106). Huxley’s support of eugenics shows clearly through the attitude of his characters; upon being asked why Epsilon embryos are purposely kept from fully developing, the director of hatcheries responds, “Hasn 't it occurred to you that an Epsilon embryo must have an Epsilon environment as well as an Epsilon heredity?" (Huxley 24). The director’s assertion goes unchallenged throughout rest of the discussion, with the members of the tour taking his word as gospel truth. Huxley’s belief in eugenics was not unique among the people of his time, “eugenics was consistent with the predominant or ‘mainline’ trend in both England and the United States” (Woiak 109). Given Huxley’s belief in the usefulness of eugenics in bettering society, the presence of a similar system in Brave New World to ensure each member of society is genetically predisposed to fit into their assigned purpose can be taken to indicate Huxley’s approval of the social hierarchy of his time, which was often justified by arguments about the genetic superiority of the …show more content…
After seeing the instability caused by the economic downturn, Huxley came to believe stability was the “primal and ultimate need” of civilization, an idea not lost on the World State, whose motto is “Community, Identity, Stability” (Bradshaw__) (Huxley 15). Therefore, to Huxley, as long as a social hierarchy provided stability, the inequalities present could be justified. According to the director of London’s hatcheries, the caste system of Brave New World provides exactly that: "Bokanovsky 's Process [a method of cloning embryos] is one of the major instruments of social stability!" (Huxley 18). The society of Brave New World is undeniably stable, as Mond tells John, “[t]he world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get” (198). Individuals who undermine this stability are exiled to islands to prevent damage to the social structure. Huxley’s overwhelming belief in the importance of