Decidedly I think not... While Huxley certainly makes some extraordinary points with his commentary on utopia, I still believe that there are individuals out there like Mr. Savage and Mr. Watson, individuals with backbones and a curiosity that cannot be quenched that will prevent our society from becoming singularly minded and monochromatic. I really enjoyed how Huxley described the thought processes of the men in this book who thought as individuals. At one point Watson muses "Did you ever feel as though you had something inside you that was only waiting for you to give it a chance to come out?" This desire is one that becomes a repetitive theme throughout the book, beginning with Bernard and Watson and continuing with Mr. Savage.
The part of this novel that truly disturbed me was the idea of systematic conditioning. That different castes in society are differently conditioned. What the masses lack is a sense of self-consciousness, and this lack of self-consciousness is indeed by design. When visiting the "reservation" in the states, Bernard begins to recognize his difference his separateness from society. His encounter with John Savage illustrates that his feeling of loneliness is a direct result of his differences from other Alphas and certainly from the members of other castes. Bernard was almost one who I could empathise with as he was on the verge of being guilty for the manner in which he treated those members of castes who were below his own. However, he became a victim of his own competitiveness and began to treat others not as he wanted to be treated himself. He got so involved in the world which he had previously rejected that he became what he had previously despised.
Brave New World illustrates to the reader that in this Utopian society individuality is indeed a most grievous infraction. Individuality results in independent thought, a desire to seek knowledge and interaction not approved by those who run society. As the director of the hatchery and conditioning center indicates, "no offence is so heinous as unorthodoxy of behavior." Huxley paints a picture of a society where individuals do not exist and when they do, they are forced to exist on the fringe. If these individuals dare to show their individuality publicly they run the risk of being exiled to an island, which in all reality becomes a utopia for them as they are finally put with others of like minds.
By the close of the book the reader is let in on the joke. Mustapha Mond explains it all and presents Huxley's thoughts quite clearly. The creators of this society have decided to give up individuality for happiness for they believe that the two entities cannot coexist. Mond admits that free thought and expression are beautiful things, however he believes that universal happiness is more beautiful. I cannot disagree more with his outlook. Without individual thought society is nothing but a drab existence devoid of anything original or worthwhile. I think Huxley provides his readers with fodder for the idea with without intellectual and even spiritual growth society is doomed to failure. While he seems to admit that society would survive, he also illustrates that this survival would indeed be pointless.
Brave New World is at it's heart a commentary on the direction Huxley saw society heading. Luckily for us, we are removed from the reality he predicted. We should, however not allow ourselves to ever believe that we are completely safe from this fiction becoming reality. With the global population becoming more and more connected through technological advances and our world becoming smaller and smaller, we run the risk of someone, some where believing that happiness must be achieved at all costs. We must be ever mindful of the fact that without the individual, and all of the successes and failures that come along with individuality, existence is truly pointless.
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