BRITISH SCHOOL OF COSTA RICA
INTERNATIONAL BACCALORETTE
Extended Essay English A1 Catg.1
To what extent is knowledge a burden rather than a gift
in dystopian novels, such as “Brave New World” by
Aldous Huxley and “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury?
Candidate Number: 000608026
Vincenz Lachner
November 2012
Word Count: 3931
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Abstract
Revolving around the proverb “ignorance is bliss”, this essay explores the
implications of knowledge and awareness in dystopian novels that portray societies
sustained on the ignorance of the community. It briefly examines connections to
contemporary societies by analyzing the parallelisms in the life-styles of the societies.
By comparing the futuristic Dystopias to our current society, the essay aims to reflect
how modern society already displays similar characteristics to those portrayed in the
novels, and future implications.
The scope of the investigation is a thorough analysis of the novels examining
the ways in which the awareness of reality relates to the well-being of societies and
the individual, but also award the corresponding burden to knowledge.
With a meticulous breakdown of the different aspects of the societies such as
the nature of their ignorance and its effect on the character´s well-being, proves that
for aware characters, the consequences of consciousness out weight the benefits. It
also discusses the effect the abolishment of literature has in the communities
portrayed, and how it is linked to the individual awareness. Furthermore, it explores
how this might relate to contemporary society´s decreasing interest in reading.
Finally, it examines the theme of drug abuse in both novels, relating drugs to a
suppression of reality and an avoidance of veracity, which links to the idea of
ignorance is bliss.
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This essay concludes by drawing up the connections between these dystopian
societies and the misery of characters that develop “consciousness”. Also points out
the insatiable thirst for knowledge once ignorance is overcome but at the same time
the general despair of the characters due to this.
Word Count: 267
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Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 2
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 5
Body ............................................................................................................................. 8
Conclusion................................................................................................................... 20
Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 21
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Introduction
In modern society it is common to stumble upon the proverb and seeming
paradox “Ignorance is bliss”. This proverb arises from Thomas Gray´s poem Ode on a
Distant Prospect of Eton College, in which Gray nostalgically reminisces about the bliss
of youth and its untroubled nature without the weighty realities of adult life. What the
proverb implies is that a lack of knowledge often results in happiness; and that it is
sometimes better or more comfortable not to be aware of something unpleasant.
Keeping that in mind, it is important to note the burgeoning problems of modern
society regarding the proliferation of media and technology, which now dominate
lives, as well as the fact society is increasingly leaving books and “literature” aside.
More and more, cultures emerge of less intellectual individuals who are dependent on
technology, rather than knowledge (as often people don´t understand the gadgets they
depend on).
Comparing the futuristic Dystopias which deliberately portray ignorant
societies, to our current society, is worthy and interesting to explore as it reflects on
how our society might grow to be, and how our current life-styles are already similar
to what was a nightmare situation just a few generations ago. The scope of my
investigation, a thorough analysis of the novels, aims to prove the way in which
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awareness of reality relates to the well-being of societies, and the corresponding
burden of knowledge. Thus, the following research question arises:
To what extent is knowledge a burden rather than a gift in dystopian novels, such as “Brave New
World” by Aldous Huxley and “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury?
Brave New World was written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley, an English writer.
Huxley was a highly educated man, an intellectual who mastered (not only) the use of
the English language but also fostered a deep interest in science and other fields. This
combination “allowed him to integrate current scientific findings into his novels”
(SparkNotes) creating contemporary and believable conflicts. It is important to note
Huxley suffered from a medical condition that left him nearly blind. An aspect which
might have leaked into his writing in the way people in Brave New World are
considered to be “blinded” by society, and how some characters are frustrated with
their impaired vision of the world; also, this could be interpreted as a comment on all
of society. Moreover, Brave New World was written in the 1930s, during the Great
Depression and in the wake of the First World War. Huxley´s work partially conveys
the effect of the war, including the huge social changes and the sentiment of
dehumanization in the society he portrays. Also, at the time many totalitarian states
were rising in Europe, such as the Soviet Union and the Fascist parties, these rapid
social changes greatly impacted the mindset of people throughout the world. In
addition, Huxley was witness to the culmination of industrialization and how science,
(and the application of science through technology) was continuously altering the
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people´s lives Brave New World alludes to all this with the portrayal of a totalitarian
regime that uses technology to control every aspect of people´s lives.
