IV. “The Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley

Unlike his colleagues, Aldous Huxley was inspired by the ideas of American community, but not by realities of the totalitarian Soviet Union(Meckier, 2002, p. 427). Ira Grushow describes the world created by Huxey as follows:

“In “Brave New World” Huxley enforces in us disgust toward the future society largely through the constant reference to our own society. We find World State intolerable largely because we see in it perversions of our most cherished ideals and institutions. Their proverbs are refutations of our own and their Solidarity Service is a travesty of Christian ritual.” – Ira Grushow, p. 42

The novel is set in London of 2541. People throughout the world live in a single state in so-called “Consumer Society”. Consumption is a new world's cult, Henry Ford is a symbol of a new god, and the sign "T" have replaced the cross(T for "Ford T"). The government is pursuing a policy of total control of fertility. According to the plot humans are not born naturally anymore, but are grown in special plants(Arehart-Treichel, 1979, p. 93). At the stage of development of the embryo they are divided into five castes with different mental and physical abilities, from the "alpha" caste, having the maximum development, to the most primitive and weak "epsilon"caste. To maintain the caste system of society every man has instilled pride in belonging to his caste, respect towards the highest caste and contempt for the lower castes, as well as the values of society and the basis of the behavior in it.(Schmerl, 1962, p.328) Due to the technical development of the society much of the work can be done by machines, so work is transmitted to humans only in order to occupy their free time. However, description of scientific progress performed so well that there is no doubt that Huxley possesses wide scientific backgrounds.(Firchow, 1975, p. 302) Edgar H. Shein writes:

“Huxley describes how the alarming growth of the population in the world is creating economic and social conditions which will necessitate highly centralized forms of government, and how technological developments are making the means of production, distribution and communication so complex and extensive that only large and powerful entrepreneurs or governments will be able to handle them.” – Edgar H. Shein, p. 431

Huxley's world is different from the majority of dystopias. For example, Ronald Hope noted that “Aldous Huxley wrote a greater length and, if he has weak on suspense, he at least provided sex and religion in abundance”(1972, p. 250).

One of the interesting aspects of the Consumer Society is to legalize drugs. Citizens use a special drug called “Soma” to be in a good mood all the time. State prefers their citizens to be addicted, due to they do not plan to rebel and happy all the time, therefore it is easier to provide control. This book was written long before, as the first state to announce the legalization of drugs, but recently it is normal practice. Various countries facilitate the access of its citizens to drugs. Moreover, the legalization of drugs now being promoted more active than in the 1930s, when the novel was written and published. Proponents of legalization arguing for the ability to control the quality of drugs and reducing crime as the possible benefits of drug legalization. However, it is still a question, whether Huxley was able to predict only the legalization process, or he was about the objectives of the states legalizing drugs.

Huxley foresaw that the society of the future will be more emancipated sexually, than the society of his contemporaries. In Huxley's novel, residents are not marrying and everybody is free to choose any sexual partner that he want. In the society of the future is considered to be indecently to start a long term relationship with anyone. Pointless to deny that modern society is more emancipated sexually, than the early 20th century society. The rights of women and men are equal, clothes become more outspoken, humans stopped to shy of experiments in sex and become more tolerant to those whose sexual preferences differ from their own. Sex in advertising, movies, books, broadcasters are discussing it on the radio, etc. Modern culture imbued with sex. Of course, it is still far from the sexual standards described by Huxley, but who knows what will happen after the next period of time the same magnitude as the time gap between Huxley and our time.

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