Hello Hedonistic Society...(Brave New World-3)

"'I once had to wait nearly four weeks before a girl I wanted would let me have her.'

'And you felt a strong emotion in consequence?'

'Horrible!'

'Horrible; precisely,' said the Controller. 'Our ancestors were so stupid and short-sighted that when the first reformers came along and offered to deliver them from those horrible emotions, they wouldn't have anything do to with them.'" (Page 45, Brave New World)

Although several things were clarified in this chapter and new concepts were presented, something else stood out to me throughout chapter 3. The people of this society are very hedonistic. The people in society have been brought up and raised to believe that achieving pleasure for oneself (while still following the rules of their society) is the main purpose. Also, as the quote above shows, any type of suffering or feeling other than pleasure is regarded as horrible. For instance, at recess the kids play erotically, the idea of solely being with one person of the opposite sex is unheard of, "everyone belongs to everyone else", belts hold a supply of contraceptives, and soma (their drug) makes everything better. The idea that there is more to life beyond pleasure is a completely foreign and disregarded topic. Also, a new character is introduced. Bernard Marx is a character that seems to be different from the other characters previously unveiled in the book. Bernard sees how the men regard women as if they are a type of meat to consume. Also, Bernard recognizes that the women think of themselves as meat and they accept it. Bernard sees that the lifestyle in this society is materialistic. The people of the society are merely materials to be possessed. I predict that Bernard will become more rebellious of this type of society further into the book.