The Brave New World of 1984
By: Yasmine Abdallh
Several texts mimic the dystopian world of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, but Huxley’s Brave New World is perhaps the most closely linked, as it addresses the similar theme of individualism in a world where individuals are nearly nonexistent. While the authors approach the topic in wildly different ways, the core theme of the texts remains closely linked. Brave New World is possibly one of the most influential texts published under the same genre as Nineteen Eighty-Four. It follows that one book is hardly discussed without bringing up the other.
In the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Oceania is run by the Party, a group that employs Thought Police, whose only job is to destroy all individuality or unorthodoxy. Individuality is prevented by the threat of being killed for possessing personal or unnecessary items. They lead the people of Oceania to believe that individuality is animalistic. The propaganda presented to the citizens of London stated that “Proles and animals are free,” (Orwell, 72) as well as that “Freedom is slavery.” (Orwell, 28) These forms of propaganda are used to brainwash the masses into thinking that the freedom to express oneself or any freedom at all, really, is inhuman and should be left to lesser beings. This approach is very effective, and eliminates all individuality except amongst the Proles, who are deemed unworthy of the effort it takes to brainwash people.
The approach to individualism in Brave New World is wildly different, as the idea of being an individual is much less coveted. In fact, the idea of having unique traits is seen as trivial. With so much technology and advancements, people began to stop desiring to have real connections with people. As in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the creativity in occupations such as songwriting and novel writing has been replaced by machines. The need for free-thinking is eliminated, and so follows the possibility for uniqueness with it. (Burkowski, 40)
Huxley and Orwell approach the issue of eradicating individualism in completely different ways, Orwell in a much more pessimistic manner and Huxley in the form of a utopia. “Orwell’s insistence that the political can be dirty and dishonest and treacherous, that it often is,” (Rodden, 39) differs greatly from the ideals that Huxley puts forth, but both texts have offered an extreme possibility for the future. Both have the same roots, but combined, give us both warning of what to stay away from and possible hope that the changes will not be all negative, should we stray from certain temptations of technology and totalitarianism.
References:
Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1949. Print.
Rodden, John. Every Intellectual's Big Brother: George Orwell's Literary Siblings. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006. Print.
Richardson, J M, and G F. Engholm. Orwell X 8: A Symposium. Winnipeg, Canada: R.P. Frye, 1986. Print.
Several texts mimic the dystopian world of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, but Huxley’s Brave New World is perhaps the most closely linked, as it addresses the similar theme of individualism in a world where individuals are nearly nonexistent. While the authors approach the topic in wildly different ways, the core theme of the texts remains closely linked. Brave New World is possibly one of the most influential texts published under the same genre as Nineteen Eighty-Four. It follows that one book is hardly discussed without bringing up the other.
In the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Oceania is run by the Party, a group that employs Thought Police, whose only job is to destroy all individuality or unorthodoxy. Individuality is prevented by the threat of being killed for possessing personal or unnecessary items. They lead the people of Oceania to believe that individuality is animalistic. The propaganda presented to the citizens of London stated that “Proles and animals are free,” (Orwell, 72) as well as that “Freedom is slavery.” (Orwell, 28) These forms of propaganda are used to brainwash the masses into thinking that the freedom to express oneself or any freedom at all, really, is inhuman and should be left to lesser beings. This approach is very effective, and eliminates all individuality except amongst the Proles, who are deemed unworthy of the effort it takes to brainwash people.
The approach to individualism in Brave New World is wildly different, as the idea of being an individual is much less coveted. In fact, the idea of having unique traits is seen as trivial. With so much technology and advancements, people began to stop desiring to have real connections with people. As in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the creativity in occupations such as songwriting and novel writing has been replaced by machines. The need for free-thinking is eliminated, and so follows the possibility for uniqueness with it. (Burkowski, 40)
Huxley and Orwell approach the issue of eradicating individualism in completely different ways, Orwell in a much more pessimistic manner and Huxley in the form of a utopia. “Orwell’s insistence that the political can be dirty and dishonest and treacherous, that it often is,” (Rodden, 39) differs greatly from the ideals that Huxley puts forth, but both texts have offered an extreme possibility for the future. Both have the same roots, but combined, give us both warning of what to stay away from and possible hope that the changes will not be all negative, should we stray from certain temptations of technology and totalitarianism.
References:
Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1949. Print.
Rodden, John. Every Intellectual's Big Brother: George Orwell's Literary Siblings. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006. Print.
Richardson, J M, and G F. Engholm. Orwell X 8: A Symposium. Winnipeg, Canada: R.P. Frye, 1986. Print.