Brave New World - Plot Question
"Call it the fault of civilization. God isn't compatible with machinery and scientific medicine and universal happines. You must make your choice. Our civilization has chosen machinery and medicine and happiness" (Huxley 234).
What substitutions for society has this civilizations made?
Lekai this question is a very good example of the peak point of climax that occurred during the argument between Mustapha and John. While I was reading your question I right away knew what you were talking about. The answer to this question is very easy and simple but it can be expressed in many different ways according to Aldous Huxley. As Mustapha Mond (the controller of the society) was expressing his thoughts on science and God he said that “People believe in God because they’ve conditioned to believe in God” (Huxley 211). The answer to your question is that the society that Mustapha Mond lives in is just everything to do with science and technology which leads to happiness for them. In the society that John lived he had God, Religion, and Happiness. To me that’s the biggest difference between the two societies. But the “new” world prefers more advanced stuff. Mond’s action and his choice of words where that this society is way different from the “savage society” due to it being far more complex such as the World State and how they produce life’s in different ways. The World State society believes happiness comes in comfort. John disagreed with Mond and said “I want God. I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, and I want goodness. I want sin” (Huxley 215). As you can see by this quote his happiness comes from different ways than Mond’s society looks at happiness. Mond’s society has used castes and people staying young for the rest of their lives. The society has concluded to be making more and more changes as the time goes on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response Bikram, but it could be expanded. The example that you provided did answer my question through identifying the sections of the novel that explain my question. I would also like to point out another event that occurred. Back in chapter 13, John was having a conversation with Lenina about how much he loved her; he wanted to marry her. He begins with, “Not until… Listen, Lenina; in Malpais people get married” (Huxley 191). Lenina does not understand the concept of marriage and when John explains it to her she is astonished and reused by it. She responds to him saying, “What a horrible idea!” (Huxley 191). She follows with “For Ford’s sake, John talk sense. I can’t understand a word you say. First it’s vacuum cleaners; then It’s knots. You’re driving me crazy” (Huxley 191). This is another example adding onto yours in response to my question. I think that throughout this whole novel there have been countless instances where something that the world today knows as a cultural norm, is substituted, modified, or is not present in the World State Organization.
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