Brave New World Narcotic Analysis
Psychosis The best opium of the masses might be opium itself. Aldous Huxley’s surreal dystopian novel Brave New World explores the idea that a narcotic can control and pacify massive amounts of people with little repercussions. The substance, known as soma, produces a calming sensation that the inhabitants of the Brave New World call “Euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly hallicinant.” (54) The controllers of this world dispense the drug to anyone that uses the narcotic, which is practically the entire society. An entire society hooked on a powerful government sponsored narcotic can only lead to the disintegration of people’s ability to fight for their civil liberties.
John, one of the central protagonists of Brave New World, proves that soma is detrimental to society. In fact, John incites a riot because of his disgust of soma: “’Free, free! ‘the Savage shouted, and with one hand continued to throw the soma into the area while, with the other, he punched …show more content…
Approved in 1995 by the FDA, OxyContin is “One of the fastest growing concerns for public health and non-medicinal use of prescription opioids.” (Roget 662) During the late 1990s and early 2000s, doctors could prescribe OxyContin to pretty much anyone with even mild pain. The pharmaceutical industry touted the infamous drug as a safer alternative to other common painkillers of the time. Only years later did the US public learn that “the very mechanisms that make those pills good at dulling pain are the ones that too often lead to crippling addiction and drug abuse.” (Piore 45) When prescription opiate addiction became a widespread problem in large swaths of the United States, the FDA was forced to drastically increase regulations that now make it extremely difficult for drug-addled opium junkies to obtain their drug of
John, one of the central protagonists of Brave New World, proves that soma is detrimental to society. In fact, John incites a riot because of his disgust of soma: “’Free, free! ‘the Savage shouted, and with one hand continued to throw the soma into the area while, with the other, he punched …show more content…
Approved in 1995 by the FDA, OxyContin is “One of the fastest growing concerns for public health and non-medicinal use of prescription opioids.” (Roget 662) During the late 1990s and early 2000s, doctors could prescribe OxyContin to pretty much anyone with even mild pain. The pharmaceutical industry touted the infamous drug as a safer alternative to other common painkillers of the time. Only years later did the US public learn that “the very mechanisms that make those pills good at dulling pain are the ones that too often lead to crippling addiction and drug abuse.” (Piore 45) When prescription opiate addiction became a widespread problem in large swaths of the United States, the FDA was forced to drastically increase regulations that now make it extremely difficult for drug-addled opium junkies to obtain their drug of