Katie Tevebaugh
Mr. Jennings
Critical Essay
Deconstruction/Feminism
A utopia typically is an ideal society. But what one person sees as perfect could be the exact opposite to others. In Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, a “utopia” is presented to us, there is no disease and there is little to no crime. Everyone has their own place in society, therefore everyone has a job. Also everyone belongs to everyone, and that satisfies any sexual need. Even when someone even begins to feel a little uneasy about the society they just pop some “soma” and let it think for them. The society in Brave New World has been set up to be the perfect society, a utopia, but perfection can only go so deep. When someone disagrees what happens to them? And what if this society is really perfect for some but not for others?
Utopian literature has been dominate in our society ever since Thomas More published Utopia in 1516 where the author talks about the chastity of the priests and coexistence of religions in day to day life. Once this book was brought into the light utopian literature became very popular and is still seen today in the best sellers such as Divergent by Veronica Roth, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Uglies by
Scott Westerfeld and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Best Sellers). Utopian literature can be very imaginative and creative but there can also be an exceeding amount of satire and ridicule hidden within the lines. Utopian literature more often is “symptomatic of prevailing attitudes towards social change in general” (Kateb) and really shows the authors true colors on a specific topic. Brave New World has been notorious for its utopian society, shown through It’s unique class system, how the government conducts itself, the total lack of war and conflict, and the mindless happiness of every law abiding citizen. Be that

as it may this book has an underlying context of pure dystopia. Dystopia can go hand in hand with utopianism, although a book may lay out the perfect layout of a society the very thought of living in sed society would make any reader sick. In many circumstances a dystopia can be seen as a ‘deliberate hell, not a planned heaven” (Kateb) such as in Brave New World. In this book the peacefulness and
“happiness” is acquired through strenuous psychological and physical conditioning from a very young age. To keep the lower classes (Delta and Epsilon) from revolting from the horrible way they are treated the embryos have alcohol put in the tube so that “’The surrogate goes round slower; therefore passes through the lung at longer intervals; therefore gives the embryo less oxygen.’”(Huxley). All classes’ alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon are psychologically conditioned as well. The camps that these citizens are put into, until they can properly function at their job given, use Skinner like conditioning strategies, known as hypnopaedia, to make the classes unconsciously be happy about the class they are in. ”One hundred repetitions three nights a week for four years, thought Bernard Marx, who was a specialist on hypnopaedia. Sixty-two thousand four hundred repetitions make one truth.”(Huxley).
However in this very same book it talks about the past where “‘Sleep teaching was actually prohibited in
England. There was something called liberalism. Parliament..., passed a law against it. The records survive. Speeches about liberty of the subject. Liberty to be inefficient and miserable.’”(Huxley). What is known as the World State, is the dominate government which diminishes any idea of individuality or freedom through the shallow superficial items such as soma. Through this drug soma, that is commonly referred to as alcohol without the negative effects, “All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects."(Huxley) makes the citizens feel content with their life and forget their problems it is just masking the true problems. People in Brave New World work for this drug expecting it to be there when they got home from a hard day. “Lenina felt herself entitled, after this day of queerness and horror, to a complete and absolute holiday. As soon as they got back to the rest-house, she swallowed six half-gramme tablets of soma, lay down on her bed, and within ten minutes had embarked for lunar

eternity”(Huxley) Lenina comes home after her trip to the reservation and takes enough soma to make she sleep for eighteen hours at the least. In a world that has zero conflict, war and contentment of the people may seem great but is it really worth it when you have to dismiss the fact that they brainwash the citizens and rely on controlled substances to keep the people non-conflicting?
Utopias are great, if you’re the right person. If you don’t fall strictly into a specific crowd that is socially acceptable you are seen as an outsider. Through much of utopian literature there is a certain type of person that benefits excessively. Women in Brave New World are highly benefited in this type of society. Due to the lack of fertility, lack of judgment of promiscuity and the promotion that everyone is equal (within social classes) that Brave New World equips them with women can flourish. Some of the main offences that feminist theory points out in our society that help oppress women today have been diminished in Brave New World’s society; such oppressions are the idea of rape, abortion, promiscuity, and an equal voice in the government. Rape, promiscuity, and abortions are very prevalent in today’s politics, certain positions in the government promote the idea that some women conduct themselves in a way that is asking for the treatment that they receive (West). In Brave New World the case of rape and such has been dwindled down to non-existent due to the very nonchalant views on sex in this book.
There was a time in history that if you had a child while you were unmarried you were a disgrace to your family and you would ultimately be disowned by society all together. In this book there is no shame or guilt that is involved with sex, unless you became tied down to one mate. The word promiscuous in this book was something every woman would strive to achieve; in fact Linena gets scolded by one of her friends because of her lack of promiscuity. The very idea of abortion that has caused so much animosity in our world today would not have even crossed the minds of any citizen in Brave New World. Because fertility was diminished in the female body women who got unwantedly pregnant just got exiled into the reservation; just as John’s mother did. To be a biological mother was to be a disgrace, women had to go live on the reservation and raise the child. Abortion might have been wanted if they had known what it

was but the idea was amiss to them. The idea that women are not vocalized the same amount as men when it comes to government has also been minimized, thanks to the psychological conditioning and the fact that everyone knows their place women really have the same rights as the men in their social class in Brave New World. Today the ratio of men to women in congress is barely a representation of the population in relation to men and women living in the United States (Antony), because of this many women feel as if the issues being brought up have more ties to men (Antony). In the world state the leaders are chosen as babies and physically and psychologically conditioned to be the best of the best to run the government. In the book, however, it is not stated whether or not women have any direct force in the World State, but again all women are conditioned to believe they are in just the right spot they should be. Over all Brave New World holds some very desired traits when it comes to Feminist views and what they are striving to achieve with our society today.
Utopian societies have always been what any civilization endeavors to become however, due to the fact that many people value their freedom and their individuality, this idea will never occur. Because everyone in their own mind has their own idea of what a utopia, or even a dystopia, is it makes the idea of making one impossible.

Works Cited
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Antony, Louise M. “Sexism.” Encyclopedia of Philisophy. Ed. Donald M. Borchert. 2nd ed. Vol. 8. Detroit:
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"BEST SELLERS: August 29, 2004." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2004. Web. 01 Dec.
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Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World,. New York: Harper & Bros., 1946. Print.
West, Robin L. “Feminist Legal Theory.” Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald M. Borchert. 2nd ed.
Vol. 3. Detroit: Macmillian Reference USA, 2006. 582-585. Opposing Viewpoints In context.
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