A Brave New World Essay, Research Paper

A Personal Utopia:

An Analysis of a Key Passage in Brave New World

The key passage of Aldous Huxley?s Brace New World takes place after John has been arrested and is a conversation with Mond. When John and Mond speak of ideal societies, a major part of Brave New World, the aspect of human nature which makes us search continuously for our personal Utopia, becomes apparent. In Mond?s study, the sacrifices each character makes in order to find a Utopia are interconnected. The search for a personal Utopia reveals Huxley?s view on human nature of sacrificing everything to live with self-fulfillment.

The connection of the sacrifices each character makes is shown in the study, helping the reader understand that it is human nature to sacrifice something to live a more fulfilling life. One sees that all, except Helmholtz and John, are willing to give up an important part of them so they can feel fulfilled. Mond is willing to sacrifice the one thing dearest to him- science. He says he gave it up in hope of Controllership. He got what he paid for by continuing his interest in science, ?By choosing to serve happiness.

Other people?s-not mine.? [235], or by serving stability instead of collapsing the fragile social structure. At the beginning, Bernard was willing to give up his position in the new world so he could further his studies in finding a society more suited to his needs; but, in the end, he did not want to give up his rank and failed in finding an ideal society.

It becomes apparent that anyone who will not give up a major part of themself will fail in their quest for a greater society. John is not willing to give up anything, be it antiques to happiness. In the end, however, he ended up making the ultimate sacrifice- his life. By ending his life, he escaped into what his society?s religion believed to be a Utopia; it is better known as heaven. Meanwhile, Helmholtz is able to somewhat adapt to any surronding and makes the sacrifices as needed, that is the reason he was not biased to any other cultures. There are still faults in his beliefs, thanks to hynopaedia. Helmholtz cannot understand Othello, he is not accustomed to the social inability the book thrives on. He was still by far the most able, and willing, to understand John?s society.

The characters present in the passage always hope to find a perfect society, although none can succeed. Helmholtz is a perfect example of this; he sees his position in his society and, as far as he knew, this was the best society for him (although his thoughts wandered outside the new world?s limits), and he decides to make the best of what he has. When the subject of islands appears, one see that the island is a reflection of the search for an ideal society. Mond wishes he is on an island, but, by controlling moral decisions for the inhabitants of the new world, he is able to make changes from within. John could never find a society that even mildly fit his needs. Again, this is because he was not willing to give up things that were most important to him, namely instability. This search drove him to his death. Much the same, there is Bernard. Bernard?s death is symbolized by his exile to Iceland. Bernard was searching for ideal socities, but in his research, could not find anything worth sacrificing his position for.

The key to finding one?s own personal Utopia in Brave New World is through self-fulfillment. The countless masses of ?normal? people are fulfilled and see that they help the community by having a certain identity, that is if they have the intelligence to realize it, if not, hynopaedia takes care of it. Helmholtz, again, is the exeption and can make any place his Utopia. Mond was not self-fulfilled because he lived with the guilt of giving up science because he could not see that it was for the better. All those who were not fulfilled invent their own personal hell. By not being fulfilled, they have no reason to live. Bernard hated his appearnce as well as the culture in which he was living. He ended up being exiled on account of this. John did not make use of the technology and stability around him creating self-loathing, as it did with Bernard. His self-loathing was taken to the extreme, and ended his existence. The characters differences make it harder for them to allow themselves to become swept away in their society?s view on self-worth, creating them to feel less meaningful.

Through all the characters in this key passage, one sees that human nature is to continue trying to strive for self-fulfillness, or self-worth. Mond, it seems, does not continue this, but since he makes decisions for everyone, he could slightly alter the outcome of people?s lives. John does not seem to look to be fulfilled, although he turns to masochism. Masochism is commonly used to take out anger upon the self to ?purify? one. By using this aspect, Huxley still creates the idea of being fulfilled. Bernard would fulfill himself by finding an ideal society and recognizing it. He has already been exiled to Iceland, but he does not see its potential. Helmholtz does his best to make every society the best, and he recognizes the oppurtunity of being exiled to the Falkands.

The dialogue between John and Mond is is the passage where many ideas are combined to create a better view on human nature. Through connecting the sacrifices each character does or does not make, you can see that it is human nature to search for the best of all possible worlds. You find that you must sacrifice things in order to obtain a reward.