On the other hand, Fahrenheit 451 was written in 1953 by Ray Bradbury, an
American writer. Bradbury found himself in an American society struck by the
consequences of the Second World War and the first atomic weapons. The social
implications of a second war and, similar to Huxley, the sentiment of dehumanization
is portrayed in his fictional society along with constant allusions to the presence of the
army and war. The novel even ends in complete oblivion of society due to war. Book
burning and censorship are central in Fahrenheit 451 and Bradbury alludes to the
book burning carried out by the Nazi Regime in Germany during the Second World
War and the censorship carried out by the United States during McCarthyism, which
greatly censored writers and filmmakers.
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Body
In Brave New World the reader is presented with a futuristic society, set in
London, in which humans are no longer viviparous. The reproductive technology led
to the production of humans as test-tube fetuses. The control over the production of
human beings allows the division of society into castes; people are genetically altered
to belong to a certain group. In this society monogamy is frowned upon; sexual
relationships are seen as a mere entertainment and source of pleasure since the
reproductive function has been stripped away. All of the measures taken to make this
society “perfect” revolve around the idea of sacrificing individuality for the stability of
the community. Also the idea of optimizing people as part of an industry as a
consumer and a producer, to such extent the figure of “Henry Ford” is seen god-like
(for his contribution of the production technology). Which reinforces the lack of
concern with past knowledge.
Fahrenheit 451 goes even further with these themes, Bradbury renders a
society set in a Futuristic America, in which literature is abolished and books are
illegal. This is significant to the idea of ignorant societies, since books are generally
considered representative of knowledge. Reading is an active mental process that
stimulates the mind but most importantly, books expand horizons with different
points of view some of which might be controversial. In this novel, Firemen are in
charge of tracking down books and burning them as if books are as serious and as an
immediate threat to society as fire is.
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In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury conveys the abolishment of literature in a
conversation between the protagonist, Guy Montag, and the captain of the Firemen,
Beatty. Here Beatty argues books are dangerous, people shouldn´t have “slippery stuff
like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy”
(Bradbury, 1967, P66), adding, a man that tried to explain reality would end up feeling
“bestial and lonely” (Bradbury, 1967, P67). Here, society´s idea of the well-being
through ignorance is explained even better in the phrase “if you don’t want a man
unhappy politically, don’t give him two sides to a question to worry him, give him one.
Better yet, give him none.” (Bradbury, 1967, P66) The belief consciousness and
thinking lead to misery because of awareness is clearly stated. Bradbury´s society
removes free will and choice, things that define the human being and detach humans
from animals. It is in fact a dehumanized, monotonous and highly-regulated society.
Although, when expanding on the idea of an animalistic-life style one is compelled to
wonder: aren´t animals happy with the way they live?
Similarly, Brave New World explains abolishment of literature as modernizing;
books convey a different world and a different life than those of the people in that
society. People would not be able to understand them, and they might uncondition the
minds of the citizens. The books showed an unstable world and might cause social
instability in a world that was now “stable”. Books expose an individual to different
points of view, different realties. Thus, through reading individuals become more
aware of their own reality. One example is John the Savage, who is an ethics sponge,
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who is exposed to the Bible, to Shakespeare and to his reality in the reserve and to the
beliefs of the society in the civilized world, because his conscience is bombarded with
all these (sometimes contradictory) opinions, the result, suicide. His confusion is
reflected in the lines “he would think of Heaven and London and Our Lady of Acoma
and the rows and rows of babies in clean bottles and Jesus flying up and Linda flying
up and the great Director of World Hatcheries and Awonawilona." (Huxley, 1991,
P105). John has Christianity, the Native´s religion, and the "civilized" world
converging in his mind: he is unable to determine which is “right”, and personifies the
idea of controversial opinions leading to misery within this text.
Huxley´s society includes a system called “Hypnopaedia”, the idea of learning
during sleep through repetition. This “education” was used for conditioning of the
infants and to control or make suggestions about morality. Through conditioning,
World Controllers were in command of the way all members of society thought. This
type of ruling left the people unaware of their submission. Controllers make them
“love their slavery”; and love their lives by forcing prejudiced opinions about the life
of others. People are divided into different castes each with a different intellectual
level. Each person loves his caste and wishes to be nothing else, whether it is high as
an “Alpha plus” or low as an “Epsilon”. Each caste is not aware of the functions of any
other caste, “epsilons don’t mind being epsilons they don’t know anything else”
(Huxley, 1991, P62). Their ignorance of the situation makes them happy and they
don’t protest. They do not live in misery trying to change the situation instead they
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blindly accept it. Therefore they are not ruled by fear or authority, but through
ignorance and persuasion. People in this society do not desire to change their life
styles or rebel because they are ignorant of any other life style different from their
own. Individuals don’t worry about what could be, thus, here ignorance is truly bliss;
as from a young age they are conditioned not to think through unrelenting media
exposure, (worryingly similar to modern life-styles and relationship with media).
