The 20th century was a decade filled with contemporary issues. Revolutions in technology, science, and medicine completely transformed the way people lived. Aldous Huxley captures the essence of this time in his novel Brave New World. In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley reveals that when governments abuse their power it will lead to a society’s demise through symbolism, foreshadowing, and imagery.
Aldous Huxley was born on July 26, 1894 in Godalming, Surrey. Aldous was the third son of writer Leonard Huxley and the grandson of famous zoologist. He studied English literature at Ballial College in Oxford and later graduated in 1916. Huxley finished his first unpublished novel at the age of seventeen and began writing in his early twenties. His first published novels were social satires. In 1937, Aldous Huxley moved to the United States to live in Hollywood, California and became a screenwriter for several movies at the time. Aldous Huxley died at the age of 69 in Los Angeles on November 22, 1963.
In this dystopian literary work, Aldous Huxley utilizes symbolism to show how the government’s abuse of power leads to a society’s demise. Like in all quality literary works, the literary devices used in “Brave New World” are purposely put there by the author in order to provide support for subsidiary ideas. In the novel, Huxley made use of various symbols and motifs in order to further develop his characters, theme, and setting. There are many different symbols in this novel. The symbols Aldous Huxley uses in his novel Brave New World are Soma, the electrical fence, the bottle that will one day die of sleeping sickness, music, weather, and sex. According to Jasmine Taylor symbolism is used when “John commits suicide by hanging himself.” Huxley uses John's death as a symbol that anyone who tries to defy society will eventually fall. John was a symbol of truth and humanity, but even he fell to the shallowness of society. Symbolism can also be found in a compass Huxley use’s in Brave New World. According to Brian Allen “the compass is being used by Huxley as a symbol for finding the right path.” Throughout the novel, John tires to find his right path. Huxley uses the drug soma as a symbol too. It is the use of instant gratification to control the World State. The drug soma is also a symbol of the powerful influence of science and technology on society. Zippers also stand for and symbolize something in Brave New World. In the novel, the zippers stand for and represent easy access for instant gratification of sensual pleasure like buttons on clothes. Writers of this time wrote in precise and taunting writing styles. The writing style of Aldous Huxley is quite dynamic. His early writings were formal and “aristocratic” in the formality due to his intellectual upbringing and studies. However, as his books progressed so did his writing style to a more colloquial one. Aldous Huxley wrote in a sort of negative manner and reserved satire with sardonic tones.
Huxley also uses foreshadowing to show how the governments abuse of power leads to a society’s demise. Foreshadowing did not play a major role in this novel. Huxley was still able to use it though. Foreshadowing was only found a couple of times. According to Tamara White “John's beating in the village is a foreshadowing of the frenzied sex/abuse crowd scene shortly before his suicide. John's mother was addicted to soma shortly after returning home. Her death and his grief is a foreshadowing of his own horror and his own suicide by hanging.” Aldous Huxley utilizes other forms of foreshadowing in Brave New World also. Throughout Brave New World there are references and allusions to a “disaster" or "great war". Later on it is discovered that this was a nuclear holocaust. Johns failed love story was also foreshadowed in the novel.
Lastly, imagery is also utilized by Huxley in Brave New World. In Brave New World Huxley uses an outstanding range of imagery. He is able to create numerous