Starting a New Book

A few weeks ago, I finished Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel, Brave New World. I decided to start reading another one of his books this week. It is very different from his previous novel- almost exactly opposite, in fact. In this novel called Island, the main character, John, is given a third option beside being exiled or participating in an "experiment" after he is caught by the government. In the novel, he is able to go to a utopian island where everything about society seems perfect. I know what you're probably thinking. This "perfect society" never seems to quite work out, does it? But somehow, this book seems different. There's nothing, at least on the outside, that would indicate that anything unusual is going on. In Huxley's original novel, society has progressed- and yet they seem to have taken a step backward. People in that society lived short lives, filled with a fake sense of happiness. They took drugs to escape the real world, and shortened their lives as a result. And they didn't have to think on their own, save for the seven world controllers.The constant indoctrination and violent drug use in the "Brave New World" is replaced with knowledge and learning in this island.

"World controller" seems like a big title, but in reality, even they have to follow the rules of the society they have set up. Mustapha Mond, the Resident World Controller for Europe, is one of the few people who actually knows what's going on. And he refuses to do anything about it. Mustapha Mond is actually very similar to Captain Beatty from Fahrenheit 451. Mond is well versed in literature from Cicero to Shakespeare and knows much about art and science. Himself a scientist, he knows that the world could be a place of freedom. He makes the argument, however, that such a world is not the best possible outcome. Instead, he is part of a massive organization that forces everyone to lose their individuality for a greater, utilitarian, ideal.

There are a few places in this fictitious world that have not yet been colonized by the World State, and this remote island is one of them. They live life completely separate from the rest of the modern world, and limit the use of technology. At first glance, the whole concept seems a bit simplistic, but by looking at the book under greater scrutiny, it is clear that Huxley put a lot of thought into his ideas. (If only he could have put the same degree of thought into his writing as well...)

I have not progressed very far through this book yet, but I suspect that there is something more sinister going on here in this seemingly utopian society. If everything is perfect throughout the book, there would be no way for a plot to exist. Unless, of course, the author just got lazy and didn't include much plot at all. I doubt that Huxley would do that, judging from his other famous novel. I think I'll have to read on to find out more about the story.