First Brave New World Reading Entry

In sharp contrast to the terrorized society of 1984, the World State of Brave New World creates forced happiness in their society through sexual pleasure. It seems that everything in their world revolves around sex: soma pills, multiple lovers, and the contraception-preception belt. Though each serves a different purpose in society, the message is clear: the population is too fascinated with their sex lives to care about real problems. In effect, the World State also stops conflict throught the retraction of monogamy as a life choice. Without monogamy, the population can have as much fun as possible and live a carefree life, so who would want to change things? Huxley reinforces his point through the voice of Mustapha Mond, "The urge has but a single outlet. My love, my baby. No wonder those poor pre-moderns were mad and wicked and miserable. Their world didn’t allow them to take things easily, didn’t allow them to be sane, virtuous, happy. What with mothers and lovers, what with the prohibitions they were not conditioned to obey, what with the temptations and the lonely remorses, what with all the diseases and the endless isolating pain, what with the uncertainties and the poverty—they were forced to feel strongly. And feeling strongly (and strongly, what was more, in solitude, in hopelessly individual isolation), how could they be stable?" This lack of stability caused the turmoil before the World State and the emotion caused the lack of stability. The World State is a utopia because even though the population may be superficial, the government has succeeded in it's job of ending conflict and making it's population happy.