Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is often compared to Orwell’s 1984 as an iteration of a futuristic, dystopian society that revolves around a conceptualised version of momentary happiness and materialism for all its citizens, achieved through a reimagined method of genetic tampering, environmental conditioning, and a combination of recreational drugs and sexual intercourse. In this society, emotions and individuality are suppressed in order for its members to better and more efficiently contribute to the social body so that “every one belongs to every one else.”

NBC’S 2020 adaptation of Brave New World deviated significantly from the novel in several key aspects that helped to better represent the story visually as well cater to a modern audience. The reason it is so unsettling is because it is completely removed from any version of normalcy known to the viewer. The shots of the feelies, while helping add to the overall sex appeal of the show, are also highly jarring and disturbing. They reinforce the vanity and shallowness associated with chasing momentary euphoria, and emphasise the need for emotional connectedness in one’s life. Therefore, Jack The Savage’s perspective is incredibly poignant in that it matches the viewer’s own values and morals, juxtaposed with a cold and unfeeling New London. In the novel, the savages seemed to mimic Native Indian culture, and would, by any standard, be considered rather offensive due to their crude descriptions. The show attempted to avoid this by depicting them as people living in today’s modern society rather than associating them with any traditional cultures.

"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin."

There is a strict social hierarchy found in New London, as people are divided into Alphas, Betas and Epsilons from birth. Epsilons are conditioned into accepting and finding bliss in their own servitude and “never dream of revolution.” They are met with opposition by the social structure when they decide to challenge this, as seen by the character of C Jack 60. This could be a satirical commentary on class differentials in our society, as we are brainwashed through socialisation to passively accept our own respective roles. The Betas could be representative of the endless consumerist nature of capitalism, as they are taught to be increasingly decadent. Lenina’s arc in the show revolves around rebelling against these very tendencies in search of individualism and agency.

Concepts like monogamy are considered to be socially deviant in New London as they serve to only fester selfishness and jealousy. This is seen through the main love triangle, which the show focuses on more than the novel does. Bernard’s downfall begins with his growing romantic notions towards Lenina, turning him bitter and resentful when she chooses Jack. However this could be viewed as an essential part of his character growth, because watching him express any emotion is, at this point, cathartic to the viewer, and a signifier of the eventual undoing of the carefully crafted New London social structure as well.

The artificial intelligence (reminiscent of Big Brother) known as Indra is also newly introduced in the show, independent of the novel. The name is derived from an ancient Vedic deity in Hinduism who is often portrayed in scripture and media as being fearful, jealous, egoistic and insecure. The repression of history, art, music, literature and religion in New London is a tool through which self-introspection is suppressed. However, religious imagery is used continually throughout the show in order to emphasise the lack of it. For example, the people participating in the feelies resembled a cult, and the habitual clicking of soma containers by the characters were almost ritualistic.

"There was a thing called Heaven; but all the same they used to drink enormous quantities of alcohol."

In the Brave New World, Indra’s role is to connect every individual to one another, so that everyone can access another’s memories and experiences. She is programmed by World Controller Mond to keep improvising society to better itself. She takes the shape of a younger version of the World Controller, and it is revealed that she inserted a virus within New London causing people to behave abnormally because she believed that the only way in which society could improve was by self-destruction because that it had already reached the pinnacle of perfectionism. This significant plot deviation is a metaphor for the common human condition, the cracks and crevices in a perfectionist façade that leak out, subsequently leading to death of the individual and annihilation of society. The AI’s fear of loneliness and its deep emotional bond with World Controller Mond subsequently causes it to make mistakes as well, showing how even it is not immune to its own fallacies.

The ending of the show and book are diametrically opposed, while one depicts the rather satisfactory destruction of New London, the other shows Jack, having succumbed to his incompatibility in this Brave New World, committing suicide. This diversion form the original plot could be because the show attempts to highlight different themes than the book does, like the overpowering inevitability of human emotion. The novel, however, shows suicide as Jack’s only remaining means of self-expression in an all-powerful totalitarian regime.