In Fahrenheit 451, sleep-teaching is also present, but does not appear as
significant to the society. When Mildred continuously falls asleep with the “Seashell
Radio” in her ear, the radio Station feeds her mind with what it is expected from her.
Media literally washes her brain during sleep. A metaphor compares the tide and the
waves, to the way in which information was “coming in on the shore of her unsleeping
mind” (Bradbury, 1967, Pg26) as well as the name of the device itself. The word
“unsleeping” conveys that idea of her mind absorbing what the radio had to say. Sleepteaching also appears when Faber tells Montag "So if you like, I'll read you to sleep
nights. They say you retain knowledge even when you're sleeping" (Bradbury, 1967,
Pg91). Faber uses the very same method to try to introduce literature into Montag´s
mind.
This whole idea of unconscious learning is associated with individuals not
really asking themselves the “Why?” of what they are learning. Since seeking an
explanation of purpose is usually associated with existentialist tendencies, this
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“education” promotes the well-being of the individual by avoiding the controversy of
the “Why?” promoting blind acceptance over questioning.
Bradbury incorporates the 1950s American expansion of television broadcast;
the birth of a televised culture, and this is reflected in the interaction of people with
the media. He promotes the idea television and mass media tend to be transporters of
“pre-digested knowledge”, thus numbing the mind. Throughout the novel, media
serves as a tool of mass control and entertainment that poses no threat to the stability
of the individual´s mind, through what Beatty calls “Incombustible data” (Bradbury,
1967,Pg66), facts that don’t change and are not conflicting.
In Fahrenheit 451, people no longer enjoy nature, spending time by
themselves or meaningful conversations; instead, they are dominated by the
obsessive watching of television, along with the projected “family” and listening radio
through “Seashell Radio”. They even acquire their moral standards from the
television. This may be worrying, as contemporary societies already show tendencies
very similar to those present in the novel, for example the United states in which
“99% of households possess at least one television” (Csun) and the “number of hours
per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home is 6 hours, 47 minutes” (Csun),
combined with exposure to iPods, radio and other media, Bradbury’s projected reality,
in this case is not far off.
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Moreover, in other modern societies, cases like Venezuela show similar
characteristics to these dystopian societies. The way "Chávez's government is moving
forcefully to silence critics" (Chavez taking control of Venezuela´s Media, 2009) , ever
since his government came into power, reflect how the information supplied by the
media around the world is controlled by the government. This is related to the novels
in terms of the distorted reality they live on. They maintain the well-being by having a
population unaware of their situation, similar to the way society was ruled in Huxley´s
society.
The role mass media currently plays in modern society, in terms of the
consumer-based society we now live in, is closely related to the Hypnopaedic axioms
in Brave New World which optimize the individual to become the perfect consumer,
and where capitalist ideals of consumption are encouraged. In the novel, citizens are
blindly cheated into consuming a good, ignorant to the reason of their consumption,
which leads me to further question the direction of today´s society.
As if hypnopaedic conditioning weren’t enough, in Brave New World society´s
happiness is also drug-controlled. Here a synthesized drug named “Soma”, which was
administered upon any hint of anguish, and again the drug is imposed by world
controllers. The drug has hallucinogenic and anti-depressant effects that cause the
individual to re-enter blissful conformity. Except Bernard Marx, who refuses the
intake of the drug and begins to gain consciousness of their reality and this causes him
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anguish and misery. Through the drug, people were “protected” from thoughts or
reality, achieving that “impenetrable wall between the actual universe and their
minds” (Huxley, 1991, Pg64). If people are unaware of reality they are ignorantly
happy, people do not worry about something they do not know of. This is exemplified
in Lenina and Bernard´s case when “Lenina was left to face the horrors of Malpais
unaided” (Huxley, 1991, Pg91), without the drug she had to face reality where she saw
young women giving breast to their children which was considered outrageous due to
her society´s context. After being exposed, they begin to question themselves and their
practices; Bernard even obliges her to reflect on what she missed by not being a
mother. This awareness causes unconformity. A being exposed to controversial
argument about another point of view, in this case motherhood, causes conflict in the
minds of the characters and subsequently causes anguish regarding uncertainty.
