Are the Citizens in BNW Happy?

             Are the citizens in the Brave New World happy?
             Aldous Huxley's novel, Brave New World, describes a society where every measure possible has been taken in order to create some kind of happiness amongst the citizens of this New World. The natural question to ask oneself is if everyone really is contented. There are quite a few things that have to be examined while answering this question; the usage of the drug soma, being one. This universal drug addiction both supports and contradicts the topic statement. The main characters in this novel, being Bernard Marx and John, may not be the perfect representatives of the average citizens of the Brave New World. Yet the do make up a part of the society. Therefore one would find it interesting to examine their eventual happiness, as another step in answering the topic question.
             The kind of happiness that exists in the present-day society varies from individual to individual. It is therefore rather difficult to give an exact definition of the source of this happiness. Yet one might claim that happiness is a result of satisfaction. The society that is described in Brave New World has erased every sign of individualism and is seeking to create a kind of common happiness, which is supposed to be achieved by everyone. The source of this common happiness is ignorance. Brave New World is full of characters who do everything they can to escape from the actual truth about their own situations. The main method to avoid the truth is the usage of soma: a drug, consumed by practically everyone, which replaces reality with happy illusions. The "World Controller", Mustafa Mond actually admits that truth is what is being sacrificed in the Brave New World's struggle to create happiness. Soma then becomes a method for the society to control its citizens by promoting happiness before truth. In the end of the novel, Mustafa Mond preaches about happiness and stability being the main argumen...

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Are the Citizens in BNW Happy?. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 13:00, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/87003.html