The Pleasure Drug in the Brave New World that is Only a Quic
The Pleasure Drug in the Brave New World that is Only a Quick Fix: SomaIn the Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, most of the characters including Linda, Lenina, and even Bernard consume the perfect pleasure drug named soma to overlook their problems. This one-dimensional wonder drug has no real value and only temporarily disregards an unwanted feeling so that the character is not forced to confront the problem at that time. The drug spins the user into a hallucinogenic doze and takes all their worries away. In the Brave New World, soma is the religion of the people (Campbell 4). The characters depend on soma to get them through their hardships. The drug, however, does not solve their problems. Soma only creates a state of happiness with serenity and tranquility. Before soma's purposes and effects can be revealed, soma must first be truly defined. Originated many years ago by the Iranians, soma has existed in earlier forms of hallucinogens and will continue to be developed in the future. Many suggestions have been made to what soma actually refers to. Some suggestions include the drugs opium, cannabis, and ephedra (Rudgley 1). Two bio-chemists actually suggest that "Syrian rue is far more likely a candidate since its halluci
Bernard is not thrilled about the idea of consuming soma even though society (and supposedly Bernard) is pre-programmed to like the drug. Lenina's conditioning also succeeds because if she is in an uncomfortable situation and does not have any soma to consume, she feels ill and even begins to panic. Since pharmacology is rapidly advancing, chemists and pharmaceutical companies are very likely to create synthetic forms of soma in the future (Pearce 4). It produces a constant happiness that no person could give them with such consistency (Pearce 6). Different versions of soma will be available in the future. Bernard, in contrast, finally takes soma because he becomes emotionally insecure and disaffected (Pearce 4). When visiting the Reservation and becoming disgusted with the sites she was viewing, Lenina shouts out "Too awful! That blood! Oh, I wish I had my soma!" (Huxley 59). After his mother, Linda, overdoses on soma and dies from a coma, John throws the supply of soma out the window and blames the drug and its negative effects for his mother's death. The drug only gives the characters a cheap thrill that has a small amount of value (Pearce 1). The effects of soma are "not much more intellectually illuminating that getting a bit drunk" (Pearce 3). The drug creates a synthetic happiness that will not let the characters down. Whether the drug will have positive or negative effect in the future does not change the fact the drug, soma, used in the Brave New World, has minute positive value and only gives the consumer a synthetic high that allows them to bypass any negative or frustrating circumstance. Although the brave, new world described in the novel is looked upon as being an almost perfectly created society where the people are happy all the time, virtually all the members of the castes at one point or another experience unpleasant thoughts, feelings, or emotions that can be averted with a small amount of soma. Only after Bernard receives the horrible news that he is going to be exiled to Iceland does Lenina persuade him to swallow four tablets of soma (Huxley 54). Two of the characters that have this somewhat rebellious attitude towards soma are Bernard and John the Savage.
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