pared to a current medicine, soma is strikingly comparable to Prozac (Pearce 1). Drugs similar to soma that will be created in the future may eventually be as big of an industry as diet pills are in current society (Pearce 4). Although soma actually exists, the purpose of its use must be discovered.
             The characters in the book take soma when they feel depressed and do not want to confront their emotions or problems. Whenever they feel down, they just consume a few grammes of soma to relieve their cares and anxieties (Campbell 2). The drug can be used for instant gratification. Each member of society is pre-programmed with such phrases such as "a gramme is better than a damn" and "one cubic centimeter cures ten gloomy sentiments" so that when they feel depressed, become angry, or have disturbing, negative thoughts, they do themselves and society a favor by simply consuming soma (Huxley 31,46). The drug is taken because "the characters' lives, like society itself, are empty of spirituality or higher meaning" (Pearce 5). Instead of feeling uncomfortable, Huxley uses soma to keep the characters comfortable with themselves and with the limitations put on them (Pearce 1,5). Although the brave, new world described in the novel is looked upon as being an almost perf
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