In the same semester in 2018, we were introduced to works of transcendentalist fiction. The class was assigned Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, but I did an independent study of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The following was my analysis of religion and social issues in the world of the book, and how it compares to the philosophy of first wave transcendentalists.
It’s always fascinating to read a book from a different period of time that still expresses relevant themes. First published in 1932, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is an exercise in social exploration and keen satire. The society outlined in the pages of Brave New World is one in which the citizens of the World State lack personal liberties and choice from the moment of conception. In a world where one’s future is predetermined, how much of an independent person can one really be? In Brave New World, Huxley writes about a character named John the Savage, a person from outside the social construct who does not agree with how the World State functions. As he was born outside of the confines of the World State, John does not share the beliefs of the rest of the World State’s citizens. John’s beliefs are mainly based on individual spirituality and understanding of one’s personal exploration. John the Savage’s belief systems align very closely to those of transcendentalists. In the transcendentalist belief system, it is more important to understand one’s personal beliefs and spirituality than to fit in with one’s society. While transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau would agree with John the Savage’s desire for a spiritual connection based in nature, his disturbance upon experiencing the conformity of the World State, and his distaste for material goods that exist in both his world and also ours.
In Huxley’s World State, no one practices conventional religion, instead worshiping Henry Ford for his innovation. In the same vein, organized religion was replaced with a drug called Soma. This drug works like a hallucinogen, leaving the users inebriated for periods of time. To illustrate the connection of soma and religion, Huxley writes, “You can carry half of your mortality around with you in a bottle. Christianity without tears- that’s what soma is” (Huxley 244). Essentially, this quote says that soma can take the place of religion, and cause the users less pain. In the World State, the citizens forfeit their ability to practice their own religion, for a constant, undying happiness. This philosophy is not shared by John the Savage, a man who grew up outside of this society. Growing up in a “savage reservation” in New Mexico, John practiced a melange of Christianity and one of the local Native religions. As an example, one of the deities worshipped in John’s village is Pookong, who manifests in the form of a sacred eagle (117). John’s deepest spiritual connection lies in the nature surrounding his community on the reservation. This aligns with the belief of transcendentalists because one of the fundamental pillars of transcendentalism is the reliance on nature for self-exploration.
Transcendentalists, such as Emerson, believe that being in nature is important for being in touch with one’s own beliefs, as well as being important for connecting with one’s personal spirituality. This belief is explored when Emerson wrote, “The lover of nature is he… who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth, becomes part of his daily food” (182). According to Emerson, a true lover of nature is one who has retained their childhood spirit. When one can love nature in this fashion, they experience a spiritual connection to the natural objects that are around them. However, John’s philosophy does not exactly match that of transcendentalist thinkers. While John the Savage is strongly rooted to the nature on and surrounding his reservation, John is not making a conscious choice to appreciate this nature. Appreciation of nature and the spiritual connection the members of John’s reservation practice is traditional. While it is not explicitly stated, it is evident that the religion practiced by John’s village is an aforementioned mixture of Christianity and Native religions. So, while John experiences a strong spiritual connection to the land, his connection is not self-wrought.
The lack of organized religion in the World State was not the only form of culture shock John the Savage experienced upon initial entrance. As previously touched on, the conformity of the World State is baffling to John on first encounter. The societal expectation of promiscuity, the following of Fordism, and the dependence on soma are all hard for John to comprehend. From birth, the citizens of the World State are conditioned that promiscuity is not only socially acceptable, but also expected: “After all, everyone belongs to everyone else” (Huxley 43). John comes from a community that would be considered extremely conservative to the people of the World State, still believing in things such as monogamy and marriage. For example, Lenina, John’s mother, had a difficult experience with the women of the reservation when she first arrived. Huxley writes, “Everybody belongs to everyone else- don’t they?… ‘Well here,’… ‘Nobody is supposed to belong to more than one person…” In the confines of the World State, monogamy is taboo and alarming, so Lenina is in a state of shock when she experiences the village on the reservation. This societal fascination with sex is one of things that truly distances John from the community he could never commit to. In addition, John never quite hopped on board with soma (and the Fordism it supplemented).
