"O brave new world that has such people in it."
What is there to be said about Brave New World that has already not been said?
It was amazing. It is one of those books everyone needs to read. It is a classic. Wow! Thank you Aldous Huxley. Loved it! Read it! Must read. Fantastic. Have all already been said, so what more can I say. Can I say anything else that will convince you to read this book? Probably not, so I am going to explain to you why I loved it. Maybe, just maybe that will convince you.
I picked up this book not really knowing what to expect. I knew it was a classic. I knew it was one of those books that would screw with your mind and your ideas. But I had a vague idea that it was going to be hard to understand and completely out of reach.
Well, I was wrong.
I read my fair share of classics, and some are hard, labor intensive, and very disappointing. Brave New World was nothing like that. This book was well written while still be accessible. It wasn't an easy read, but it wasn't extremely difficult. Now you know that it isn't to hard and you will be able to make it through without getting bored, but you still don't know if you want to read. What is it about you ask? Why will it mean anything to me?
I am not even sure if I can accurately put into words what this book taught me. It was one of those books that made sense to me; that completely clicked with my brain and way of thinking. What I got from the book may not be what Huxley intended. What I got may not be what you get from it, but I will try to describe it.
In the Brave New World people are not born. Mothers and Fathers are a thing of the past. The family is no more. People are produced in test tubes. Conditioned from the moment the sperm meets the eggs. Their future is chosen for them, and they are brain washed into blindly accepting this future. Soft voices whisper while they are sleeping; telling them what class they are, what they are to do, and that they need to be okay with it. Everyone works for everyone else. Everyone is happy. Everyone.
In this futuristic society when you want something you get it. When you want someone you have it. There are no boundaries. There are strong bonds between people. There are really no problems. And everyone is lead to believe that. There is no God. There is no unhappiness. There is no anger. There are no reasons to be unhappy. You have everything you could ever want.
It is chilling. While reading I could not help but compare this book to other dystopia novels I have read. Particularly 1984. In 1984 the people are denied sex and happiness. There are controlled by fear, which is drastically different from Brave New World. The people in Brave New World have everything they could want and they do not want it taken from them. They want to stay happy, so they don't question things. They don't try to know more. They blindly accept the "facts" that where imprinted on their brains as children. Why would they need anything more then what they have? Why would they need freedom to think and act when they are already so happy? Why would they need God when they already have Ford?
That was one of the things that really got me about this book. God was non-existent. The people did not believe in God. No need to when they already had everything they could ever want. No need when they were already happy. No need for God. Religion is really there to fill in the parts we are missing. Religion explains the unexplained. These people had no questions. All of their needs were met, so there was no need for religion. It started me thinking about my reasons for believing. I cannot say I have all of the answers yet, but this book made me think more about religion than any Christian book I have ever read.
At one point some of the characters have the choice of going to a place where they can be different and thinking different things then the rest of society, and staying civilized and happy. Ignorance can really be bliss, and they had to choose between that bliss or the freedom to think for themselves.
The book has a lot to say about happiness, society, human kind, religion, and freedom. It does not answer question so much as bring up ideas for pondering. And even though it has already been said I will say it again. READ IT!!
Lindsey
No comments:
Post a Comment