Brave New World

revisited

I’m rereading Brave New World as we’re kind of living in it. I loved it at school more and preferred it over 1984 because the characters were better developed, and the plot development more skilful, although each had a profound effect on me that has lasted throughout my life and I often remember key scenes from each of them.

It’s Amazingly perceptive, and replete with subtle meanings that are not explicitly stated. The masses of society participates in all these meaningless activities with outpouring of emotions. One of the characters sees it for what it is, and seethes with resentment at people objectifying one another as well as their lack of ability – or willingness – to critically examine the meaningless mantras that they repeat which form the social norms of their society.

However, the fact that he can see through the emptiness of his culture does not make him immune to the excruciating pain of being an outsider with no one to connect with. And it doesn’t stop his natural attraction to women, nor the pain of rejection that comes with it. At one point, feeling inadequate, he wants to assets himself to a friend, and mentions that he has a date with Lenina, a desirable woman. But his friend is tall and important and responds with, ‘oh good for you’, because actually he’s got girls throwing themselves at him for group sex in the park by virtue of his social status.

Brave New World doesn’t only capture the shallowness of society (“degeneracy” as is commonly now referred ) but how cruel it is to those who see through it, having nowhere to turn. It demonstrates how the carrot of worldly success and verbal rewards for conformity is underwritten by the stick of social rejection - encompassing exclusion from dating - pitting man against himself in an internal battle between the love of the truth as he sees it and the desire to experience communion and be one with his tribe.

Postscript:

One of my favourite scenes was when one of the World Controllers is asked whether he agrees with Shakespeare is “better” that the meaningless movies fed to the masses. His response is that Of Course it is better, but the masses don’t need it. Too much to think about, why worry. A statement on the denigration of culture.

I was luck to have a really good English teacher in my third and fifth year of school and she awakened me to how much more there could be to art when you look below the surface. She opened up The Great Gatsby and Julius Caesar and explained what made them great so I could see it for myself. One of my girlfriends once told me, “Antony, you just find so much meaning in everything.” I have often had the urge to open up art the way she did for me and extract the subtle implications and this is one of my first attempts, so let me know if you like it and want more or if I should just stick to the Big Pharma stuff haha.