I can almost imagine that I never read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley way back in high school since so much was unfamiliar. But I do remember the fact that I didn't like it when I read it back then and some of it jiggled memories in my brain. This reading was basically like reading a book I'd never read before. I could call this post "Brave New World Revisited" but I can't because that's the name of another book.
What did I think? Well, back in 1970-something, I would have given this book just one star on Goodreads. This time around, I gave it three stars. And I reflected that my personal sense of this dystopian novel would have been quite different as a teenager than it is as a "mature adult."
Sometime in the future, when people might be grown solely in test tubes (no more crazy ideas like mother or father), happiness and comfort will trump knowledge, beauty and wonderment. That's what Brave New World is all about. Humans are predestined to a certain castes when the embryos are developing inside of bottles. Each caste has a certain place in the social order. Okay, yes, that's what caste is. But each caste, in addition to their tasks to keep society going are provided with amble leisure time and pleasant ways to spend it. There's always soma in case someone needs a vacation from reality.
Unlike other dystopian novels I've read of late, this one is a little far fetched so looking at it very generally, it might be a bit less disturbing. But then, when I started to think about how happiness is more important than knowledge, well, isn't that what is happening in Florida now? How students are not to be taught subjects which might be uncomfortable for them? That's when my thinking went in a really dark direction.
If you're of the believe that it's important to read the classics, perhaps you should add Brave New World to your list if you haven't already read it. It was a quick enough read. Then again, there are so many good books out there. You decide.
No comments:
Post a Comment