Perhaps more terrifying than other dystopian novels, in Brave New World there is truly no hope for change. Even the characters who are smart enough to know what is going on (and why they should be concerned) are instead content with everything that is happening. Huxley’s dystopia is especially terrifying in that the enslaved population absolutely loves their slavery.
The assembly line is praised as though it were a gift from God. The tenets of this faith encourage mass consumerism, sexual promiscuity, and avoiding unhappiness at all costs. Global stability is ensured through the Fordist religion, which is based on the teachings of Henry Ford and Sigmund Freud and involves the worship of both men. The typical person is conditioned to love their subservience and either be proud of the vital work they do or be relieved that they don’t have to worry about the problems of the world. The dictatorship is managed by ten oligarchs who rely on an extensive bureaucracy to keep the world running. Touch the fence and you die.The world state is a dictatorship which strives to assure order. Only elite members of the controlling majority are allowed into this special fenced-off area. The only humans living outside of this conditional existence are the savages who follow traditional old-fashioned ways inside a Savage Reservation, based in New Mexico.Recreation comes in the form of electromagnetic or Obstacle golf, tennis and flying around in special planes and helicopters.Illness and old age are a thing of the past.There's no reason for outspoken individuality in this smoothly created linear social hierarchy of Alphas, Betas, Deltas, Gammas and Epsilons.Marriage, parenthood, family and home are long-lost concepts. Sexual experiences are encouraged from an early age.No one is ever alone except when they take soma, and emotional engineering ensures that rebellious feelings are nullified. Those who rebel are sent to islands or got rid of. The majority are content to live with the status quo.The world is run by ten controllers who maintain happiness through various forms of intensive conditioning and a drug called soma. Should We Desire Immortality? Brave New World: Basic Outline
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