1. Like oil to machines, in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, soma is essential for survival. In this dystopia, the society's stability derives from drug use. "And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there's always soma to give you a holiday from the facts. And there's always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears--that's what soma is."Huxley’s normality in Brave New World is different than social norms of today. However, in the world which Huxley portrays, substance abuse may seem unethical but it is practiced in our community the same. Drugs, in general, have become an escape for people's problems for countless years. Whether they know the consequences which drugs lead, they still continue for that one high. Soma cured the hassles of human emotion and engineered the people to act as robots, but there was imperfection in its perfection: no free will. The average Joe in our society that may be trying to defeat a personal demon might feel the same as a Delta in The World State. Given a simple solution for a problem more complicated then itself. From this, it is inevitable that chaos is
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
As humanity entered the twentieth century a breakdown in social convention and the resultant blossoming of social ideas lead to the conception of a new literary sub-genre, soft science fiction. Inspired by works including “The Iron Heel” by Jack London1, it used the deficiencies and corruptions in both capitalist and communist culture to predict a dystopian future. These counter or anti-utopian societies often focus on the dehumanisation of the proletariat, and how the ruling class use fear and war to control those below them. Every novel is as dissimilar as the authors who wrote them, with both the tools of oppression and the extent to which they are applied differing greatly. Although the books also vary in the style they are written the inherent trends that connect the sub-genre are obvious. (129 Words)…
- 975 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Aldous Huxley uses the drug Soma to Shape and Control the entire utopian Society and The use of soma plays such a huge part in how the characters of the story live life.…
- 57 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
I think Huxley shows that fathers need to be respectful and inspiring to their kids. On page 125, when John stabbed his step father, he didn't flinch from the pain. I think this shows a father as being strong and inspirational because earlier in chapter six, John was wanting to prove his strength. I think that his father has inspired him to become strong and respectable in the tribe even though he is considered an outsider.…
- 348 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
I can sort of understand what Mr. Huxley is trying to say about the world in his book "A Brave New World" is sort of what he sees happening in the world that we live in. Through the ways that we raise our children, to how we look at things physiologically. To the way things are brought up to this world. He makes it seem in his that we live in a world were an actual God exists. In the end, in Mr. Huxley's perspective, he sees our world turning for the worst.…
- 388 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Soma holds dominance over the World State by creating the ideal please drug. Soma is introduced when Bernard Marx states that soma has “[a]ll the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects” (Huxley 54). Soma is declared in Huxley’s novel to be an ideal blend of religion and stimulating narcotics. The idea of god has been replaced entirely by soma induced pleasuring stimulations and delirium. Marx further states that “’there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday [… and] three for a dark eternity on the moon” (Huxley 56). The World State is ensnared by soma in major events, celebrated similar to traditional holidays with addition of the drug, and in the minor designs of the…
- 779 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Every community strives for stability and civilized behavior from their citizens. Stability and community both play a very big roll in a civilized society. In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the state motto: "Community, Identity, Stability" encompasses not only the state goal, but also the techniques needed to reach these goals.…
- 495 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Mustapha Mond believes that a stable society is dependent on the elimination of unhappiness. However, without true unhappiness, it is difficult to attain genuine bliss. John the Savage, who was born outside of the World State, believes that life without discomfort is not worth living. He references Shakespeare’s Othello: “‘If after every tempest came such calms, may the winds blow till they have wakened death’” (Huxley 265). John believes that the greatest joys in life are dependent upon the deepest pains. Citizens of the World State are dependent upon soma, a drug with minimal side affects that elicits a soaring high. The phrase, “a gramme is better than a damn” is frequently used to justify an abhorrent amount of drug abuse. Linda, John’s mother, becomes addicted to the soma and loves nothing more upon her return to the World State: “The return to civilization was for her the return to soma, was the possibility of lying in bed and taking holiday after holiday” (Huxley 168). Mustapha Mond has brainwashed society to believe that their everlasting artificial bliss is genuine, and this is a key component to the society’s…
- 885 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The government arguably has a tremendous amount of power and authority over its citizens. In V for Vendetta, Alan Moore writes, “People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” From this, one may wonder what would happen if the government discovers a way to ensure that their citizens follow everything they want them to. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the World State’s government controls its citizens in many ways to ensure that no one rebels against their beliefs. These methods are similar in nature to the methods that the government in the real world uses to keep its citizens in line with what is socially acceptable. The World State and the real world control their citizens through maintaining a society that rewards the conformed, leads by means of domination and publicizes their system.…
