Dystopia

I just read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, after finishing Crime and Punishment. Now I'm on to A Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Talk about a depressing series of books... anyway, as a fan of George Orwell's 1984, a very well-written warning against communism, it was interesting to look at the alternate dystopia in Huxley's classic.

The two dystopias have a lot of similarities, most notably the lack of a visible dictator at the top (which I think is contrary to human nature) and the strict imposition of a caste system. Both books take place mostly in London, with upper-, but not top-, echelon protagonists. Sex is used in both as the opiate of the masses, though in 1984 it is unrealistically denied to the upper-class. In 1984, the form of rebellion is a sexually promiscuous relationship; in BNW the rebellion is staged in refusal of sex and development of emotional attachment. Notably, neither book suggests a clear way out of the dystopia, which is appropriate.

Though Orwell is a far superior writer, Huxley's warning is much more valid in the modern world. In 1984, people are controlled by repression and fear. That's no fun, but it's also pretty easy to spot, and it's not hard to convince people that a rebellion is in order; you just have to convince them they can rebel and survive. By contrast, the brave new World State controls its populace by pleasure. The motto, as in all fascist systems, is "stability", and that is attained by eliminating families and any form of attachment. Passionate emotions are administered every three months, since passion is scientifically recognized as a human necessity. However, real life passion is essentially verboten, and long-term relationships strongly discouraged. Children are manufactured, conditioned, and heavily brainwashed to fill their Predestined role in society. Sex is taught as recreation, aging is medically prevented (until age 60, when all these government made and maintained human beings die quite quickly), and a narcotic ("soma") is rationed to everyone. The result? Extremely happy people, and the death of culture and pure science. It's a seductive world, and people don't want to be liberated. Much like the Matrix, liberation has to be undergone for its own sake, not for any material benefits.

Next up: Of Mice and Men, and The Color Purple.