Journal Topic A

"Punctured, utterly deflated, he dropped into a chair and, covering his face with his hands, began to weep. A few minutes later, however, he thought better of it and took four tablets of soma." (Huxley 119)

In this scene Bernard is upset, but instead of talking to Lenina about his feelings for her, for this would be a grave breach in protocol, he must force himself to enjoy a life without commitment or deep connections. This is the problem in this society that is brought up in the current section. If one doess not like the current system, they must force themselves to be happy. John the Savage brings this issue to light when he arrives at the society, because he is accustomed to a different lifestyle in which unhappiness is allowed. In this sense John is more free than any citizen that can do whatever they want, as long as it goes along with the society. But like Bernard, if the society doesn't make you happy you are viewed as strange or defective, instead of questioning the way the society functions. This falls into the "citizens are forced to worship an ideal" category, since the citizens in Brave New World are forced to worship the ideal of happiness at all cost. Religion brings moral guidance and spiritual comfort, but since it makes the overall population uncomfortable by deeming certain actions or vices as immoral, so they remove it. The removal or freedoms, even possibly unenjoyable ones, is still the loss of freedom. Huxley is warning us about the pitfalls of a seemingly perfect society, many things we despise are actually blessing we take for granted and should appreciate.