The setting of Brave New World was influenced by the historical events happening around the years in which the novel was written. Brave New World takes place in a dystopian society in the future. The novel takes place 632 “After Ford” (Henry …show more content…
World War I ended in 1918 and resulted in a “booming economy” and an “explosion of consumer goods and technology that shaped the 1920s.” (“Electric consumer appliances proliferate” 1) The society and setting in the novel revolves around science and technology. Many components in the novel deal with scientific advancements that allow for efficiency among each social class. The British empire also contributed to the creation of the setting in Brave New World. The British believed that “colonial subjects required guidance” (“British Empire” 1). In the novel, there are designated leaders that determine the place of every citizen in the society. Social classes are determined upon creation and are set in place due to the leader’s beliefs that everyone has their place. “Peoples and resources were exploited at Britain’s advantage” (“British Empire” 1) the same way citizens in Brave New World were set in place to the advantage of the leaders. Around the 1920’s, Henry Ford and his Model T proved to be a popular good purchased by consumers. The 1920s led to the “preoccupation of the purchase of consumer goods” (“American Consumerism” 1). Consumerism …show more content…
The time period surrounding the publication of the novel was also “a time of advancement in science and medicine” (“The Roaring Twenties” 1). Because science was becoming a more popular subject, Huxley was able to illustrate his interest in the science of his time by incorporating real life scientific themes into his novel. Science was entering “more intimidating realms of abstraction” (“People and Discoveries” 1) and Huxley was able to convey this through the science in his novel. The novel’s characters were also created through behaviorism. The Behaviorist movement “appeared in 1913 when John Broadus Watson published the classic article Psychology as a Behaviorist Views It ”(McLeod 1). Behaviorism was a rising concept among the science community during these times. In the novel, Huxley makes it evident that the movement sparked his interest by centering all character actions around behaviorism. Upon the early stages of their life, children in the novel are conditioned to fit into their place of society. Behaviorism gave citizens a “promise of the possibility of change, and even improvement” (“People and Discoveries” 1). Huxley took the concept of Behaviorism into his novel and illustrated how he believed conditioning could be used negatively. Behaviorism became a “dominant view” (“People and Discoveries” 1) from the 1920s to the 1960s. In 1916, a study was done