Brave New World

Brave New World

I just finished reading this book, and wow.

This contains spoilers. Read it if you haven’t already.

Many compare and contrast this book with 1984 but I haven’t read it yet, though I plan to very soon. My understanding is that some compare it to “the things that we love destroy us verses the things that we hate destroy us.”

It’s not hard for us to picture a paradise society where everything’s always good. But that picture would also include my own wife, kids, and parents.

We live in a world where we can dream about what we would like to do career wise. I can wake up tomorrow and say “I would like to be a nurse, dentist, or an air pilot.” Then I can willingly choose if I want to pursue it bad enough.

The book speaks of a world with no parents, no spouse, no biological kids. You will be happy In your role of society and of your job, but you will be predestined and conditioned to it. You’d be conditioned that death isn’t a sad moment. There’s no disease, no mosquitoes, no one is overweight. You also can have all the sex you want and even get some chewing gum to increase the drive. And the sex is with multiple partners and no jealousy because of everyone belongs to everyone. No one is alone. Though if your thoughts and actions don’t align properly, you will be kicked out.

You also would have access to soma. A neat little thing that will make you happy and feel like you’re on a vacation. That feeling when nothing is wrong and you’re on a beautiful beach paradise. Our society has things like soma, though they are more deadly and dangerous and cause damage to family and friends of those using it. If a situation gets too sticky, they can always have a unit come out and spray soma mist. There’s plenty to go around.

I felt sad for the savage. He grew up in rough conditions and was never treated as an equal. He dreamed of the paradise his mother spoke of. That “paradise” killed her though she got to experience it. He felt emotions we feel. It’s rough to imagine being at your mother’s bedside while she is about to depart from this life and there comes a swarm of twins studying and observing with no empathy (though they aren’t supposed to.) imagine the rage of one standing there watching you grieve while they munch on a snack and ask questions.

The savage also believed he was getting a better life leaving the new world though he became as a zoo animal. Imagine a child tapping the glass when he sees a monkey and begins to imitate monkey behavior and noises in hopes the monkey will do something interesting.

Sure, the savage could kill one of the viewers, but he can’t make enough arrows to kill them all. He also can’t stop them from coming.

The entire last chapter is haunting. The last sentences really end off the book where you have nothing to say.

So what are your thoughts on the book? What’s something you’ve taken from the book?
Would you choose this life or to live in a world just like that? You wouldn’t have to be concerned about your grandmothers health issues, though you wouldn’t even have a grandmother. But you also wouldn’t be bothered by that statement if you grew up in that world. You would be happy but predestined. You would experience many fun and happy times, though you will not experience true love and marriage.

by SalamiMommie