Society of a Brave New World

            The society which Aldous Huxley envisioned in "Brave New World" is a society of very different mentalities towards sexuality and family roles. In the society Aldous Huxley created, sexuality is viewed as not only a public matter, but sex is a practice which young children are "playing, very gravely and with all the focused attention of scientists intent on a labour of discovery, a rudimentary sex game" (38). Sex is viewed only as a game and a path to pleasure, not as a method of reproduction. Mustapha Mond declares his view when he states that "there must be men to tend them... stable in contentment" (48). He believes that in order for man to be productive he must experience pleasure as he desires, which is why everyone belongs to every one else. In order to convince the citizens that an idea such as "free love" was acceptable the ideas of family, monogamy, and feeling were turned into vile subjects. A family unit was believed to be oppressive and largely filled with strong negative emotions. From a very young age girls were taught the use of contraceptives to prevent pregnancy, if the women were even fertile. Feelings were considered primordial, something that was not logical and should be overlooked. Impulses and desire were made to no longer exist. When Mustapha Mond asked the students if they had ever felt a desire they could not fulfill immediately only one boy raised his hand: "I once had to wait nearly four weeks before a girl would let me have her" (50). The youth have no understanding of lust or desire. They act only upon the present impulse which is fulfilled immediately. Waiting is not an option.

Huxley was about 60 years ahead of his time. No wonder people were confused about his book. Very interesting ideas though, and unfortunately, some are very present in society.