Brave New World (Part 1)

In Brave New World, they haven't created absolute equality, but they have made everyone conform into their strict caste system. From the time the cells of each embryo form, they are conditioned to be in the caste that was determined for them and to enjoy it. Heavy conditioning and hypnopædia are used to decide what the person will like and dislike in life, and when performed correctly, this permits absolute conformity. They have reduced conflict about religion by removing the idea entirely. Relationships are no longer committed, passionate affairs, but strings of promiscuous encounters. An individual's rights depend on one's caste, and since they are all conditioned to love their caste and all aspects of it, there aren't disputes about rights. They have created happiness by allowing free sexuality, a "perfect" drug called "soma", and the conditioning to make each person love their place in life. From all aspects, this seems like a utopia, and in some respects, it is. However, from the perspective of someone who understands life without all of these regulations, I can't say that this is preferable. When someone defective such as Bernard exists, he is able to see the true injustice of his society: they have abolished true feeling. "I want to know what passion is," Bernard says. "I want to feel something strongly." When Bernard tries to get Lenina to understand his desire for true life, she says, "I don't understand anything." With all of the conditioning the people have been subjected to, they can't understand the true purpose of life.