Monday, July 12, 2010
What Happened to Aiming for Perfection?
While reading Brave New World, it seemed really odd to me that in this Utopian society filled with strict rules and keeping people under control, they would allow people to go to Malpais, filled with “mothers”, “fathers”, and “natural birthing.” I find it shocking that in a place where they are so into people abiding by their rules, would think it is acceptable for people to travel to such places like this. Yes, Bernard had to get a special permit but judging by the easy process he so quickly endured, it seems that just about anybody can go. I guess the superiors of this society figured that if they let people see what else is out there, they would be disgusted and show more pride to their Utopian society. This is exactly what happened in some ways because Lenina was taken completely by surprise, Bernard on the other hand was a bite more intrigued but still shocked. Basically, it seems like they should be protecting the people and not letting them wonder off to strange new lands and cultures completely different from their own. I guess the place served purpose in order to introduce the characters John and Linda, but then they allowed Bernard to bring them back with him! I was really confused because the society seemed to be setting themselves up for failure.
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The thing is, Janae, you forgot that the citizens were "conditioned" with chemicals, medicine, and technology after birth in order to make them be digusted at this sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteReading about Malpais, the World Controllers would have no problem with sending normal citizens to a savage land. Consider being in Bernard and Lenina's shoes. They were conditioned to consider labels such as "mother" or "son" as pornographic. Even watching their strange customs would be further conditioning to reject a lack of society. Even when John and Linda came back to the World State, it did not change much, if anything. John was another celebrity and Linda died pathetically in a hospital with her soma. Even his attempts to throw soma out of a window had no effect.
In short, I believe that the society is organized enough in order to shut out any negative influence.
To add to Kevin's point, they didn't just let anyone in who had a permit. Within their class system itself, a person had to be at minimum an Alpha Plus to even be considered allowed to go to the reservation.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I don't think Bernard would've been allowed to go if not for Mond's curiosity. I think Mond wanted to see what would happen if Bernard went to the Reservation knowing perfectly well that his society was in no danger of changing.