The Role Of Soma In “A Brave New World”
Essay Preview: The Role Of Soma In “A Brave New World”
Report this essay
The Role of SOMA in A BRAVE NEW WORLD
Joao Eduardo
Throughout history drugs have been used to provoke special feelings on people. Some use them as a means of getting closer to a certain God, others for fun, and others to satisfy an addiction, among, of course, many other reasons. And in Aldous Huxleys A BRAVE NEW WORLD, the ever existent role of such substances in society isnt forgotten, as the author provides his characters with what he calls SOMA.
The name isnt as crazy as it may sound. Soma is derived from an unknown, most likely hallucinogenic drug/beverage that was used in ancient India for religious reasons [
Accordingly, Mustapha Mond – the greatest and most intelligent supporter of the World State – sees soma as the perfect tool to maintain social stability. His thoughts are expressed in a conversation with John as he affirms that “if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, theres always soma to give you a holiday from the facts. And theres always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow