2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

Darwin’s findings, Huxley used these conclusions to play with the idea of controlling adaptation of genetic traits to optimise human beings, in particular environments. Originating from Darwin’s scientific contributions, this idea drives the system of genetic manipulation in Brave New World, with genetic manipulation creating groups of people that are suited, in all aspects, to their predestined lifestyles. This is confirmed in the novel when the State Director exclaims, “hasn’t it occurred to you that an Epsilon embryo must have an Epsilon environment as well as an Epsilon heredity” (p.11). Thus, the novel’s rigid caste system is first enforced through genetic differences. During embryonic growth, embryos from the lowest caste – Epsilons – are exposed to adverse conditions that severely damage the genetic code within the embryo’s cells with “eight minutes of hard X-rays,” dosing the zygote “almost to death with alcohol,” and oxygen supply restrictions to “affect the brain, then the skeleton” (p. 4 – 11). As a result, those created from the damaged embryos had a less prominent stature and decreased brain functionality: “But in Epsilons, we don’t need human intelligence. Didn’t need and didn’t get it” (p.11). This allows for this group to be complacent and suitable for the menial jobs that this caste is created to fulfil, such as sewage labour or foundry work. Huxley takes new scientific ideas from his time and explores their application, as the novel employs Darwin’s new ideas of genetic adaptation to create a society of genetically manipulated people, specifically optimised to the environment of their caste. In the early 20 th century, research arose on population control through medicine that built on the work of Thomas Robert Malthus, an English scholar who became influential in the fields of political economy and demography. His fundamental belief, ‘the Malthusian catastrophe,’ was a prediction that agricultural production will be outpaced by population growth (Agarwal, 2019). From this idea, the British organisation, Malthusian League (active 1877 – 1927) was formed, aiming to gain support for contraception and other forms of birth control, believing without them, humanity would decline into poverty and conflict (Nunez-Eddy, 2017). Huxley intertwines the fundamental beliefs of the Malthusian League into Brave New World. “Civilisation is sterilisation” (p.94) – a hypnopædic lesson taught to all citizens of the World State spreads the message of mass reproductive sterilisation. However, it also relates to the sterilisation of emotions and human connection by eliminating the ability for close bonds

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