In Huxleys novel, Brave New World, he describes his vision of the plight of mankind. His world is void of things such as war, disease, and even unhappiness; and is meant to be a utopia, but yet it satirizes issues of the world we live in today. The emphasis in this new world is placed on society as a whole and not on the individual. Community, identity, and stability are the mottos of this world. This brave new world, however, has a price.This brave new world of Huxleys has developed the perfect drug, soma. Soma allows one to escape reality, and take a holiday without the side effects and consequences of other drugs. This property is discussed when Linda, John the Savages mother finally returns to civilization.The return to civilization was for her the return to soma, was the possibility of lying in bed and taking holiday after holiday, without ever having to come back to a headache or a fit of vomiting, without ever being made to feel as you always felt after peyotl, as though youd done something so shamefully antisocial that you could never hold your head up again. Soma played none of these unpleasant tricks. (156) Throughout the novel soma has many uses, however, it is mainly used recreationally and politically. The following essay will examine both of these uses.Soma is used politically in many different contexts in the novel. It ranges from being used as a reward to being a punishment. For example, in the hospital for the dying, the Delta class workers line up at the end of each workday to receive their ration of soma. Each Delta is essentially rewarded for completing their work for the day and doing their part to contribute to society. On the other hand, soma is also used as a punishment. This is demonstrated in the riot. In order to prevent total chaos the police use soma vapors to subdue the crowd. So, although the individuals exposed to the gas may go on a holiday, the soma is being used as a punishment agains...
