Dystopian Journal 1

Dystopian Book: Brave New World

"He had emerged from that crimson twilight into the common electric glare with a self-consciousness intensified to the pitch of agony. He was utterly miserable, and perhaps(her shining eyes accused him), perhaps it was his own fault. "Quite wonderful," he repeated; but the only thing he could think of were Morgana's eyebrows"(Huxley 57).
The passage reveals that Bernard is different from the rest of society. The society runs by the two guiding forces that "everyone belongs to everyone else" and conditioning people to “love whatever they are forced to do.” This is emphasized by society's attitude to sexual activity, which is such an integral part of life that everyone feels perfectly comfortable with the freedom with which it is talked about. This section of the book finds Bernard attending Solidarity Service, a ritual where 12 people (6 males and 6 females) join to make themselves "one identity". Huxley implies that this is a sex ritual, where everyone has to be engaged with someone else. This emphasizes principle that everyone belongs to everyone else, because having sex with different people is not an option in this society, but an expectation, conditioned in them from a young age. The rest of the people involved in the Service, after the sexual activity is over, are enraptured by how “wonderful” it is, thus showing that society has successfully conditioned them to love what they are forced to do. Bernard knows that he is abnormal for not feeling the same way. He feigns enthusiasm, but cannot hide his ill ease for this ritual. All he can focus on is the disgust that he feels for the attitude that his society takes toward making every aspect of life so public.
Word Count:231