A Critique on a Critic:
Critical Summary of Technology and Gender in Huxley’s Alternative World
By Skylor Matchett
According to June Deery, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is an interestingly accurate prediction of future technology, but also has the portrayal of men dominating women. In her essay, Technology and Gender in Huxley’s Alternative Worlds, she begins by explaining how Huxley’s society works.
Huxley created a society where the primary goal is to keep the industry running with the use of superficial, happy men and women. Each member of society holds a very specialized role and only knows things required for that role. Huxley then takes away truth and beauty in his world and puts this superficial in their places. Huxley uses this to represent what he foresees as the irreversible downfall of humanity.
Deery then begins to examine the role of women and compares it to England in the 1930’s. Women are much better off than their counterparts in England; they do not have any of the duties or expectations associated with being a woman at the time. When looked at alone, women seem to have a life without gender bias. However, when compared to the males of society, bias appears. Huxley goes back and forth of the equality of women throughout his book, he never speaks positively of their place below men yet he never condemns it either. Deery then says, “The point here being that one of the things Huxley does not always portray as objectionable is woman's relatively inferior role.” this acts as the turning point in Deery’s paper because she then goes on to give multiple examples to support of her claim (Deery 261).
In the following paragraphs of her paper, Deery analyzes these instances and concludes that it might not be entirely Huxley’s fault for these inequalities, but also the dystopian society itself. She still furthers to criticize Huxley on his portrayal of women by saying “Huxley’s portrayal goes further by placing women in an even lower position than men, and by not making a point of it. The greatest insult in Deery’s opinion is that Huxley lack of perspective given to women in this society. Huxley uses his viewpoints throughout the novel to point out all of the problems he has with the society, yet he never makes a character to analyze this aspect.
In a later paragraph, she explains that positions in science and technology have predominantly been held by the men of the society, Brave New World carry’s on this tradition by not portraying women in any technological job positioned over men. Deery then begins to compare the signs that men, fertile women, and infertile women have, pointing out the clues that she sees as showing men being better than women.
When education is brought into the argument, Deery explains that Huxley obvious portrayed women as being less educated than men by always having a woman ask a question and a man always explain it. Huxley also depicts women in menial roles compared to the males of their class. Deery states that “women therefore don't do science; they have science done to them.” Motherhood no longer exists, humans are reproduced by machines. Men can control and design fetuses while the astounding abilities to nurture life in a woman have been replaced by a more efficient method. Deery hypothesizes that men have been looking for ways to procreate without the need for a woman, Huxley shows them in this dystopian paradise as having found a way. Huxley portrays his society being repulsed by the idea of carrying a child.
Another way that science has been done to women is contraception. Most of the females in Brave New World are infertile, and the remaining ones use birth control pills. Deery notes that Huxley foresaw birth control pills becoming popular but then points out that nothing has been done to the male population to keep them from reproducing. Men are not made sterile, women are the ones who are changed. Huxley creates a dystopian world that portrays women as being worse off than men, this is why Jane Deery disapproves of Huxley’s morality and criticizes his novel.
Jane Deery’s essay offers an interesting insight on a topic that is easily missed in Brave New World. Deery backs up her evidence with strong concrete details form the text and then analyzes how it reflects Huxley’s own thoughts. Her argument is strong and well supported, which makes it very difficult to look at Brave New World in the same light.
Huxley created a society where the primary goal is to keep the industry running with the use of superficial, happy men and women. Each member of society holds a very specialized role and only knows things required for that role. Huxley then takes away truth and beauty in his world and puts this superficial in their places. Huxley uses this to represent what he foresees as the irreversible downfall of humanity.
Deery then begins to examine the role of women and compares it to England in the 1930’s. Women are much better off than their counterparts in England; they do not have any of the duties or expectations associated with being a woman at the time. When looked at alone, women seem to have a life without gender bias. However, when compared to the males of society, bias appears. Huxley goes back and forth of the equality of women throughout his book, he never speaks positively of their place below men yet he never condemns it either. Deery then says, “The point here being that one of the things Huxley does not always portray as objectionable is woman's relatively inferior role.” this acts as the turning point in Deery’s paper because she then goes on to give multiple examples to support of her claim (Deery 261).
In the following paragraphs of her paper, Deery analyzes these instances and concludes that it might not be entirely Huxley’s fault for these inequalities, but also the dystopian society itself. She still furthers to criticize Huxley on his portrayal of women by saying “Huxley’s portrayal goes further by placing women in an even lower position than men, and by not making a point of it. The greatest insult in Deery’s opinion is that Huxley lack of perspective given to women in this society. Huxley uses his viewpoints throughout the novel to point out all of the problems he has with the society, yet he never makes a character to analyze this aspect.
In a later paragraph, she explains that positions in science and technology have predominantly been held by the men of the society, Brave New World carry’s on this tradition by not portraying women in any technological job positioned over men. Deery then begins to compare the signs that men, fertile women, and infertile women have, pointing out the clues that she sees as showing men being better than women.
When education is brought into the argument, Deery explains that Huxley obvious portrayed women as being less educated than men by always having a woman ask a question and a man always explain it. Huxley also depicts women in menial roles compared to the males of their class. Deery states that “women therefore don't do science; they have science done to them.” Motherhood no longer exists, humans are reproduced by machines. Men can control and design fetuses while the astounding abilities to nurture life in a woman have been replaced by a more efficient method. Deery hypothesizes that men have been looking for ways to procreate without the need for a woman, Huxley shows them in this dystopian paradise as having found a way. Huxley portrays his society being repulsed by the idea of carrying a child.
Another way that science has been done to women is contraception. Most of the females in Brave New World are infertile, and the remaining ones use birth control pills. Deery notes that Huxley foresaw birth control pills becoming popular but then points out that nothing has been done to the male population to keep them from reproducing. Men are not made sterile, women are the ones who are changed. Huxley creates a dystopian world that portrays women as being worse off than men, this is why Jane Deery disapproves of Huxley’s morality and criticizes his novel.
Jane Deery’s essay offers an interesting insight on a topic that is easily missed in Brave New World. Deery backs up her evidence with strong concrete details form the text and then analyzes how it reflects Huxley’s own thoughts. Her argument is strong and well supported, which makes it very difficult to look at Brave New World in the same light.
Works Cited
Deery, June. "Technology and Gender in Aldous Huxley's Alternative (?) Worlds." Extrapolation (Kent State U.P.) 33.3 (1992): 258-273. Literary Reference Center. Web. 13 Apr. 2014