

A possible theme – drawn from the motif of promiscuity – might be the idea that promiscuity breeds loneliness. Change three of the motifs into possible themes of the novel. Cloning is significant because it shows the way in which governmental entities control the masses even from birth and because it shows people being treated as products on an assembly line, rather than as beings with souls.Ģ. The recurring references to a caste system are also important because they show how unequal and unfair a Utopian society which values progress over tradition can be. Although some of the things that occurred in this world might be unsavory, they would mean less if the reader did not have the chance to look through the eyes of someone suffering from the inequalities this world created. The idea of being an outcast is also important to Brave New World, because without outcasts there would be no one to challenge the status quo. By turning Ford into a God, the society places science and progress above principles like loving your neighbor or helping the poor. The use of these crutches suggests that life in the Brave New World is not as pleasant as it may appear on the surface.įord worship is significant because it shows how complete the government’s war on tradition is.

If they need Soma to escape, they need something to escape from. The rampant use of drugs and escapism is significant to the story because they show that people are unhappy under the system they are in, even though it seems like a Utopia. Without families to instruct children in areas such as morality or preparation for a future, governmental and corporate entities shape young minds to their will. The lack of the family unit is also significant because it shows how great and how expansive the governments control is. Encouraging promiscuity discourages traditional familial and governmental structures.

Huxley’s use of promiscuity in brave new world helps show the breakdown of tradition. Motif: any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story.

Explain the significance of each motif: promiscuity, lack of family unit, drugs/ escapism, conditioning, worship of Ford, being an outcast, technology, caste system, cloning.
