"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley showcases life in a tremendously changed society featuring monumental developments in reproductive technology and an omnipresent, controlling government. The citizens of this society operate with a collectivist ideal; abiding by government laws with the belief that the laws are the most beneficial for the entire population. Children are created in bottles, polygamy is celebrated, emotions and genuine relationships are abolished. The futuristic world only contains a few dissenters, one of whom is Bernard Marx. As an Alpha, Bernard belongs to the highest caste of society but has difficulties abiding by government expectations, leading to him being threatened with isolation.

On the contrary, Lenina Crowne seamlessly blends into the futuristic world. In an effort to win her affection, Bernard takes Lenina to the Savage Reservation to see the uncivilized sect of the population. There they meet Linda and John. Linda was one of the partners of the Director of the Hatcheries but was left in the reservation after she accidentally became pregnant and remained there to raise John alone. Linda and John leap at the opportunity to return to the civilized world with Bernard and Lenina but are met with nothing but grueling stares and disapproval upon their arrival. Both Linda and John meet death and Bernard is forced into isolation by the end of the novel. Through a dark plot and satirical tone, Huxley crafts a novel that not only showcases a potential future for the world, but the dangers associated with these possible developments. The author utilizes "Brave New World" to convey his disapproval of society, to warn of the dangers of an all-powerful government, and to explain his belief that permanent happiness must be sacrificed to achieve wonderful experiences.

Through the plot, Huxley communicates his distaste for society and its demands for conformity that often result in a loss of individual identity. Two characters are frequently mocked throughout the novel for their physicality and personality: Bernard and Helmholtz Watson. Bernard is often insulted for being smaller than most of the people in his caste and is considered inferior. Helmholtz is mocked because he is physically larger and better looking than the other people of his caste. The insults that are frequently directed at these two characters display the importance of identicalness in society and the isolation that occurs to characters who do not fit the ideal.

By presenting Bernard and Helmholtz as the protagonists, Huxley shows his belief that those who are not identical are set for lives of greater importance. Disapproval of society’s demands for conformity is also evident in the ending of the novel when John isolates himself in the woods and eventually kills himself. John’s tragic end displays the feelings of desolation that are forced upon those who stray from society’s standards. It also serves the dual purpose of depicting Huxley’s disgust in society and its harsh standards that inevitably lead John to his violent end. In addition to addressing the issue of conformity, Huxley also addresses the dangers that lie in the government.

Huxley utilizes symbolism and plot events within "Brave New World" to showcase the dangers of a government possessing too much control. The civilization that serves as the novel’s setting features a government that celebrates polygamous relationships and condemns monogamous ones. Women and men are encouraged to have multiple partners and are harshly judged if they stay with one person for an extended period of time. Members of the society are also raised in commune-style settings without any parents or siblings. The government forcing citizens to thrive in a world without any healthy relationships produces shallow interactions and the inability of characters to connect with each other throughout the story.

Huxley displays his disapproval of government involvement in the personal lives of the people by painting their relationships as bizarre and lacking substance. The government also requires the frequent usage of soma, a drug that mutes emotions and keeps the user happy. Due to this government requirement, all the emotions of the citizens are suppressed and they all lack the experience of genuine feelings. By presenting government restrictions as the reason the citizens are unable to experience legitimate relationships and emotions, Huxley demonstrates his view that too much government control is negative. Along with this view, "Huxley also conveys his belief in the necessity of the terrible."

The citizens in "Brave New World" fear anything that breaks the monotony of their daily lives, whether it be good or bad. Huxley uses this characterization to communicate the idea that the terrible must be undergone in order to have anything wonderful. When John first arrives to the civilized world, he wonders how it is possible that no one in this society knows Shakespeare’s name. Mustapha Mond, an all-powerful figure in the society, explains that most literary works are forbidden for three reasons: There is no room in the new state for such work, people are happy with their constant lives, and people do not understand the experiences that the work describes. By presenting the citizens as fearful of works describing love and hate, Huxley communicates the importance of both in order to achieve a fulfilling life.

The presence of the soma drug and its consumption to avoid feeling extreme emotions also communicates this idea. Huxley paints the citizens as oblivious when he describes how desperately they seek their soma. Their delusion that soma is a necessity can be attributed to their lack of experience with true happiness and sadness. Because neither have ever been encountered, the citizens have not truly lived and continue operating in blissful ignorance. Although Huxley describes the citizens as satisfied with the futuristic world, he also describes them as oblivious and lacking the true experiences, both good ones and bad ones, that make life meaningful.

"Brave New World" is a tool used by Huxley to present his disapproval of society’s rigid expectations and the government wielding too much control as well as his belief life is comprised with good and bad experiences to make it worthwhile. His strong themes relating to the individual versus society and the impactful ending combine to make Huxley’s novel timeless. At the end of the novel, John has two choices: conform to society or withdraw into isolation. He chooses neither, finding misery in both conformity and isolation, and instead takes his own life. Despite this gruesome act, the rest of the futuristic society learns nothing and continues to see John as uncivilized.The lack of genuine relationships, real emotions, and non-engineered experiences leave the citizens viewing death as just another spectacle to gawk at before moving on. Huxley ends the novel with the society he created still clinging to their beliefs and trust in the advanced technology of their world. Although Huxley ends his novel pessimistically, there is hope in the novel’s foreword and overall theme. He believes that people create their own worlds and it is up to the current society to keep rapidly-increasing technology from generating the future described in "Brave New World."