The Dystopias of Orwell and Huxley

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer examines two key dystopian novels, 'Brave New World' and '1984'. The writer points out that both novels describe how mechanization drains society of its essential humanity and explores the consequences. The writer maintains that the key difference is that '1984' offers a very proximate future, while in 'Brave New World' it is distant. From this point of view Orwell's world can be seen as a stepping stone towards Huxley's. The writer discusses that in Orwell's world there are still political divisions, and three world super states are engaged in perpetual war, which is also the definition of peace. In Huxley's world, on the other hand, politics has been resolved and a philosophical world state has superceded. Here the rulers are philosophers, and have resolved that the masses find happiness only when reduced to animalistic and mechanical existence. The essay also touches on the themes of art, literature and religion, and looks at how they are wrought in the future of mechanization.

From the Paper:

"George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World are commonly classed together as dystopian novels. The tenor of them are however markedly different, leading many commentators to find differences in their themes too. Some are even bold enough to suggest that Huxley's vision of the future is not distopian at all, and could in fact be describing Utopia. Orwell's future, on the other, is never mistaken as such, and universally evokes horror. The contention of this essay is, however, that it is a mistake to look for either positive nor negative slants to these visions of the future, for the central message from both authors is that the future is inevitable, and is not the fault of any political party (in the case of Orwell) or social class (as in the case of Huxley). In fact, as the argument continues, the futures that they evoke are the same."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chesterton, G. K. (1935) Illustrated London News. Issued May 4.
• Huxley, A. (1998). Brave New World. London: HarperCollins Publishers.
• Orwell, G. (2000). George Orwell: The Collected Essays, Journalism & Letters. Ed. Ian Angus, Sonia Orwell. Boston: D.R. Godine.
• Orwell, O. (2004). Nineteen Eighty Four. Fairfield, IO: 1st World Publishing.
• Postman, N. (1986). Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Penguin Books.

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