A round peg in a square hole, John’s dismay at conformity also aligns with the beliefs of transcendentalists. In his essay Self-Reliance, Emerson wrote, “There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance… no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on the plot of ground which is given him to till.” In other words, man comes to a point in his life where the teachings of others are no longer sufficient, and he must trust his own learning. Transcendentalists believe that an enlightened man on his own is more important than a group of the unenlightened. Further, in his essay, Emerson also wrote, “To be great is to be misunderstood”. This phrase truly encapsulates the tone of transcendentalist thought on the subject of conformity, as many transcendentalists were viewed as against the grain. They would not care if their way of thinking was not accepted by others, because others’ feelings are not as integral in their philosophies.
In the same vein, John also could not understand how deep the World State had ingrained materialistic need into its citizens. John the Savage was broken by a society that he could not adapt to. John never could grasp the depth of dependency the people of the World State experience in their lives. The World State is a community built on the fundamental principle of sacrificing the option of feeling emotional depth for experiencing a constant exuberance. However, there is no natural way to produce neverending joy. This is why the government provides the people with soma, acetate clothing, and taps that spit out patchouli scented liquids. The people of the World State live in a state of constant comfort, and are addicted to the latest conveniences. One of the mantras of the World State is, “Ending is better than mending” (Huxley 49). The things the citizens are being provided with are not meant to last forever, but temporarily feeds their craving for distraction. John, and outsider, simply cannot understand the World State’s citizens need for constant gratification. Transcendentalists would concur with John’s disapproval of this lifestyle.
While transcendentalists would not agree with many of the aspects of the World State, they would be equally displeased with our society today. Man experiences many pitfalls when looking at Transcendentalist beliefs. One of those such flaws is our societal dependence on material goods. The twenty-first century is powered by electronics. Almost everyone carries around a computer in their pockets, and it’s the end of the world when a hotel does not have free-wifi. This dependency goes against the Transcendentalist belief that in order to truly experience nature (and therefor reach the truest state of personal understanding) one must forfeit material amenities. At its most fundamental state, transcendentalism and materialism are opposite systems of belief. In his essay, The Transcendentalist, Emerson explores the relationship of the materialist and the idealist: “…the Materialist takes his departure from the external world, and esteems a man as one product of that. The idealist takes his departure from his consciousness, and reckons the world an appearance” (Emerson). A person who finds meaning in things that are physical fundamentally counter transcendentalist thought. Thus, Transcendentalists would not agree with society’s fixation on the material.
Written approximately 86 years ago, themes present in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley are still extremely relevant in today’s culture. Topics like the institution on organized religion remains controversial on the news. Interpretations of conformity and its consequences have been present in American history since it began, and are still littered throughout media. At one time, the American government forced Native American children to attend “boarding schools” to assimilate them into the “grander” American culture. Today, the web that social media weaves continues to make it more difficult to live uninhibited by society’s expectations. While society can continue to change, John the Savage never could. John was broken by the society that could not tame him. While Transcendentalists would agree with many of the beliefs held by John the Savage, Transcendentalists would be dismayed by many of the aspects of today’s culture. While the ideas of transcendentalist thinkers are not applicable to all, it is important to have an understanding of others viewpoints: this grows your perspective and tolerance. Transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau each had their own interpretation of their ideal worlds (through a transcendentalist lens). These men would have likely identified with the beliefs of John the Savage. Transitively, transcendentalists would not agree with many of the aspects of our society today.
Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Primary Sources: ‘Self-Reliance.’” Newsela | Primary Sources: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”, 16 Feb. 2017, newsela.com/read/primary-source-emerson-self-reliance/id/26616/.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “The Transcendentalist.” EMERSON – ESSAYS – THE TRANSCENDENTALIST, 0 June 2002, transcendentalism-legacy.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/essays/transcendentalist.html.
Thoreau, Henry David. “Primary Sources: ‘Civil Disobedience.’” Newsela | Primary Sources: “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, 10 Feb. 2017, newsela.com/read/primary-source-thoreau-civil-disobedience/id/26329/.
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