Orwell and Huxley: contrasting visions of dystopia

¶ … Brave New World

The two books 1984 and Brave New World reflect futuristic views that are quite different and dichotomous. Indeed, 1984 reflects a world of dystopia and punitive government while the work Brave New World reflects one of more utopian conditions but is no less controlled and crafted by a master plan. The noted social critic Neil Postman postulates that Huxley's version of the world in Brave New World more closely matches that of our current actual world. However, while there is some grain of truth to that, there are some facets of Brave New World that are not in place now and the chances of that changing in the foreseeable future is practically nil in the view of the author of this report.

Analysis

First up on this report will be a compare and contrast of the two works in general terms. First off, an obvious difference between the two books is that 1984 is a dystopian view while Brave New World is utopian. In 1984, suffering and struggle is the norm and the oppressive government is in complete command and control. There is also command and control in the Brave New World system but it is manifested quite differently and is perceived much differently by the populace. The need to reproduce is not an issue as people are "hatched." People are also assigned to their life's task of work so there is not any competitiveness. However, there are some issues that would be rather macabre or immoral to some. Casual sex is the norm and the concept of family is considered obscene. While some are on board with the contraception belts and so forth, character Linda laments being treated like a walking, talking sex toy. Linda's revelation about her son and the scandal associated with the father of said child (the Director) (Orwell)(Huxley).

The view of Postman when he says that the conditions in modern society are more like A Brave New World than 1984 is actually quite accurate, and for a number of reasons. First, while the modern world of today is by no means a utopia in the eyes of many, the treatment of sex as a minor and trivial thing given the consequences it can render such as Linda's child and the perception of some that they are just sex objects rather than people is strong parallels and corollaries to today's society. Also applicable to today's society is the use of drugs (soma) and being forced into a life's path. Many people are fine with their assigned lot in life but Linda is absolutely not as she wants the aforementioned soma and her city life back. Also, the attraction of family with Linda is obvious given her birth child even if the general practice and feeling about family in society is verboten (Orwell)(Huxley).

Another test case in A Brave New World that can be compared to modern society in the United States and Europe is that of John who revels in sleeping with whichever women she wants. Also prevalent in both A Brave New World and modern society is the riot that is described in the book and a general roiling of some against the lot that they have been assigned in life. Indeed, many people in the United States (just as one example country) speak of the "death" of the middle class, the need for a living wage and racial tensions. There is significant blowback against anyone that states the slavery and racism of the "past" is over. One need only look at the LA riots in the 1990's or Ferguson, MO right not to see this in action (Orwell)(Huxley).

The "big brother" and other aspects in 1984 can be somewhat drawn to modern society but not nearly to the extent and degree presented in the book. While warfare is indeed present in several corners of the world, with much of it being in Africa and the Middle East, most of the current real world is peaceful. There is some unrest and protests in Hong Kong and people are treated like commodities around the world, wide-open warfare is not prevalent or even present in much of the world. This is not to say that there are no 1984 parallels to modern society. The verbiage and pathways related to Victory cigarettes, urban decay and so forth are all things easily compared to the United States right now. However, the government of the United States is nowhere near as oppressive or violent as it is in the 1984 book and if it was, there would be an uprising in this country that would make the LA riots or Ferguson, MO look microscopic in comparison. The number of guns present in the hands of civilians alone (310 million) would make it very difficult to truly oppress people in the United States on a scale like 1984 (Orwell)(Huxley)(Roberts).

Also not present like is stated in 1984 is the level of surveillance and government abuses. The Fourth Amendment precludes the vast majority of such behavior and even when there are exceptions such as from the Patriot Act and so forth, any widespread use of NSA or other powers is called out for what it is. If every little threatening statement or sordid quip were pursued by the government, that is all they would do. In a world where the vile language of the Westboro Baptist Church is sanctioned as protected by the First Amendment, there is little that one could say that would elicit a 1984-level response (Orwell)(Huxley).