How to Study the Novel Brave New World

Co-authored by Sophia Latorre

Last Updated: June 22, 2020

Brave New World is a dystopian novel written by Aldous Huxley and published in 1932. It’s set in London in the year 2540 and explores the lives of the citizens of the World State, a totalitarian government that conditions its citizens to be productive and compliant through the use of drugs and casual sex. Whether you’ve been assigned to read the novel or simply want a better grasp on this classic work, reading critically, understanding the plot, and analyzing the major literary elements can help you delve into the world that Huxley created.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Examining the Setting, Characters, and Plot

1
Take note of the 2 different settings in the novel. The novel begins in The Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, where the citizens of the World State are “decanted” (born by a scientific process). Huxley shows readers what the regimented life is like for the citizens of the World State. Later, readers are introduced to the Savage Reservation—a wilder land in the U.S. full of people that think and behave very differently from those in London.
- Compare and contrast the Savage Reservation and The Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre.
2
Keep track of the cast of characters. Bernard Marx, Lenina Crowne, The Director (D.H.C.), Mustapha Mond, and Helmholtz Watson are important characters in the World State. On the Savage Reservation, John and his mother Linda take center stage.
- Minor characters include Fanny Crowne, Henry Foster, Popé, and the Warden.
- In the World State, citizens are divided into castes—Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Epsilon.
- Describe the relationship between Bernard and Lenina. What about the relationship between John and Lenina?
- Think about how Helmholtz Watson behaves in comparison to others in the World State.
- Compare and contrast The Director and Mustapha Mond.
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3
Pinpoint the major plot points. Pay attention to the way the World State is run and how the citizens are conditioned. Also, notice what they do on a daily basis, such as working, having casual sex, and taking drugs. Then, think about the lifestyle of the people who live on the Savage Reservation, shown when Bernard and Lenina travel to the U.S. Consider how these different worldviews shape the characters and create conflict.
- Important plot points to focus on are Lenina’s dates with other Alphas, the Solidarity Services, Bernard and Lenina’s trip to the Savage Reservation and subsequent return to London with John and Linda, Linda’s confrontation with the Director, the citizens' reactions to John and Linda, Linda’s death and the riot over soma, Bernard and Helmholtz’s exile, and John’s experience as a hermit.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Analyzing Themes, Motifs, and Symbols

1
Examine the totalitarian aspects of the World State. Citizens in this society are conditioned to behave in socially acceptable ways and only engage in jobs and activities that are sanctioned by the government. The use of sleep hypnosis shapes the citizens into productive members of society that accept the government’s doctrines and follow the rules.
- How is this totalitarian government different from one that uses fear and force to control its people?
- What happens to people that don’t conform to society’s expectations?
2
Study the role of technology and science in the novel. Human reproduction is banned and people are decanted, rather than born, in The Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. Each person in the World State is biologically designed to fill a certain role in society. Their embryos and fetal conditions are manipulated and modified to produce desirable traits and eliminate undesirable ones.
- Would you consider the reproduction process to be morally ethical? Why or why not?
3
Contemplate how social inequality is present in this society. Each person is a member of a certain caste—Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Epsilon. The citizens are biologically designed to fit into the caste they’ve been assigned to. Furthermore, each caste is separated by the jobs they do, the colors they wear, and the place they live in. Members of different castes are not permitted to consort with each other.
4
Think about how sex plays a role in the citizens’ lives. While emotional attachments are frowned upon, promiscuity and casual sex are accepted and encouraged. Even young children are taught to have sexual encounters. Citizens participate in mandatory orgies and traditional values like monogamy and marriage are absent in this society.
- How does casual sex contribute to the citizens’ happiness?
- How does a lack of a nuclear family affect the citizens’ lives?
5
Reflect on the use of soma in the World State. Soma is a drug created by the government. Each citizen receives rations of soma and craves the drug. The characters take it during mandatory gatherings, like the Solidarity Services, and also whenever they’re faced with unpleasant tasks or thoughts.
- Citizens are told that soma doesn't have any side effects. Is this true?
- How does Linda’s soma usage affect her?
6
Explore how Henry Ford influences the World State. Henry Ford is seen as a deity in the World State, and citizens use his name as an exclamation and celebrate him with festivals. The Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre is modeled after his innovative assembly-line automobile factories and has allowed the World State to produce humans at an unprecedented rate.
- What are some ways in which the World State honor or refer to Ford?

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Reading Critically

1
Understand the historical context. Brave New World was published in 1932, so it was written in between the first and second World Wars. Consider what kind of technology was available during this time. How do you think this shaped Huxley’s attitude toward technological advancements?
- Huxley had several scientists in his family and a passion for science himself. How is this apparent in the novel?
2
Think about the literary form Huxley uses. This novel goes back and forth between multiple perspectives, often within a single chapter. How does the form affect your reading experience? How does it impact the way you understand the plot?
3
Take note of the World State adages that are repeated. Certain phrases are drilled into the characters’ minds as they sleep through the use of hypnopaedia. As you read, circle or highlight adages that shape the doctrine of the World State.
- Some examples are “every one belongs to every one” and “when the individual feels, the community reels.”
4
Seek out definitions of unfamiliar words. Because this novel was published in 1932, it might use some words that have fallen out of favor. To understand the work to the fullest extent, take the time to look up words that you don’t know. Here are a few key words you’ll want to know:
- Asceticism (n): an abstinent way of life that involves denying yourself of satisfaction
- Compulsory (adj): required
- Heretic (n): someone who doesn’t conform to societal expectations
- Obliquity (n): deviation from moral standards
- Truculently (adv): fiercely or savagely
- Turpitude (n): immorality
- Wanton (adj): sexually promiscuous

Community Q&A

Question

When was Brave New World written?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Brave New World was written in 1931 and published one year later. This was around the time of the Great Slump, or the Great Depression in the UK. This economic imbalance was part of what inspired Huxley to label stability as an essential component of a high-functioning society.
Question

Who wrote Brave New World?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

English philosopher Aldous Huxley wrote the novel. He would receive nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature over half a dozen times over the course of his life, and also wrote essays, poems, satires, and screenplays.
Question

What is soma in Brave New World?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Soma is a drug that citizens of the World State are encouraged to take any time they are experiencing unpleasantness. It functions as a mild opiate, causing users to experience a sort of soothing euphoria and to lose all sense of time.