In Fahrenheit 451 there is also a similar exploration of the theme when Montag
comes home and finds Mildred deathlike on the bed because she took all her sleeping
pills at once. Seems a desperate attempt to ease a hidden melancholy and sorrow,
which she does not accept consciously, yet Mildred refuses to acknowledge this
repressed inner pain and instead opts to repress it even further by drugging herself, to
unplug herself from reality; even to the extent it almost kills her. She decides not to
face the truth but to remain deliberately, comatosely ignorant to it.
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Furthermore, Mildred participates enthusiastically in all of the distractions the
society has ordained for her: driving fast in her car, listening to her Seashell all night,
and most of all, paying attention to the "family" projected from the television sets. She
exists to remind the audience of the average person´s opinion in that society, and gain
insight into their behaviour. She personifies the zeitgeist in the novel. So the fact she
has a hidden torment tell us that in fact Fahrenheit 451´s society is in pain, even
though they are ignorant they yearn for something deeper.
Drug consumption in contemporary societies is still growing at a worrying rate,
due to the fact people see drugs as an escape from reality; the only way to ease their
awareness and calm their troubles is through drugs. It is disturbing to think that even
a small percentage of society might have reached the level of drug consumption
presented in Brave New World.
In both novels, the societies strongly developed sports and physically
demanding activities. One could argue that the idea of keeping people active got rid of
the possibility of creating critical thinkers; people were not able to worry since there
was no time for experiences or reflections that might lead to discontent. Physical
activities requires great amount of focus, so by keeping the population active and busy
they don’t have time to be able to think and reflect. In Fahrenheit 451 it is mentioned
that “school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers… instead of examiners, critics,
knower” (Bradbury, 1967). Society unnaturally replaces all intellectual activities with
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physical. Also in Brave New World sports such as “Obstacle or Electro-magnetic golf”
were almost compulsory and even frowned upon when they were omitted. As shown
when Bernard “admit that he had been playing neither. Morgana stared at him with
astonishment” (Huxley, 1991, Pg66)
In both societies, in order to maintain the well-being of the society, the
individual needs to merge into a greater whole. This is partly achieved through
equality. Equality imposed by society in order to achieve the well-being of society can
be observed when Beatty states “Not everyone born free and equal, as the
Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then
all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower to judge themselves
against.” (Bradbury, 1967,Pg64) Books are a “loaded gun” to grow intellectually and
disturb this equality and that is why they were abolished in both societies. So you can
eradicate the “rightful dread of being inferior” (Bradbury, 1967,Pg 65) A book means
the ability to become singular, and create misery. In other words everyone should be
equally ignorant in order to achieve contentment. This reflects a part of human
behavior (which is even present in contemporary society), in which people judge and
punish themselves by comparing to others. In other words, Beatty makes a keen
observation about how society actually reproaches the “exceptionally bright” because
of the people´s “fear of being inferior”, so knowledge is frowned upon. Beatty makes
his point clear with the phrase of “the boy in your own school class who was
exceptionally “bright”, did most the reciting and answering while the others sat like so
many leaden idols, hating him.”
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In Brave New World this submission of the individual toward the community is
seen in the way science has given the power to World Controllers, to determine and
adjust people´s behavior and personalities so that they conform to castes assigned to
them. Equality is achieved, not only because of the fact they are grouped this way to
fulfill particular purposes, but because they have been conditioned to fit in these
castes. The Hypnopaedic axioms demonstrate this desire to eradicate individuality
“Everyone belongs to everyone else” (Huxley, 1991). Through equality everybody is
ignorant to the feeling of being different; therefore, everyone is ignorantly happy.
Again, Bernard Marx is the exception in Brave New World. He belongs to the
upper highly intellectual cast called the alpha plus, but he is considered to be the
worst of the caste because of his appearance. Due to physical defect he suffers
segregation from society, causing him to suffer from the “consciousness of being
separate” (Huxley, 1991, Pg56). This isolation results in introversion, deep reflection
and enhanced intellect. As well, he refuses the intake of Soma, becomes conscious of
his situation, and then becomes aware there is something more to his miserable lifestyle. He feels despair, because of his separation; “radical” thinking and also because
he is not able to work out what his life is missing.
