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Nicolas David Cruz-Araujo

Ms.Sanchez

ERWC Period 3

1 May 2017

The Beginning of an Era

In the great and horrific novel, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley; it demonstrates a

dystopian future where people only live for pleasure. This story is of course a fictitious tale about

a future that could very well happen to us. In this essay, I will be comparing our world today to

the reality that Huxley feared. As well as seeing if Huxley was correct in his nightmare of our

world becoming ever so similar to the Brave New World.

The first topic of the day will consist of the relationships and intimacy of the world of

Huxley and the comparison between our own world. As the story develops we are introduced to a

society where not one person comes from parents, but instead are mass-produced in a factory. As

well as children being involved in activities where, in our society, people don't do till they are a

bit older. In the society that we read about children would participate in erotic play at an

extremely young age, but to us erotic play between children [is] regarded as abnormal, but ...

not only abnormal, actually immoral(32). Where today in our society children are often taught

abstinence, yet as times change we are noticing that teenagers are starting to engage in erotic

plays much earlier in their lives. People in our world don't get too involved in erotic pleasures;

in most cases, till they are over twenty-years old(32). As we develop as a society; we tend to

leave some out-dated traditions to the side. When it comes to people dating and eventually

getting married, there is a significant similarity between our world and the Brave New World.

Let's take the example of when we were introduced to Lenina and her friend, Fanny.. In the
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society that Huxley created; monogamy and true relationships do not exist. When Fanny was

criticizing Lenina for staying together with one man for too long; a girl as young as Lenina

shouldn't be with only one man but with multiple at the same time(41). We see this type of

mentality more and more in our teenagers and young adults in our society. We tend to get into

multiple relationships , but don't stop to think if we should just settle down.

In this next section, we will continue the topic of comparing the intimacy between people

of our world and the world of Huxley. As we continue through the events of the Brave New

World, John is introduced, born a crime, with parents who belong to the World State. He was

brought up with the stories of Shakespeare and a core religion. John is a representation of

someone would would better fit in a society much like our own. He eventually meets Lenina and

they both instantly fall for each other. But their desires for each other is bound by the rules and

customs that they both separately follow. As John is bound by strong vows that had never been

pronounced, obedient to laws that had long since ceased to run(170). He can not continue

feeling the way he does toward Lenina because his beliefs and virtues forbid it. This part of the

story resonates with our world, where I as a Christian, am taught to stay pure and not participate

in a ny sexua acts before marriage. John is trapped by these beliefs, that I believe in. Even when

he [looks]... at Lenina for a moment, pale, pained desiring and ashamed of his desires, John was

not worthy(169). His desires and beliefs contradict each other and will forever be bounded

and conflicted.

Onto the next topic, a bit more on the dark side, Death. Death is something 1 out of 1

people will experience. It is something no one can escape from. Death haunts over our society

everyday; I was taught that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. That one day you may be here

but the next is not guaranteed. La Muerte, death in spanish, is a huge part in our lives and is a
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terrifying experience that not one person desires to feel. But in this fictitious dystopian future;

death is taught to be nothing to grave and you shouldn't worry about dying. In their world,

death-conditioning begins at eighteen months, every tot spends two mornings every week in a

Hospital for the Dying They learn to take dying as a matter of course(169). The people in this

society do not mourn for the death of the people around them, but instead celebrate and

repurpose the corpse as fertiliser for their plants. This reaction of death is the complete opposite

that may have from our society. Much like John, who lost his mother, he yells Oh God, God,

God [John] keeps repeating to himself, In the chaos of grief and remorse that filled his

mind, it was the one articulate word, God(207). This type of reaction would be considerably

appropriate in our society. The comparison of Death between our societies differ in the sense of

how we react and deal with death.

In this last topic of the day, I will be presenting the overall mentality between our world

and Huxley's world. The Throw-away mentality as it is called. Where people simply do not care

about certain things in their society. When it comes to life, relationships and love. Huxley

envisioned a world where none of the issues stated mattered. Linda, Johns mother, was once a

Beta, and unfortunately gave birth to John. She was sent away for the wrongdoings that she had

committed. The mindset of the people born into the World State was disastrous, Linda had been

a slave, Linda had died; others should live in freedom, and the world be made beautiful(210).

These were the sayings that John had made after the death of his mother. Linda did not care

about her life and decided to indulge in using soma, a gratifying drug that makes you feel

numbed and pleasured. She threw away any chances of continuing her life. In the society which

formed Linda and many others like her were taught to only strive for pleasure. Where pain and

suffering do not fit into their lives, where everyone belongs to everyone else(40).
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Relationships do not exist in this world. This world is where everyone throws away their lives in

search for pleasure. This is a life that is not worth living. This is the point where I believe we are

ever so close to becoming like the Brave New World. People are losing hope and throwing away

their lives to drugs, sex, and disastrous temptations.

Now, this is the end of this small essay. We've explored many topics relating to the

comparison between Brave New World and Our World. I agree with Postmans idea of our world

becoming more and more like the nightmare Huxley created. But I also believe that there is a

silver lining. I believe that people will change and we will strive to have self-worth and not only

desire worldly pleasures. That our Brave New World we create would be nothing like what

Huxley envisioned.