Writing Resources
It's always fascinating to read a book from a different period of time that still expresses relevant themes First published in 1932 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is an exercise in social exploration and keen satire The society outlined in the pages of Brave New World is one in which the citizens of the World State lack personal liberties and choice from the moment of conception In a world where one s future is predetermined how much of an independent person can one really be In Brave New World Huxley writes about a character named John the Savage a person from outside the social construct who does not agree with how the World State functions As he was born outside of the confines of the World State John does not share the beliefs of the rest of the World State's citizens While Transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau would agree with John the Savage s desire for a spiritual connection based in nature his disturbance upon experiencing the conformity of the World State and his distaste for material goods that exist in both his world and also ours In Huxley's World State no one practices conventional religion instead worshipping Henry Ford for his innovation In the same vein organized religion was replaced with a drug called Soma This drug works like a hallucinogen leaving the users inebriated for periods of time To illustrate the connection of soma and religion Huxley writes You can carry half of your mortality around with you in a bottle Christianity without tears that's what soma is Huxley
