The society Huxley creates in this book is deemed to be perfect, and "everyone is happy now." Does non-monogamy contribute positively or negatively to this society? Is it a more or less sexual culture when everyone shares everyone else?
This is a fascinating topic. This aspect of Huxley's novel always irked me; the rest of his vision was prophetic and insightful, but the portrayal of polygamous sex seemed conservative and condemnatory. – Samuel Burleigh9 years ago
An interesting approach to this would be to analyze the difference between the point Huxley is trying to make with the lack of monogamy and the actual merits of the society in Brave New World. Huxley's intent is definitely to create a negative impression, but how well does he actually convey this? Another interesting perspective could be to investigate how he appeals to his audience, because the effect of the language and the situations he sets up is undoubtedly different now than when he wrote the book back in 1931. Considering how his audience has changed, is the novel still an effective critique of society? Just some perspective this could take. – OddballGentleman9 years ago
Non-monogamy definitely adds positively to Brave New World or at least provides a critique on our society's need to possess and control one another monogamously in relationships. Who is the most miserable character in the story? John. Because he has raised and conditioned in a village which still adheres to today's concepts and refused to evolve with Mustapha's ideals (which is pretty ironic because in actual cave man times [the real "savages"] communities often slept around intentionally, not knowing who the father of a child was made all men in the clan more inclined to protect the young). Bernard is unhappy yes, but it's mostly because he's unattractive and anxious not because he couldn't have someone if he tried, because anyone will be with anyone. That would be hard to achieve in our world though, because they don't need to pair bond to survive and pass on their genes, they are all test tube babies. Will we one day evolve to that point of not needing to get pregnant and have our own young, do you think that would destroy our need to be monogamous? – Slaidey9 years ago
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