On The Loss Of Intellectuals' Individuality In Brave New World

Aldous Leonard Huxley(1894-1963),a famous British writer and one of the most talented members of the Huxley family,has been well-educated since childhood and has graduated from Eton College and Oxford University.Huxley shares a wide reputation to be a novelist,essay writer and poet in the twentieth century.He pays his attention to creating the brilliant satires of contemporary society that includes more than fifty works of different aspects covering politics,philosophy,art and science.He has an insight into the social problems the mankind faces with,which makes him one of the most outstanding public intellectuals in Britain in the twentieth century..Brave New World was completed in 1931 and published in 1932.Huxley creates a fictional future world where people,especially intellectuals,sacrifice their free will and individuality in deference to complete social stability.The novel depicts a high-developed future society where people are subjected to the strict control from birth to death.The various regulations of the political society and the civil society gradually cause the loss of intellectuals' individuality in the "new world",and human personality is gradually lost.The thesis chooses two protagonists—Mustapha Mond and Helmholtz Watson who belong to the intellectual class in the novel and analyzes them in details to draw a conclusion that how the intellectuals' individuality loses under the influence of the social rules where there is no real emotional communication.The thesis consists of six chapters.Chapter one is an introduction.It focuses on Aldous Huxley's personal life experience,including his works and writing style,which will be helpful for understanding the novel.Chapter two is the literature review.The research and achievements about Huxley and his Brave New World all of the years are listed in the chapter.Chapter three introduces the theoretical framework comprehensively.The thesis is based on the intellectual theory which is put forward by Antonio Gramsci and Edward Said and applies Gramsci's Cultural Hegemony Theory to dissecting the reasons for the loss of intellectuals' individuality in BraveNew World.Chapter four concentrates on the two main characters' intellectual traits based on the intensive textual reading.According to the intellectuals theory,Mond belongs to the organic intellectual part,for he transforms his status rapidly and smartly to satisfy the demands of the new world.However,Helmholtz seems close to the exiled intellectual which is defined by Said.Helmholtz always maintains the typical liberty for himself to defend the strict rules which force the common people even the intellectuals to obey the rigor to lose individuality.The main section is chapter five,which elaborately digs the reasons for the loss of intellectuals'individuality from two aspects—political society and civil society.Brave New World warns people of the dangers that are hazardous to control the world with new and powerful technologies.It is important to recognize the distinction between science and technology.The state employs science and technology such as brainwashing and sleep teaching to create a seamless,happy and superficial world.Outside working hours,World State citizens attend strictly regulated,scheduled social activities and never spend any time alone.It is a result of the propaganda,religion and education for freedom.The last chapter is the conclusion.In this chapter,the operation of non-coercive power in Brave New World is reviewed and the significance of individuality and freedom to the survival of intellectuals and the development of society are advocated.