Philosophy
6th of December 2014
Aldous Huxley - a famous writer, a classic of English literature of the XX century, one of the founders of the so-called "intellectual novel," the author of the world-famous novels "Chrome Yellow" (1921), "Counterpoint" (1928), "The blind man in Gaza" (1936) and many others. "Brave New World", created by Aldous Huxley in 1932 and the right to hold a place in line with such literary masterpieces of the last century, as the novels "We" E.Zamyatin and "1984" George. George Orwell.
This novel is one of the world's most popular anti-utopia. Fans of this type of literature always compare it with Orwell’s “1984”. Conducted a fierce debate over whether variant modern society was developed and who was closer to the truth.
The truth is that every writer was right and wrong at the same time. Every of them have described society which can exist now, and still some similarities can be detected. When I am looking on youth I am sure, writer was totally right.
The action of this novel takes place in the fictional dystopian world state. There is a 632-Year of stability era, the Ford era. Ford, who created the world's largest automobile company in the early twentieth century, is revered in the world states for God. "The Lord is our Ford." In a state that is ruled by technocrats. Children are not born - the fertilized egg artificially grown in special incubators. And they are grown under different conditions, so getting completely different individuals - alpha, beta, gamma, delta and epsilon. Alpha as if people first grade, knowledge workers, epsilon - people of the lower castes, are able only to the monotonous physical labor. First, the embryos are kept in certain circumstances, and then they are born out of glass. Infants are raised differently. Each caste piety brought before a higher caste and contempt for the lower castes. Costumes from each caste certain color. For example, alpha dressed in gray scale - in green, epsilon - in black. The division into castes occurs before birth. People engaged in the cultivation of the incubator. Already in bottles embryos are divided into castes and instill certain inclination to one kind of activity and, on the contrary, aversion to another. Chemists have formed resistance to lead, caustic soda, tar, chlorine. Miners instill a love of heat. Lower castes instilled an aversion to books and dislike of nature (people do not consume - instead, it was decided to instill a love of rustic sports).
In the process of educating people instilled a love to their own caste, admiration and disdain for the higher to the lower castes.
Beta dressed in red. Nurses, junior staff of the incubator.
Gamma wears green clothes. Workers specialty requiring little intelligence.
Delta dressed in khaki.
Epsilons wearing black. Ape half-idiots as the author describes them. Do not know how to read and write. Lifters, unskilled workers.
Genetic material is taken from the lower castes of their own kind. After fertilization, the embryos are subject to special treatment, resulting in zygote kidneys up to 96 times. It creates standard people. "Ninety-six identical twins working at ninety-six identical machines." Then embryos significantly reduce the supply of oxygen, causing reduced mental and bodily level. Lower castes lower growth, reduced intelligence.
Standardization Society - the main thing in the world state. "The community of the same, Stability" - the motto of the planet. In this world, everything is subject to the feasibility of the benefit of civilization. Children are told in a dream of the truth that they are recorded in the subconscious. And a grown man, when faced with any problem, immediately recalls some saving recipe memorized in its infancy. This world is living today in the afternoon, forgetting about the history of mankind. "History is a solid nonsense." Emotion, passion is something that can only prevent a person. In world before Ford each had parents, his father's house, but it did not bring people anything but unnecessary suffering. And now - "Everyone belongs to everyone else." Why love, what feelings and drama? Therefore, children from an early age are taught to erotic games, taught to see in the being of the opposite sex partner in pleasure. And it is desirable that these partners are changed as often as possible - because everyone belongs to everyone else. There is no art; there is only the entertainment industry. Synthetic music, electronic golf, "Feelies - films with a primitive storyline, despite that you really feel what is happening on the screen. And if you somehow a bad mood - it's easy to fix, it is necessary to take only one or two grams of soma, lung drug that you immediately soothe and amuse. “What you need is a gram of soma.”
Bernard Marx is a representative of the upper class, alpha. But he is different from his counterparts. Too thoughtful, melancholy, even romantic. Hill, frail and does not like sports. Rumor has it that he was in an incubator for embryos accidentally injected alcohol instead of blood substitute, so he turned so strange.
Lenina Crown is a girl-beta. She's pretty, slim, sexy, Bernard her pleasant, though much of his behavior it is not clear. For example, it makes you laugh, that he is embarrassed when she is in the presence of others discussing with them the plans for their upcoming jaunt. But go with him to New Mexico, in the reserve, it is very desirable, especially as the resolution to go there to get it is not so simple.
