Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
"He was utterly miserable, and perhaps (her shining eyes accused him), perhaps it was his own fault," (Huxley, 86).
But he shouldn't be miserable, according to society he was doing everything right. In the aftermath of a soma-induced orgy, Bernard feels the opposite of what he should: empty. Unknowingly, Bernard is challenging the rules by which he has been conditioned to play the game of life. In this modern and structured society, sex has been reinvented as a manner of occupying citizens' minds and hands. Children are deemed "queer" if they don't participate in "erotic play" and adults are monitored to ensure that they are sleeping with multiple partners. People are conditioned to loath the idea of procreation and childbirth because society leaders don't want strong bonds to form between individuals or families. It's really all about control; individuality breeds thought and thought breeds revolution. A fabricated proverb is whispered to children as they sleep: "Everyone belongs to everyone else." But, as Bernard begins to realize, the ways of sleeping around and polygamy of relationships don't bring him happiness when the drugs wear off.
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