- 991 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
From the very first chapters of Huxley’s Brave New World, one is immersed deeply into his idea of a perfect world dystopia. The reader is first introduced to the Hatchery and Conditioning centre, where the human embryo from birth is modified with biochemical engineering to fit the World State’s rigid caste system. Additionally, several of the upper caste characters are introduced and through their conversation one learns of the societal values of this dystopian state such as the emphasis on consumerism and the way the World State, the governing body, controls its inhabitants. One of the tools that they employ is the use of soma, a recreational drug that sends citizens into a dream like state. The true goal of soma is to promote social stability, an idea of maintaining equilibrium within others to achieve co-existence.…
- 510 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
We’re fascinated by the terrible things character's face and for years now, authors have evaluated and ridiculed the “perfect” society to share their concerns about humanity. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley presents a dystopian, emotionless and controlled world where all individuality is masked by their false understanding of “happiness”. Soma, is their armament against the effects of conflict and the only way to indulge in their inescapable life. True happiness is only possible through the perception and feeling of emotions, soma simply provides a distraction from the truth of a world gone wrong. In fact, it appears the plot, tone and characters from the novel all display examples of soma and the belief that happiness is achieved within.…
- 491 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Meckier, Jerome. "Debunking Our Ford: My Life and Work and _Brave New World_." South Atlantic Quarterly 78, no. 2 (Autumn, 1979): 448-459.…
- 1017 Words
- 4 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Huxley was born on July 26, 1894, he came from a wealthy known family. However Huxley had a rough childhood he grew up thinking he was different, people treated him like he was different, he was odd of the group. However it wasn't that he was different it was just that he was intelligent well at least for his age, he was seen as Superior, his mind was more developed than anyone his age. Growing up Huxley was loved by many due to his intelligence. Huxley felt it was his obligation to fight the idea that happiness could be achieved through class-instituted slavery of even the most benevolent kind. He felt that by denying themselves unpleasant emotions they deny themselves deeply joyous ones as well. Their happiness can be continued endlessly…
- 455 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Soma is used to distract people from living a full life filled with family, love, freedom and individuality. The drug is enforced everyday, for example when you leave your work, you are given a dosage of soma to take home with you, it is your gramme for the day. This drug is described as the “perfect drug”, it is a hallucinogen where it is consumed to resolve your dissatisfaction and to calm you; it gives you a ten hour long high and it makes life seem surrealistic. Soma is used to take away any dissatisfaction by any means necessary, if it is either loneliness or thoughts about the society being a dystopia, it is consumed and suddenly all your worries disappear and it’s like they turn into mindless drones with no thoughts, emotions or self-awareness. The government are using soma to have and keep control over everyone so they can’t think for themselves and just follow everyone else’s…
- 936 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Recreational drug abuse is becoming a huge problem in our society, and the parallels drawn within Brave New World act uncannily well as a foresight into the future, if drug abuse becomes the norm. In Brave New World, the people use the drug soma as an escape. Soma acts as the perfect drug--giving a perfect high, or holiday, with no real repercussions or hangovers. Characters within the book use soma to escape their negative emotions. As humans, we need to experience bad things in order to feel better. As a certain character, Linda, John the Savage’s mother, consumes obscene amounts of soma to satiate her addiction. She lies in bed, completely useless and unable to even control herself. Over time, she has to keep taking soma to get a similar holiday, until “Linda stirred uneasily, opened her eyes for a moment, looked vaguely around, and then once more dropped off to sleep. ‘Popé’, she murmured, and closed her eyes… ‘But Linda! … don’t you know me?’”(203-204) This exchange between Linda and John shows the pain that drug abusers push onto their family. They don’t get rid of their negative emotions--they push them onto close friends and family. John is left in anguish as his mother’s lungs collapse, and he watches her die while no one makes a remote attempt to help her. In the same way, drug abuse destroys our world. Especially when it comes foster children, more often than not, foster care workers find children who are abused, coming in with broken bones, malnourished, or left in neglect. The most common denominator was clear: all of the children had parents who were addicted to and abused opiates to the point of it taking away their lives and ability to make proper judgements for their own children. (Quinton) Savannah, a previous addict said she “lost a lot of family and more friends than [she] can count to this disease of addiction.” Drugs took more than just the parents’ lives away from…
- 1361 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In the famous 1930’s novel, Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley, a huge theme within deals with happiness. Soma, a drug used to create simultaneous happiness, is referred to numerous times throughout the…
- 934 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays