A Tale of Two Worlds: Dehumanization in Brave New World and 1984

Imagine a world where mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters are no longer a part of society. Imagine a world of lifeless shells of humans. Both Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, and 1984, by George Orwell, portray such societies that have been degraded by the idea of 'utopia'. In such a distraught society it's no surprise that people will loss their humanity. For those characters that still had sanity, the impact of this world would twist their minds to the limit.

To be human is to be able think and learn without any restraints. To have an opinion all to one's self even if it my clash with someone else's. To be human is to have emotion. One must be able to smile, cry, laugh or shout without living in fear of the consequence. One must also have the feelings of love and hate. To be human, one would also be able to have a religion. Instilled morals and values are also a part of be human. Where one gets these values are from their families and friends, without those, a person would simply be an empty shell.

In Brave New World, The citizens are deeply brainwashed from childhood to adulthood. They are 'conditioned' to the standards of the government. The citizens of this society are created by cloning and placed into a dehumanizing rigid five-class structure ranging from Alphas to Epsilons. When they are children, their minds are enforced to love what their jobs are, their social class, and even sex. "I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, ...we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas... all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki.... And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black.... I'm so glad I'm a Beta." Huxley(27). This shows the workings of hypnopedia and how senseless the society is, but to them it is 'happiness'. This pleasure seeking society no longer has any religion. Their religion has been replaced by Henry Ford, the new god figure, and Soma, the wonder drug that brings them peace at mind. "All of the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects." Huxley(54), according to Mustapha Mond. The lack of a religion helps to ensure that the citizens, both upper and lower class, have no reason to rebel

Bernard Marx is an upper class Alpha who constantly struggles being different from the rest of the Alphas, and, in the beginning, tries to find a way to become more popular. By the end of the novel, Marx has come to terms with the society which he had first seemed to dislike. Marx meets a woman called Lenina Crowne, and they both travel to a savage reservation. There, Marx and Lenina meet John the savage and his mother Linda. Linda is originally from the civilized world and became pregnant which, in that society, is illegal and was sent to Reservation herself. Once brought back to the New World, John soon found the differences between the two worlds to great. All his values and morals clashed with those of the new society. It turns out, John was the only sane person left. He didn't understand how the citizens lived the way they did, with no morals or values. There, he struggled for his right to think freely. To be happy, to be sad, to be mad, to

have any feeling at all. "In fact', said Mustapha Mond, 'you're claiming the right to be unhappy.'

'All right then,' said the Savage defiantly, 'I'm claiming the right to be unhappy." Huxely(240). Once his mother dies, John isolates himself but soon becomes a spectacle

to the society around him. When he sees the woman he almost thought he loved, Lenina, he is overcome with grief and hangs himself. Truly being an act of freedom.

In 1984, George Orwell creates a society in which all decency, individuality, and consciousness have been destroyed. There is absolutely no sense of family values with Family member tuning on eachother. "Nearly all children nowadays were horrible. ...All their ferocity was turned outwards, against the enemies of the State, against foreigners, traitors, saboteurs, thought-criminals. It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children." Orwell(24). It is absurd