Contextual Analysis of Brave New World

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At the time Brave new world was authored there were substantial issues worldwide. The economic depression in capitalist societies, fascism emerging in Europe and the high rate of unemployment meant people longed for the kind of security that Huxley provided the citizens of his fictional world. This affected Huxley, his writing and ultimately his vision of the future which inevitably seeped into Brave new world. He exaggerates all the present worrying trends of his time so that they produce awful consequences. The movement towards socialism in the 1920’s for example becomes the totalitarian state, the growth in materialism transforms into a form of religion- where humans are mass produced and henry ford is god- and depicts the end of the traditional and familiar life which becomes a strange and sterile modern state. This in turn shows how the stability people were craving would result in the depravation of humanity, beauty and love and that this craved perfect world is an achievement that requires too great a sacrifice. The 1930’s also brought a new questioning of morality, especially regarding sex. The traditional Victorian values were being challenged and whilst society was split; some condemning it as the end of civilisation and others the beginning of individual freedom Huxley uses the issue to shock, mocking the trend in his novel with the depiction of ‘erotic play’ between children, and the image of Lenina being scolded for not being promiscuous enough, implying that whilst the sexual rules may well change the conventions will remain the same just in reverse. Furthermore Huxley purposely used the names of historical and political figures, who serve as inspiration for the main characters. These models are meant to satirize political leaders, as well as socialism and totalitarianisms the political concepts of Huxley’s time. Bernard Marx for example is used to
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