In the novel "Brave New
World," Aldous Huxley writes about the struggle of wanting to be different
when society will punish one if they are. He shows us through through the plot
line and characteristics of one of the main characters Bernard.With symbolism
and irony Huxley describes Bernard's problem of outward conformity.
Bernard is a psychiatrist
which is fitting because he understands how people work and why a society is
ultimately broken if there is no conflict of ideas which impedes progress. The
irony of him being a psychiatrist is that a society that doesn't want to change
shouldn't have someone who studies why that is actually against human nature.
Due to his position in society he has a harder time dealing with the pressures
of society because he has the knowledge of why it is corrupt.
In the society the drug
called "soma" is a representation of all the things is society today
that distracts people from their problems and make them feel better. Bernard
refuses to take this drug because he believes the happiness produced by it is
artificial. Even though it ultimately makes people happy in the end he thinks
that it isn't real happiness because it is given rather than earned. There is a
struggle between what society deems is happy and what Bernard believes
happiness truly is.
Bernard is constantly fighting between his feelings to conform to a broken society and his feelings to be an individual and do things differently than what his peers believe to be correct. Huxley uses irony and symbolism to further establish the internal quarrel that Bernard is having.
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