Bernard and Lenina sent to the reserve, where wild men live as lived all of humanity before the era of Ford. They tasted the benefits of civilization, they are born from these parents, love, suffering, hope. In the Indian village Malparaiso Bernard and Lenina meet strange savage it is unlike other Indians, and ruddy, and speaks English albeit in some ancient. Then it turns out that the reserve John found the book, it was Shakespeare, and he learned it by heart.
It turned out that many years ago a young man and the girl Linda Thomas went on an excursion to the reserve. Storm began. Thomas was able to go back to the civilized world, and the girl is not found and determined that she died. But she survived and was in an Indian village. There she gave birth to a child, and she was pregnant back in the civilized world. And therefore did not want to go back, because there is no shame worse than to become a mother. In the village she is addicted to Mezcal, Indian vodka, because she did not have the soma, which helps to forget all the problems; Indians despised her, as she, in their minds, behaved unholy and easy to converge with men, because it taught that intercourseit's just a pleasure available to all.
Bernard decides to bring John and Linda to his world. Linda inspires all disgust and horror, and John, or savage, as became his calling becomes fashionable curiosity. Bernard Savage charge to acquaint with the benefits of civilization, which was not hit. He constantly quoted Shakespeare, who talks about things more amazing. But he falls in love with Lenina and sees it as an excellent Juliet. Lenina flattering attention Savage, but she could not understand why, when she invites him to make “the mutual use of each other”, he is furious and calls her a whore.
Challenge civilization Savage decided after seeing Linda dying in hospital. For him it is a tragedy, but in the civilized world to the death calmly, as a natural physiological process. From the early childhood kids are lead in the dying chamber on trips, entertain them there, fed sweets - all to ensure that the child is not afraid of death, and did not see her suffering. After the death of Linda Savage comes to distribution points soma and begins furiously to persuade all to discontinue the drug, which obscures their brains. Barely manages to stop the panic, probably by unleashing on all pairs of catfish. A Savage, Bernard and his friend Helmholtz cause one of the ten Controllers, his fordship, Mustapha Mond.
He explains the savage, that in the new world of donated art, genuine science, passions in order to create a stable and prosperous society. Mustapha Mond explains that in his youth he became interested in science tpp, and then he was offered a choice between a reference to a remote island where collect all dissidents, and post of Controller. He chose the latter, and rose to the defense of stability and order, although he is well aware of what he is. "I do not want amenities - Savage answers. - I want God, poetry, real danger, I want freedom, and goodness, and sin. "Helmholtz Mustafa also offers a link, adding, however, at the same time that the islands are going to the most interesting people in the world, those who are not satisfied with the righteous, those who have independent views. Savage also asks the island, but it does not let Mustapha Mond, explaining that he wanted to continue the experiment.
And then Savage left away from the civilized world. He decides to settle in the old abandoned Aerodrome beacon. On the last money he buys the most necessary : blankets, matches, nails, seeds and intends to live away from the world, growing their own bread and prayer - Jesus Is, God Is Indian Pukongu, whether its coveted keeper eagle. But once someone accidentally passing by, saw the hillside passionately whipping himself half-naked savages. Again accumulates curious crowd, for whom Savage is only funny and strange creature. “Whip,whip, the whip!” was shouting crowd. And then Savage noticed in the crowd Lenina, shouting "Minx" the scourge strikes at her.
The next day, a couple of young Londoners come to the lighthouse, but it went in, they saw that Savage had hanged himself.
This book really impressed me. The scariest thing I believe to Huxley. We have become a society of consumers. We began to worship trademarks and brands. We began to appreciate the fleeting pleasure and forget about plans for the future. Women and girls give up to born baby to keep the fit. As in any time we still divide people into rich and poor, into the beautiful and ugly, for clever and stupid. Each divides society into parts according to their point of view, everyone believes that he / she is right. More and more people reject marriage and maintain an open relationship. More and more people believe taking drugs daily mundane. With each passing year, with each passing hour, we are getting closer to the era of Ford.
Works cited
Huxley, Aldous Leonard. Brave New World. 1932. Web. 06 Dec. <http://www.idph.com.br/conteudos/ebooks/BraveNewWorld.pdf>
