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Sex in Brave New World and 1984

Sebastian Maag
February 25, 2013
Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.
Oscar Wilde
George Orwell and Aldous Huxley both depict totalitarian societies in their novels Brave New
World and 1984. Leaders of totalitarian governments use diverse means of control to keep their society
stable and submitted to their power. In both novels, sex is a key element for social control that each
respective government controls in a unique way for similar effect. Sexual intercourse defines social
interaction between people. Furthermore, the empowerment that comes from this action can be
channeled into social stability. Finally, sex determines the individual identity and behavior that leaders in
totalitarian societies want to see.
Sexual intercourse reflects the way in which people interact in a society. We can see this in both
1984 and Brave New World. Huxley depicts a world in which people are constantly encouraged to have
sex with anyone, creating a fraternal environment of mutual trust and openness. However, there are no
emotional attachments between individuals because love is unstable and could result in passionate
sorrow and exclusion, which is something that the autocratic leaders of the World State wouldnt want.
Polygamy is constantly encouraged through hypnopedic phrases such as the following quote,
Everybody belongs to everyone else (Huxley, 1946, pg.29) This makes sex act as a means of control in
the World State because individuals relate trust with happiness, which makes them feel content with
society and avoids them from rebelling. The totalitarian government of 1984 also uses sex to control
interaction but in a completely opposite way. The Party discourages close relationships between
individuals because they dont want people to trust each other. Moreover, abstinence predominates
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within marriages, preventing couples from trusting each other. Winstons wife describes sex as the duty
of reproduction that they owe their leaders. The Partys adherents even join groups with the purpose of
purging society of sexual feelings or actions. Chastity was as deep ingrained in them as Party loyalty. By
careful early conditioning, by games and cold water, by the rubbish that was dinned into them at school
and in the Spies and the Youth League, by lectures, parades, songs, slogans, and martial music, the
natural feeling had been driven out of them. (Orwell, 1950, pg.84). This makes sex a means of control in
Airstrip 1, because its absence causes the aloofness that allows the tyrannical rule of Big Brother to
continue. People are not likely to unite for freedom if they are not even given the opportunity to relate.
When a totalitarian state manipulates sexual intercourse, it does not only create a favorable
social environment for the leaders, but it also empowers them as a governmental unit. George Orwell
shows us this in his novel. The Party channels sexual frustration and energy that is kept within the
people of Oceania due to imposed chastity towards emotions of loyalty towards the Party and hate
towards its enemies (Goldstein). Julia is aware of this as is exposed in the following quote.
When you make love you're using up energy; and afterwards you feel happy and don't give a
damn for anything. They can't bear you to feel like that. They want you to be bursting with
energy all the time. All this marching up and down and cheering and waving flags is simply sex
gone sour. If you're happy inside yourself, why should you get excited about Big Brother and the
Three-Year Plans and the Two Minutes Hate and all the rest of their bloody rot? (Orwell, 1950,
pg. 126)
In other words, the Party extracts sexual empowerment from individuals to make themselves more
authoritative and make those individuals more feeble and psychologically dependent on their
supposedly vastly superior leaders. In Brave New World, the World Controllers dont use sex as a direct
source of power, but as a distractor. Everybody in the World State is caught in a numb web of pleasure
from sex and soma (drugs), causing them to be ignorant about how controlled their lives really are. The
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following situation is depicted by John, an outcast in this society who observes how ignorant individuals
are because they are driven by pleasure (sex). If you allowed yourselves to think of God, you wouldnt
allow yourselves to be degraded by pleasant vices. Youd have a reason for bearing things patiently, for
doing things with courage. (Huxley, 1946 pg. 236) This allows the World Controllers to act freely over
society. However, these leaders dont use such great power to exclusively benefit themselves, but to
change the world to make people happier. This completely opposes 1984, where Inner Party Members
increase their power through controlling sex in order to lead luxurious lives at the expense of the
majoritys misery.
Finally, the manipulation of eroticism by totalitarian rulers seeks to actually change individuals
psychologically in order for them to act as those leaders wish. Huxleys Brave New World, constant
promiscuity makes individuals feel comfortable and joyous about their life. More so, happiness is
indoctrinated in hypnopedia as we can see in the following phrase: I am free. Free to have the most
wonderful time. Everybody's happy nowadays." (Huxley, pg. 32) Even if happiness in the World State is
artificial, the only thing that matters is that individuals are convinced that they are happy so they can act
peacefully and pose no threat towards social order. The Party seeks a completely different mentality
from their citizens when depriving them from sexual pleasure. The objective of this totalitarian regime is
to have dreary, sterile individuals that become more loyal to the Party through hatred, deceit and fear.
In order to do this, INGSOC tries to eliminate pleasures (mainly sex) that people might use to be happy,
and therefore, a threat. The following quote said by OBrien, an important party member demonstrates
this. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. (Orwell, pg.286) By
changing individuals in society, all else will change gradually, which is why totalitarian governments in
both novels dedicate much effort to do so.
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With the power to handle sex, both these autocratic governments pursue the alteration of social
interaction, the enhancement of their power and the psychological distortion of individuals identities.
Although they have the same objectives these states have major discrepancies. INSOC bases their
control on hatred, trickery and oppression. Their goals selfish, as this great quote states, The Party
seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested
solely in power. (Orwell, 1950, pg.284) On the other hand, the World Controllers work for the
happiness of others through pleasure, false empowerment through sex and if necessary exile (in a
positive way). In conclusion, 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley epitomize
how crucial sexual manipulation for complete control in a totalitarian society is.




Bibliography
Huxley, A. (1946). Brave New World. New York: Harper & Bros.
Orwell, G. (1950). 1984. New York: Signet Classic.