This is my very first dystopian novel I've ever read. It was not easy to read because of my lack of vocabularies, and also partly because it's an old book using British English. The first few pages were especially arduous to pass and honestly, had not been for the book club, I'd never have continued to finish. So, I thank the group!
This book was published in 1932 when the global economy was feeling the devastating effects of the Great Depression, and the totalitarianism and authoritarianism were rising. The outlook of the capitalism was in question as economic instability manifested by the Great Depression fueled doubts about its sustainability. This background provides rich contexts to the implications of the novel offers.
The author illustrates a future society, the Brave New World, set about 600 years after the great Ford's passing (Henry Ford, automobile industry tycoon), where years are denoted as A.F. meaning 'After Ford'. Brave New World is highly civilized society, where all of its members are 'conditioned' to fit their predetermined social hierarchy from their inception. Genetic conditioning and hypnopedia play a critical role in maintaining the societal stability and preventing rebellions. Because individuals are engineered to belong to 'their social status', i.e., alphas to be alpha, betas to be beta, etc., they are all content with their role and feel no urge for change.
There are no families or biological bonds, and babies are 'produced' in factory in an extremely measured fashion. They are then raised and conditioned in a communal setting. The society does not allow individuals to be solitude. Everything must be shared, even sexual partners. They worship together, mainly to the Ford, equivalent to God in the society, with the 'T' from the Ford's model T replacing the holy cross.
Soma, a narcotic drug, is a critical apparatus to maintain the society. Soma is rationed by the world, and people are willing to take it as it makes their life easier, except for few exceptions like Bernard. (Would I take soma if I were a member of the society? I am not sure, but likely.)
Bernard is an Alpha minus, among the highest social class, but is with atypical physical condition to his class. His physical condition was not as good as his peers, and there was a rumor that his blood surrogate, when he was being made, was contaminated, a rumor that was never verified. Bernard was rebellious - maybe due to his disadvantageous conditions - but only very timidly so. He longs for a platonic relationship with ladies and feels despair as ladies seek only for physical pleasure. I had first expected him to get enlightened and step up for better causes like true freedom, diversity, justice etc., but it never happened and I was deeply disappointed in him as his interests were little more than self-serving.
Lenina is a good looking Beta girl, every man's dream date. Lenina is mostly a typical 'civilized' girl going after superficial pleasures, but had some impulses for things prohibited or unwanted at best, including curiosity toward someone like Bernard. Her curiosity has eventually led her to meeting with John, the Savage. With her own curiosity and also with John's physical charms, she is attracted to him. She later of the novel presents to John as a great agony for dilemma between sacredness of love and physical pleasures.
John, the Savage, is a man born in Savage world whose parents are from civilized world. This unique mixture made him fit in neither society. John suffers a lot from various issues, ranging from identity crises to lack of love from his mother. I sympathized him a lot and even felt resentful to the author for giving him ceaseless agonies. Savage world alienated him as he didn't look the same and his mother, Linda, was a weird stranger. Savage grew up hearing about the Brave New World from his mother who was longing for it and only promoting it as the better world than the Savage world.
Things welcomed John in the civilized world, however, was a series of sufferings; his biological father dismissed him, his mother was subject to mockeries and despise, and died with no humane respect, Lenina - who John was very fond of - was only interested in John's body, and finally, no one seemed to have read nor understood Shakespeare.
Despaired, he decided to leave the Brave New World and to build his own world, completely solitude and economically self-sustainable. His aim was not 'contaminated' by the civilized apparatus and tools, yearning for a pure life.
Nevertheless, his attempt ended abruptly by disruptions from the Brave New World. He became a subject of entertainment in television and radio shows. People intruded John's private life and looked at him like a zoo animal. John cried out for his solitude, but no one respected it.
The novel ends with John taking his own life in isolation.
This book raised a series of philosophical questions for me; What is true freedom? What is the best balance between social conformity and individualism? How much diversity can we sacrifice in the name of social security and stability. How important is physical pleasure to one's life, and how important it should be?
What particularly intrigued me was Author's tone, which was equally distanced from both societies, Brave New World and Savage World. Initially, I had expected him to describe the Savage world more positively and more charmingly filled with better humanities, making a clear contrast with the Brave New World. However, I was wrong. To my surprise, the author starkly depicted the 'savageness' of the Savage world which led me to questioning which is less bad. Very dystopian, I'd say.
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