As a consequence of his consciousness, Bernard is not able to merge as an
individual into the community. Bernard attends his Solidarity Service, a group chant
and appeal to collectiveness equivalent to a religious ritual. The participants sing
hymns and share soma in order to feel part of that “Great Being” (Huxley, 1991 Pg67),
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and finally dance and shout in an intoxicated procession. However, Bernard´s
awareness of reality makes him see the absurdity of the rituals and causes him an
inability to achieve that ecstasy like the others do. This leaves him a great sense of
exclusion, leading to torment. This contrasts to the rising atheism in contemporary
society in the way they claim to “gain consciousness of reality”, and they find
themselves not only discriminated because of their beliefs but also affected by not
having the support a religious individual might find in religion.
Helmholtz is another example of how knowledge results in anguish, he is
considered the very best of the alpha plus due to his intellect and ideal physique, but
he is also aware of the situation. “A mental excess had produced in Helmholtz Watson
effects very similar to those, in Bernard Marx, were the result of a physical defect”
(Huxley, 1991, Pg56). Both these men had become aware of their individuality in a
society that demanded collective functioning. This is expressed in his necessity of a
deeper meaning on what he writes.
Additionally in Fahrenheit 451 there is a peculiar character called Clarisse.
“Peculiar” in the sense she is contradictory to the argument of ignorance is bliss, she is
a character that manages to present both awareness and a coexistence with the
society, and Clarisse is conscious of the situation but embraces it. She is also
segregated from society because of her odd habits but along with her family, which is
described as equally “odd”, she is portrayed as a joyful. Perhaps she conveys the child
mentality unaffected by reality, or merely the exception that proves the rule, not
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everyone would reject such a controlled society. There is an allusion that authorities
get rid of her when she “disappears”.
In both novels, members of the community clearly display terror of the
unknown. In Fahrenheit 451, Beatty quite truthfully, states people “always dread the
unfamiliar,” (Bradbury, 1967, Pg64) establishing a characteristic of human nature, not
only found in both novels but in real life. An example of this irrational fear of the
uncertain is the women’s reaction to Montag reading poetry. In this case, they are
exposed to something they are not familiar to and their negative response culminates
in one of the women breaking down into tears. This shows the way in which members
of society intentionally remain ignorant to an uncertainty that might bring worries. In
Brave New World, the idea of viviparous reproduction is one that makes them shiver
showing how removed society can become from nature.
Worryingly, a recent study1 proved the desire to remain ignorant (to protect
oneself) is in fact a phenomenon in the behavior of the contemporary individual. Thus,
ignorance to confront the uncertain is not only a self defense mechanism in the
dystopian novels but in real life.
1
Psychologists at Duke University and Waterloo University conducted a series of studies looking at how
open people are to information about serious challenges, from the economy to the environment.
The bad news: people don't want to know.
The more worried people were about an issue, the more they intentionally avoided information about it.
The more unknowledgeable they felt about the issue, the more they avoided learning about it. And the
more imminent the danger (e.g. an oil crisis), the more they avoided learning about it.
(Mc Gonigal PhD., 2011)
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Conclusion
Through both the novels there is a struggle in the search for truth; an
existentialist battle of protagonists to find a deeper meaning. These “searches for
truth”, triggered by a slight awareness of their reality. Do the consequences of
consciousness out weight the benefits?
In the novels happiness is portrayed in
individuals unaware of their reality. Whereas, characters that gain consciousness,
especially the protagonists, suffer from the consequences of knowledge and
awareness of their situation. Knowledge causes segregation of the individual when it
presents itself as a display of individuality. Their consciousness makes them
concerned and they enter a state of desire to change their situation, the impossibility
to do so cause them aguish. The concept might be difficult to acknowledge, since the
audience the novels are intended to, are aware of the people´s reality in the novels.
The audience knows better; they are conscious, and therefore consider the lifestyle
carried in these societies inhuman.
Awareness grows in an exponential form, and facing reality will inevitably
cause misery. Thus, IGNORANCE IS BLISS.
Nevertheless, is it worth living in those conditions for mere happiness? Or will
the search for the truth ultimately prevail?
WORD COUNT: 3931
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Bibliography
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Huxley, A. (1991). Brave New World. Robert Southwick. Harlow: Longman.
McClathy. (2009, August 14). Retrieved May 16, 2012, from
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2009/08/14/73718/chavez-taking-control-ofvenezuelas.html
Orwell, G. (1949). Nineteen Eighty-Four . Secker and Warburg (London).
PhD., K. M. (2011, December 3). Retrieved May 15, 2012, from
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http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bravenew/context.html
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