"A Gramme is Always Better Than a Damn" (Huxley, 2006, p. 90)
Aldous Huxley saw a fully aware and intelligent society the only way to obtain a government which would keep the people’s best interest a priority. In Brave New World it was clear the government had utter control of its people, which the government gained by supplying the population with Soma. Soma was a fictional recreational drug which caused euphoria, relaxation, and “an escape from… reality” (Hickman, 2009, p. 145) all while making its users absolutely dependant of it. Huxley was by no means against the use of recreational drugs, however, he loathed the concept of a drug which could suppress human emotions and intellect, making a population submissive to its government. Bernard Marx, the main character of the first half of Brave New World, continuously struggled internally with his anti-authority sentiments and dependency of Soma. Although Soma allowed people to believe they are happy, in reality it created a pseudo contentedness that suppressed any of the user’s true emotions.
A Rebellious Writer
Aldous Huxley was born into an elite English family with interests in science and art. While attending college, Huxley embraced anti-establishment ideas (Whaley, 2004, para. 3). These rebellious and, what at the time were considered, new and radical ideas would later be seen throughout Huxley’s life, such as his support of anarchism, environment protection, his open marriage to a bisexual woman (Whaley, 2004, para. 3), and most importantly, his experimentation with lysergic acid diethylamide (Whaley, 2004, para. 12). Lysergic acid diethylamide, more commonly referred to as LSD, was accidentally created in 1938 by Arthur Stoll and Albert Hofmann (Columbia University Press, 2016, para. 2). LSD is a drug that “intensifies sense perceptions and produces hallucinations, mood changes, and changes in the sense of time” (Columbia University Press, 2016, para. 1). Huxley began using LSD as well as other hallucinogens in 1953 (Aithal 2010, para. 11). Huxley argued that these drugs allowed its users to have a “mystical experience” (Whaley, 2004,para. 12). “Don’t You Wish You Were Free…?” (Huxley, 2006, p. 91) Part one of chapter six of Brave New World focused on Lenina’s and Bernard’s long awaited date. In the beginning of the the chapter Lenina was eager for her date, she was drawn to Bernard’s personality, which she and society perceived as odd. Although Lenina seemed emotionally invested in Bernard, it is important to remember her conditioning suppressed truly complex feelings, and in reality Lenina was mostly sexually attracted to Bernard. In fact, Lenina’s main goal was to have sex with Bernard that night (Huxley, 2006, p. 89). Throughout the date, Lenina encouraged Bernard to take Soma, to which Bernard replied “I’d rather be myself… Myself and nasty. Not somebody else, however jolly” (Huxley, 2006, p. 89). Bernard became frustrated with Lenina, who was absolutely repulsed at the sight of the ocean, and angrily turned the radio off, demanding they watch nature in silence (Huxley, 2006, pp.90-91). Lenina’s conditioning kicked in and she began to recite promotional Soma chants she was conditioned to learn as a child in order to attempt to rationalize the concept of individualism, which only frustrated Bernard even more. Bernard made a final attempt to enlighten Lenina and asked her, “what would it [life] be like… if I were free- not enslaved to my conditioning?” (Huxley, 2006, p. 91). As the date came to an end Bernard, disenchanted that someone as intelligent as Lenina could not overcome her conditioning, ironically consumed a high dosage of Soma and proceeded to turn …show more content…
4). Brave New World focused on the negativity of the future, particularly people’s “ignorance… loneliness and despair, and their pointless and sordid existence” (Aithal 2010, para.13). Ultimately, Bernard proved to be too weak to resist Soma, which functioned a metaphor for conformism and the overwhelming power an authoritarian state has on the governed while they are drugged and “render[ered]... docile” (Hickman, 2009, p. 145). A civilization incapable of intelligent thought, powerless to absolute control was Huxley’s ultimate fear. Huxley believed a tyrannical society, such as the one in Brave New World, could only be fixed once the public attained “wholeness and integrity” (Aithal 2010, para.