The Skillful Use Of Symbolism By William Shakespeare

It is human nature to contemplate the possibilities of our future. Furthermore, the directions in which we as a society turn can shape our future for hundreds of years to come. It is usually assumed that our world will imminently be consumed by science and artificial intelligence, and many works of literature expand upon this theory. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is an eerie warning and possible foreshadowing to what society might become. Huxley displays the utter dissimilarity between the futuristic slavery of the World State and the crude nature of the outside world by utilizing the juxtaposition of two societies.

In addition, Huxley paints a picture of the various idiosyncrasies present in the World State through his skillful use of symbolism.

Huxley ingeniously harnesses the juxtaposition between the Savage reservation in New Mexico and the World State to communicate the societies’ major differences. The first half of juxtaposition in Brave New World is the society of Malpais, or the Savage reservation.

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When vaccination worker Lenina Crowne and sleep-learning specialist Bernard Marx take a vacation to Malpais, they encounter people who are not decanted or developed in labs; they are natural-born, raised as humans who are allowed to think freely. Lenina sees an elderly woman approaching her and internalizes, “Ford! to kiss, slobberingly, and smelt too horrible, obviously never had a bath, and simply reeked of that beastly stuff that was put into Delta and Epsilon bottles (no, it wasn’t true about Bernard), positively stank of alcohol”. Lenina’s thoughts perfectly capture the view of the World State on the outside of their perfect bubble: the outsiders’ lifestyle is horrendous and vulgar.

Bernard was not as shocked about seeing the Savages because he is the one challenger to the contrived system of living in which he was raised. However, Lenina is a glaring example of the influential nature of the World State through hypnopedia and mindless phrases etched into residents’ minds over hundreds of hours of sleep. She is shocked to see the crude lifestyle of the Savages, watching everyone from children to wrinkled elderly completing their given chores in the village. Huxley communicates his purpose of warning readers about a future dominated by science and technology by providing the reader with the reactions of a resident of the futuristic society. The horrified reaction of Lenina to Malpais exhibits the lessons taught at the World State that anything outside of their society was seen as unspeakable. A second piece of the juxtaposition between two societies is the World State. Huxley’s manufactured society, the World State, serves the purpose of offering a direct contrast to the basic nature of Malpais and its residents. The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning is placed in charge of overseeing the large-scale operation of developing babies in laboratories. The Director of Hatcheries explains, 'Just to give you a general idea,' he would explain to them. For of course some sort of general idea they must have, if they were to do their work intelligently—though as little of one, if they were to be good and happy members of society, as possible. For particulars, as every one knows, make for virtue and happiness; generalities are intellectually necessary evils. Not philosophers but fret-sawyers and stamp collectors compose the backbone of society”. Every single resident of the World State was born into a class resembling a futuristic caste. This society is the complete opposite of any modern-day civilization, with any terms alluding to birth parents being seen as disgusting. The World State’s citizens literally live a manufactured life from the time they are “hatched,” to when they are trained in their sleep, to when they begin the jobs they will complete for the rest of their lives. Huxley narrates his purpose by using the World State to warn of what normal society could become due to the domination of science. The society he created would be a message to his readers to make sure that the world does not devolve into submission, developing babies in test-tubes and using narcotics to escape harsh realities. Margaret Atwood, a Canadian poet, novelist, and literary critic, shares her view on the use of juxtaposition in her review of the dystopian novel. She elucidates, “The man she's trying to seduce by shedding her undergarment is John 'the Savage', who's been raised far outside the 'civilised' pale on a diet of Shakespeare's chastity/whore speeches, and Zuni cults, and self-flagellation, and who believes in religion and romance, and in suffering to be worthy of one's beloved, and who idolises Lenina until she doffs her zippicamiknicks in such a casual and shameless fashion”. Atwood’s statements on use of juxtaposition perfectly summarizes Huxley’s goal of hinting towards an automated future. The polygamous nature of the World State clashes with the normal romance that we see in modern times and in Malpais. In summary, the two contrasting societies of Malpais and the World State are exhibited through Huxley’s beautiful use of juxtaposition.

Through his use of symbolism, Huxley is able to show the World State’s desire to live an efficient and effortless lifestyle. Soma is a drug that is dispensed to all of the World State’s residents. The drug delivers a narcotic effect to its consumer, making them euphoric and at ease. The Controller of the World State, Mustapha Mond, repeats the common saying, “‘And do remember that a gramme is better than a damn.’ They went out, laughing” (Huxley 55). This saying, like hundreds of others, debossed the minds of World State residents through sleep learning. The people are taught that soma is always the solution to any negative emotion that is felt. Huxley uses soma as a symbol for a distraction that diverts people’s attention from the slave-like treatment of the people within the World State. Because of soma, everyone is oblivious to the fact that they are just pawns in a grander operation to achieve multi-faceted “stability.” The Controller projects that civilization cannot function without social stability, and social stability cannot function without individual stability. In the World State, the goal of soma is to bring stability, but the drug achieves that by oppressing the ability for an individual to think for themselves. When everyone thinks the same thoughts without objection, the World State preaches, society can function and exist in harmony. Huxley uses symbolism to impart his purpose by utilizing seemingly minor details to raise awareness to the controlling ways in which the World State functions. Another example of the use of symbolism is the appearance of Shakespeare. When Lenina begins to show her love for John, her actions frighten him. He expresses his fear and confusion through Shakespeare, the only way he knows how, '’The murkiest den, the most opportune place’ (the voice of conscience thundered poetically), ‘the strongest suggestion our worser genius can, shall never melt mine honour into lust. Never, never!’ he resolved”. Shakespeare and his works represent the absence of any artistic expression in the World State. People cannot consume art or express themselves and their thoughts freely because it is believed that this will make them feel a certain way. The World State wants everyone to have the same feelings and thoughts to increase the efficiency in which they exist. Being able to think for themselves would scare the World State, steering their thoughts towards a potential rebellion or some sort of social uprising. The emotion in Shakespeare’s plays is symbolic for the emotion that citizens of the World State are not allowed to show. Israel Centeno, an author, editor, and professor of literature, explains the desire of an efficient lifestyle without unnecessary emotions. Centeno describes, “In Brave New World, freedom is lost and happiness is won, or imposed. There are neither values, nor emotions—at least, nobody stops to look. The only thing that seems to be important is having an easy life without problems and without boredom. What matters is having fun. There are no problems because all difficulties are countered with soma”. Centeno elaborates on the World State and its main principles. The symbols explained above represent the lack of effort that exists within the futuristic society, and Centeno’s statements match that sentiment. In summary, Huxley masterfully utilizes symbolism to convey his point that the World State is an efficient and sometimes lackadaisical society that promotes instant rewards and pleasure.

Overall, it may be said Huxley displays the utter dissimilarity between the futuristic slavery of the World State and the crude nature of the outside world by utilizing the juxtaposition of two societies. Huxley also paints a picture of the various idiosyncrasies present in the World State through his use of various symbols dispersed throughout Brave New World.