The Davinci Code

For more than half a century science fiction writers have thrilled

and challenged readers with visions of the future and future worlds.

These authors offered an insight into what they expected man, society,

and life to be like at some future time.

One such author, Ray Bradbury, utilized this concept in his work,

Fahrenheit 451, a futuristic look at a man and his role in society.

Bradbury utilizes the luxuries of life in America today, in addition

to various occupations and technological advances, to show what life

could be like if the future takes a drastic turn for the worse. He

turns man's best friend, the dog, against man, changes the role of

public servants and changes the value of a person.

Aldous Huxley also uses the concept of society out of control in

his science fiction novel Brave New World. Written late in his career,

Brave New World also deals with man in a changed society. Huxley asks

his readers to look at the role of science and literature in the

future world, scared that it may be rendered useless and discarded.

Unlike Bradbury, Huxley includes in his book a group of people

unaffected by the changes in society, a group that still has religious

beliefs and marriage, things no longer part of the changed society, to

compare and contrast today's culture with his proposed futuristic

culture.

But one theme that both Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 use in

common is the theme of individual discovery by refusing to accept a

passive approach to life, and refusing to conform. In addition, the

refusal of various methods of escape from reality is shown to be a

path to discovery. In Brave New World, the main characters of Bernard

Marx and the "Savage" boy John both come to realize the faults with

their own cultures. In Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag begins to discover

that things could be better in his society but, sue to some

uncontrollable events, his discover happens much faster than it would

have. He is forced out on his own, away from society, to live with

others like himself who think differently that the society does.

Marx, from the civilized culture, seriously questions the lack of

history that his society has. He also wonders as to the lack of books,

banned because they were old and did not encourage the new culture. By

visiting a reservation, home of an "uncivilized" culture of savages,

he is able to see first hand something of what life and society use to

be like. Afterwards he returns and attempts to incorporate some of

what he saw into his work as an advertising agent. As a result with

this contrast with the other culture, Marx discovers more about

himself as well. He is able to see more clearly the things that had

always set him on edge: the promiscuity, the domination of the

government and the lifelessness in which he lived. (Allen)

John, often referred to as "the Savage" because he was able to

leave the reservation with Marx to go to London to live with him, also

has a hard time adjusting to the drastic changes. The son of two

members of the modern society but born and raised on the reservation,

John learned from his mother the values and the customs of the

"civilized" world while living in a culture that had much different

values and practices. Though his mother talked of the promiscuity that

she had practiced before she was left on the reservation (she was

accidentally left there while on vacation, much as Marx was) and did

still practice it, John was raised, thanks to the people around him,

with the belief that these actions were wrong. Seeing his mother act

in a manner that obviously reflected different values greatly affected

and hurt John, especially when he returned with Marx to London. John

loved his mother, but he, a hybrid of the two cultures, was stuck in

the middle. (May)

These concepts, human reaction to changes in their culture and

questioning of these changes, are evident throughout the book.

Huxley's characters either conform to society's demands for uniformity

or rebel and begin a process of discovery; there are no people in the

middle. By doing so, Huxley makes his own views of man and society

evident. He shows that those who conform to the "brave new world"

become less human, but those who actively question the new values of

society discover truth about the society, about themselves, and about

people

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