Brave New World - Happiness

When we look to define happiness, many different ideas come to mind. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary uses three definitions: good fortune. A state of well being and contentment, and a pleasurable satisfaction. In Brave New World, Aldus Huxley argues that a society can redefine happiness the government's manipulation of the environment and the human mind itself. The government accomplishes this by mind conditioning throughout the process of maturing, keeping a caste-based society and obliterating problems. The government thus defines happiness as the absence of all conflict. This differs from happiness as the American society sees it: the ability to pursue and enjoy individual desires.

The conditioning of minds allows the government to impress its ideas upon maturing children. The process used is hypnopaedia, or repetition of sayings during sleep. After many repetition of one phrase, the idea is hardened within the human mind, proving most difficult to undo. Evidence of this method to provide artificial happiness surfaces in both Lenina and Bernard's actions. Huxley states this coldly during Leninia's trip home with Henry Foster, "What a hideous color Khaki is,' remarked Lenina, voicing the hypnopaedia prejudices of her caste" (62). Khaki is a color worn by lower castes in the society and the higher castes are taought no to associate with them. Bernard's hypnopaedic lessons did not work as well as most. He sees soma, a drug to induce a safe hallucination and keep one felicitous. For problems that nature that sort from infringing on people's happiness.