The Caste System in Brave New World
Baylie Fox
Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, based the social system off of the one used in India. This system, known as the caste system, is popular in the Hindu culture and breaks society down into different peoples, each have a different social standard.
Much like in the Indian caste system, where the classes are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, the highest to lowest ranks, equivalent to those in Brave New World. Aldous Huxley created Brave New World to have different castes: the Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Epsilons, and Deltas. Both caste systems are broken down into sub-groups. In Brave New World, each caste is broken into the “pluses” and “minuses” of the peoples, identified by the level of job one holds, such as a preacher or a manager.
In the Indian caste system, the different castes are classified by the physical appearance of the person. The higher-class people are expected to be taller, with fairer skin, and the lower class short, dark-skinned, and have wide noses (Béteille 49-50). The physical expectations are due to the consistencies in appearance in the existing castes. People of each caste conceive with only those of their same status, making the similar physicality probable. Aldous Huxley took this idea and applied it to each caste in his book. In the highest-level classes, Alpha and Beta, each person is produced to be tall and attractive. In the Gamma class, everyone is pretty average looking. The Delta and Epsilon classes contain short, horrific looking people.
The rituals and ways of life also differ in the Indian caste system. The Brahmin class, for example, mentally speaks pariseshanam (a prayer-like saying) before and after every meal. Those associated with lower classes cannot be introduced to these rituals due to their low status in society. The same type of class discrimination occurs in Brave New World. Only high-class people can have the upper level management jobs, can engage in sexual activities as much and as often as they like, and are permitted to travel to exotic places. All lower level castes (beginning with Gammas and below) are produced to serve the Alphas and Betas.
Much like in the Indian caste system, where the classes are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, the highest to lowest ranks, equivalent to those in Brave New World. Aldous Huxley created Brave New World to have different castes: the Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Epsilons, and Deltas. Both caste systems are broken down into sub-groups. In Brave New World, each caste is broken into the “pluses” and “minuses” of the peoples, identified by the level of job one holds, such as a preacher or a manager.
In the Indian caste system, the different castes are classified by the physical appearance of the person. The higher-class people are expected to be taller, with fairer skin, and the lower class short, dark-skinned, and have wide noses (Béteille 49-50). The physical expectations are due to the consistencies in appearance in the existing castes. People of each caste conceive with only those of their same status, making the similar physicality probable. Aldous Huxley took this idea and applied it to each caste in his book. In the highest-level classes, Alpha and Beta, each person is produced to be tall and attractive. In the Gamma class, everyone is pretty average looking. The Delta and Epsilon classes contain short, horrific looking people.
The rituals and ways of life also differ in the Indian caste system. The Brahmin class, for example, mentally speaks pariseshanam (a prayer-like saying) before and after every meal. Those associated with lower classes cannot be introduced to these rituals due to their low status in society. The same type of class discrimination occurs in Brave New World. Only high-class people can have the upper level management jobs, can engage in sexual activities as much and as often as they like, and are permitted to travel to exotic places. All lower level castes (beginning with Gammas and below) are produced to serve the Alphas and Betas.
Works Cited
Béteille, André. "The Caste Structure." Caste, Class, and Power. Berkley: University of California. 1965. 45-102. Print.
Béteille, André. "The Caste Structure." Caste, Class, and Power. Berkley: University of California. 1965. 45-102. Print.