Even in a seemingly perfect futuristic society like that of Brave New World, people feel sadness and despondency. It’s a human emotion that, no matter how far medical and technological advancements will get in the future, is bound to happen. So naturally, the government of this utopian realm tries to smother these emotions completely with their questionable new drug, Soma. “Euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly hallucinant”… that's what Mustapha Mond calls this powerful new invention the government has created, clearly made in an effort to control the population. people take it for the high it gives them; the drink tranquilizes & diverts the individual's mind from the things they think and feel, but most importantly from realizing that there is something more sinister is going on with the government.
The government uses this drug to trap individuals in their own happiness, an attempt to make themselves look as least suspicious as possible and conceal their hidden manipulation of the people. What they don’t want the people to realize is that they are a part of a twisted scheme with population control and a caste system determined by synthetic birth.
The great aftereffects of the drink are emphasized by Mond and others, clearly to encourage people to undergo a consequence-free high.
But why do they insist on pushing people to submit themselves to this distraction? What secrets are they trying to hide?
* I found it really interesting to hear Mustapha Mond's point of view on the soma, because it seemed so different from how we percieve the drug. His explanation that it gives security and stability is kind of compelling in a way. But it's interesting to consider if unindividuality is the price to pay to peace. Though everyone in the World State is brainwashed and under control, they are happy in a way, which I'm not sure yet is a positive thing in this case.
ReplyDeleteGood question! What is the government hiding? I think their goal is mass control, mass happiness, and mass consumption which can be achieved through tricking and conditioning people into happiness through the use of soma and the hypnopaedic rhymes. I agree with Catalin, Mond seems completely cool with it, not at all concerned about the ethics of it. Interesting and thought provoking post!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they are really trying to hide anything. I personally thought that the role of soma in this society was simply to prevent chaos. Soma = no negative emotions = no conflict = no chaos. Although from our view of this text it might seem as though the citizens are being limited and manipulated through their consumption of soma, I wonder from the perspective of someone regularly using soma, are they happy? Although we'll never quite know, I want to believe that those who are always on a soma high are happy. Ignorant but carefree.
ReplyDeleteI think the government isn't really hiding anything but that soma is just another way to keep their society running, like hypnopedia. Like Mond says, they're trapping them in their happiness to keep everything stable. The government is manipulating them, but maybe it's worth it because everyone is happy, and maybe ignorance really is bliss. I don't think Mond is cool with soma because he's ignoring ethics because their moral philosophy is completely different than ours. To them, it is okay and actually a good thing to sacrifice individuality for "happiness" and stability.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that I think the government is hiding anything I think it's more likely that their society relies very heavily on happiness and consumption in order to function and getting every single person in it addicted to Soma (especially with its seeming lack of side-effects) is just one way that they make sure everyone stays happy and eager to consume. This does bring up a lot of moral and ethical questions about how right or wrong this is as a decision, but I think it is more of an economic decision to maintain sustainability than a decision to try and hide the unhappiness (or something else) of the society.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that the government is hiding anything, but they definitely are doing some shady things. The hypnopedia and the controlling of specific birth conditions have more of an effect on why the people are so untroubled by the government. I'm also thinking of the death conditioning--no soma involved there until John gets angry. For them, this is the only thing they know. Soma is partially useful (to keep the people from fighting with one another, as people have pointed out) but I also think that it's simply a drug people take to have a good time with few side effects.
ReplyDeleteSoma has an almost God like perspective in this society. They seem to worship Soma. In a society without religion is definitely feels like Soma has replaced that. Mustapha Mond even says "Christianity without tears- that's what soma is". Soma is more than a drug but it's a religious experience for them.
ReplyDelete- Anna O.
- Anna O.
The way Mustapha Mond explained soma made it seem like the government really wasn't trying to hide anything, although they probably don't want people feeling and/or yearning for strong emotions. The way he explained it was very logical, even persuasive. Soma helped keep everyone stable and ignorant. People take it willingly- they don't want to feel sadness or feel like something wrong is going on. They don't want to care, and sadly thats understandable in a society like this.
ReplyDeleteYou pose a really interesting question at the end but I don't really think the government is trying to hide anything. I don't see how Soma is connected to population control and caste system since anybody (and everybody) is using Soma. I do agree, though, that Soma is a way for them to maintain stability by making sure that everyone is in a constant state of happiness. However, while ignorance is bliss, I don't think that living in a perpetual state of content is entirely a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThe government in BNW doesn't seem to want to hide anything from its people. Instead of controlling what they see about the way the government works, they control how the people think and feel about it. Soma is one of the ways that the government does this, by preventing them from staying upset, or even thinking deeply enough about their society to get upset (through keeping them stoned all the time), they maintain order without having to keep secrets. In this case, the government's openness is not the result of anything good, but they are still very open with their people about their intentions.
ReplyDeleteTo me Soma were antidepressants that got you high. You couldn't take too many of them in short periods, because even in the Utopian society, there were still malicious affects. I think they were trying to hide the people from how unhappy and corrupt their world truly is.
ReplyDeleteThis government is essentially keeping a HUGE scope of knowledge secret, but its intentions and its ethics are not particularly secret. People basically accept that they don’t need to know or feel more than they already do. You make an interesting point about keeping the concept of manipulation out of people’s minds. If people stopped taking soma, would they realize what the government is doing is immoral, or has the damage already been to done to make sure they simply wouldn't care?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the purpose of soma in the WS is to keep everyone under control and keep the power where it is. I don't really see any other reason why the WS would handout soma and encourage its consumption as much as they do. It is as if they are training everyone to be obedient and happy. I'm not sure whether there is anything specific they are hiding though, maybe just wanting to keep control on the people.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is because I've been reading too much about 60s-70s drug culture, but the differences between that kind of hallucinogenic drug use (eg. LSD and Acid Tests) and Soma. Soma is basically a depressant, an opioid that removes you from the world entirely, dulling your senses and making you more susceptible to things. On the other hand, LSD was frequently used to open the mind, create new ideas, see the world around you in a different way. The World Creators definitely don't want anyone (especially lower castes) to be creative or have new ideas, so the drug has to have different effects than that of the LSD (That Aldous Huxley tried, and wrote a book about!)
ReplyDeleteI don't really think the government is trying to hide anything from the people. I think they're just looking to solidify their control over everything. The masses cannot rally together against the government if they're always happy, thus it is beneficial to drug the entire population. If they weren't subjected to soma, some would probably realize that their position in society is objectively terrible, and would strive for something better.
ReplyDeleteI think soma is a more of a way for the government to ensure control over the people. After reading Brave New World, I can't really pinpoint things that the government was trying to hide via soma usage. Soma offers fake and controlled happiness in my opinion. Altogether, soma is detrimental to society.
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