Brave New World also hinges on the idea of a universal human morality, much like The Road. In The Road, the post-apocalyptic circumstances forces the characters to weigh their morality against their survival. The book is a constant conflict to preserve the goodness of human nature. In Brave New World, the institutionalization of fertility weights the society's morality against progress. While the advancements in the society are accepted by the characters as good, the reader must question the moral justifications for such progress.
There is a fundamental difference that sets Brave New World apart from the other novels. The dystopian nature of the society is a byproduct of its advancement whereas in both The Handmaid's Tale and The Road, a catastrophic event causes society to regress to a less developed state. In some ways, the book paints an even grimmer image of the future by creating a society based on the scientific and technological advancement that we value so highly.
It's true, Rachel, that this is an image of "progress" rather than regress. However, the citizens are pacified by the freedoms they have in sex and drug use, both of which are absent in The Handmaid's Tale. Even Bernard seems relatively accepting of his role in the society, despite the fact that he questions it. He is less rebellious, at least in the beginning, than someone like Offred.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting that Brave New World takes the approach of a dystopian society emerging from progress rather than regression or disaster. This somewhat relates to the Hunger Games in that, in the case of Panem as well, there seems to have been no disaster that has led to such oppression; Panem is extremely technologically advanced, and yet, especially in District 12, starvation is rampant.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Panem, there was a rebellion that led to the Hunger Games themselves, which somewhat parallels a disaster like that of the Road; however, the scale of these disasters are clearly significantly different. Also, the rebellion accounts only for the Hunger Games; it does not account for the oppression that the districts face every day, which was clearly present even before the rebellion, or else there would've been no need for it.