Tiger Peng

The premise of this book is that, in the future, society has been taken over by an authoritarian state which, rather that oppressing their people through violence and fear, pacify them with social and genetic engineering. A strict class hierarchy is maintained through biological engineering and brainwashing. We examine the novel mainly through the eyes of Bernard Marx, a member of the highest class, disgruntled due to his stunted nature in comparison to his peers. Throughout the novel, Huxley explores themes of state control, and the contrast between utilitarian happiness and freedom. Huxley provides some powerful images, such as the drug-induced bliss comas that characters occasionally enter into, as well as the final scene of the novel, which brutally depicts the final outcome of the dystopia. However, despite the interesting premise, in the last few chapters of the book, it devolves into Huxley's thinly-veiled philosophical rambling. Shakespeare quotes are tossed left and right, the romantic image of religion as a bastion of truth is propagated, and Huxley states what we had been meant to learn throughout the novel. Although I did like the novel and its commentary on consumerism and mass entertainment, it did feel as though Huxley did not respect his audience enough to let them draw their own conclusions. Rather, he chose to spoon feed the audience through Shakespeare quotes and somber monologues.