Life and DeathLife and death are virtually meaningless in the World State. Life is created to keep the society thriving, but they are conditioned to love their work and shy away from any personal connections. Because everyone is for themselves, the people tend to focus on their appearance more than anything. When they die, they are all cremated so they can be used as fertilizer. The growing of technology only supports the World State's theory of an emotionless society.
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Cosmetics |
A majority of people in Brave New World are solely determined to have a beautiful, youthful appearance. Medicines and procedures have been developed to ensure both men and women can stay looking and feeling young for almost their entire lives. In fact, old age is down right frightening to many people. It is uncommon for anyone to appear aged (wrinkles, overweight, etc.) and it is not generally accepted in this society.
People are so overly concerned about appearing and feeling young that they are willing to live shorter lives. Soma does, in fact, stunt the life span of anyone who uses it, but most citizens believe it is a small price to pay. To compensate for this "loss" of life, "Pilkington, at Mombasa, had produced individuals who were sexually mature at four and full grown at six and a half. A scientific triumph. But socially useless..." (Huxley). Unlike anything we, the readers, have experienced in the novel, this experiment was technically a failure. Yes, Pilkington was able to successfully create mature children at an early age, but they could contribute nothing to society. Sexually mature does not translate to productive in the workplace. This is one of the few times a failure in science is admitted. In our society today, we attribute growth to failure. Every miscalculation leads to a more precise one in the future. Eventually, the world may come up with virtually error-less scientific method, but even in Brave New World, their process is not perfect. |
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Death means little to nothing in the World State. If someone dies, they will have a replacement for them in the blink of an eye. In a way, dying is useful. It allows for fresh beings to circulate the system, and the deceased are cremated so 98 percent of their phosphorus can be harvested and used for fertilizer (What is Phosphorus Recovery in the Brave New World?). That is one of their most prideful technological achievements. Although it is extremely beneficial to society, it is just another way to show how little people matter. They are commemorated for their service to the earth after death than they are alive, "Fine to think we can go on being socially useful even after we're dead. Making plants grow," (Huxley 76). Cremation in our society is simply a choice made by the deceased, rarely ever for economical reasons. In Brave New World, your duty is not complete when you die, you are still expected to serve the World State. One other reason why death is not worried about is because everyone is conditioned to be comfortable with it. "Every tot spends two mornings a week in a Hospital for the Dying. All the best toys are kept there, and they get chocolate cream on death days. They learn to take dying as a matter of course," (Huxley 151). We are treated the complete opposite. As young children, we are taught that death is a time to mourn and a time to really appreciate the life of the one we lost. The World State is what we would call insensitive. Death is merely a loss of someone who can be replaced with another genetically modified clone of the deceased. The conditioning is a miraculous scientific achievement that somehow completely washed out any natural human feeling of remorse or mourning. |
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Bros., 1946. Print.
"What Is phosporous Recovery in Brave New World? | ENotes." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 27 May 2016.