Entry 3

This was my first time reading Brave New World, and as I read it, an idea kept grabbing my attention. Huxley’s novel must be a critique on Capitalism and Capitalist Production. His use of a caste system is an example of a system of classes that creates inequality, which is often described by socialist literature as being a necessary part of Capitalism. Capitalism needs a way to distinguish who the exploiters and the ones being exploited are in the system, and in many societies, race, class, and poverty are these factors. Huxley imagines a future where humans are completely dehumanized by Capitalism; humans are seen only as tools for society; they’re production is based on creating class inequality, and they are created the way they are created in order to be more efficient workers. Fertilized eggs are treated different ways to make the baby that grows from them suitable for different jobs. In order to perpetuate the Capitalist system, hypnopaedia is used. Children are constantly taught that buying new things is better than mending old things, and as a result, contribute to the continuation of capitalism by purchasing in a capitalist market. This novel is a great example of a piece of speculative science fiction; Huxley is imagining a world completely governed by our economic system, and is trying to show the horrors of such a world.

I recently read somewhere that when he was on his deathbed, Huxley had his wife bring him a really large dose of LSD, and he ended up killing himself by overdosing. This fact, coupled with the use of soma in Brave New World, has led me to think that Huxley was really interested in drug use. I am interested in exploring the significance of soma in the novel, and relating that to Huxley’s own life.