Drug Usage
In Huxley’s Brave New World, the usage of drugs by the people of the World State is prevalent and highly encouraged. The primary drug is soma, a modern day form of ecstasy. The people of the World State use this to get “feeling good,” and when they are feeling down, “There is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon" (84). This was their way of coping with difficulty and controversy, almost exactly like the drug addicts of America do. The purpose of using the drugs for both populations is exactly the same; to satisfy oneself. The majority of the users in the United States started for the same reason. They had problems and difficulties and this, according to the addicts themselves, was the only way out.
However, there is a difference in the users of the World State and that of Americans. All of the characters in Huxley’s novel, even the high authorities, truly believe in the distribution and consuming of soma. They are actually the ones who recommend the consumption to the local inhabitants. They condition the minds of their citizens that the product is necessary. Characters such as Lenina believe, "A gramme is better than a damn, I wish I had my soma!" (126). These people were coerced into believing their happiness and even survival is based on their soma intake. In America, however, it is much different. Our government has an anti-drug use policy. They issue out prescription drugs to those in need. Any illegal substance found in the possession of an individual is considered illegal and therefore they are arrested based on the situation. Even though both populations’ intake drugs, America’s view on the situation is the polar opposite of Huxley’s World State’s.
However, there is a difference in the users of the World State and that of Americans. All of the characters in Huxley’s novel, even the high authorities, truly believe in the distribution and consuming of soma. They are actually the ones who recommend the consumption to the local inhabitants. They condition the minds of their citizens that the product is necessary. Characters such as Lenina believe, "A gramme is better than a damn, I wish I had my soma!" (126). These people were coerced into believing their happiness and even survival is based on their soma intake. In America, however, it is much different. Our government has an anti-drug use policy. They issue out prescription drugs to those in need. Any illegal substance found in the possession of an individual is considered illegal and therefore they are arrested based on the situation. Even though both populations’ intake drugs, America’s view on the situation is the polar opposite of Huxley’s World State’s.