The End?

“Being mad’s infectious, I believe.”  Brave New World (p. 122)

I wrote this quote down in my Reading Journal in the “Theme” section of my notes.  At first, I wasn’t really sure if this connected to the theme of the book at all.  But now, I realize that this short sentence really sums up the rest of the novel.

Throughout the novel, science has infected every part of the New World.  The dictatorship is centered around surrogates and conditioning.  Without these elements, the society would not exist. 

This system of government probably began with one person.  One mad idea led to another and finally the New World was formed.  Through peer pressure, bad things can spread and begin to sound like a good idea. 

Through the experience of John, the reader can tell that the ideas of the New World can affect even those who try to resist them.  Eventually, John partakes in soma and other negative things which lead to his death.  I found it sad that he resisted all these things while he lived in the New World, but as soon as he moved out, the New World actually took over his new life. 

I believe the message of Huxley is clear:  we should all take caution when it comes to technology.  Just because one person may say something is a good idea, it may not be in the end. 

Overall, this book was pretty scattered, but it connected in the end.  At first, I thought there was really no plot.  I’m assuming the main plot was about John and his experiences in the New World.  After saying “New World” a million times, I hope people realize what I am talking about.  I wasn’t really sure what to call this world that was created out of surrogates and conditioning. 

Since I have been connecting this entire book to Disney songs, here is a song that sums up the entire book (not really).