Blog #22: “Brave New World and the Happiness of World State Members”

It is true that most World State Members are happy. They are engineered from birth, told what and when to think, and given drugs to constantly be high and happy. This is a prime example of brainwashing, yet for the “benefit” of the people. Most seem content with the way things are, yet a few do not. These people, such as Bernard, John, and Helmholtz, see that their lives are not really worth living because they are not “their” lives.” Bernard found it difficult to understand how Lenina could just accept things the way they were, without thinking and without wanting to challenge and question “why?” Bernard could see past the brainwashing, and is on his way to discovering who he really is.

It is one thing to be “happy,” but another to be satisfied at the quality of your life. All three (Bernard, John, and Helmholtz) are certainly not content with the quality of their lives, even though they live in a theoretically “perfect” world, where all decisions are made for you. Part of this is the fact that people don’t want to know the truth. They would rather simply be lazy and happy all the time, than use their brains for good use. They accept what the cards are that they are given and don’t think twice about them. Most people are like this, except for the select few mentioned above. They are certainly “pioneers” of this time, but are seen as odd and weird in their communities. Bernard is even moved to Iceland, because he appears different than everyone else.

Soma is the same kind of drug as ecstasy is in the real world. Both are viewed as relatively harmless (when compared to much worse drugs, such as crack or heroin—nonetheless, ecstasy is still very dangerous), and create almost instant happiness for the user. This is a way to escape the difficulties of real life, but certainly has risks. People, both in the book and in our world today, become too dependent on the drugs to make them happy. Soon they don’t care about reality anymore, and only care about the high they receive as a result of the drugs. Whatever the case, drugs are never the answer, and the truth cannot be avoided forever.