“Brave New World,” “The Day of the Triffind” and “Watchmen” all use their dystopian worlds to engage in moral discussions, critically evaluate the morals that the world believes to be "correct". Faced with destruction, the characters in the novels must evaluate their morality, the right course of action that will sustain humanity is unclear. Aldous Huxley, John Wyndham, and Alan Moore each invite us to examine how the world currently behaves to prevent future devastation. Their imagined post-apocalyptic realities attempt to prevent humanity's vanity from falling into an abyss. If we examine our opinions now, we can prevent, for example, a possible controlling autocracy: no one will need to ask the question “Who watches the sentries?” (Chapter 1, p.9, Panel 7)#. In each novel, humanity brings itself to the brink of extinction. The tensions underlying the Cold War in “Watchmen” and “Day of the Triffids” show how man's vanity and the tendency of individuals and nations to see themselves as "better" or "more important" than others create the potential for disaster . As a result, man is reminded of his own contingency. Due to the arrogance of their creators, these empires of man are contingent and easily removable. Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ozymandias may proclaim himself "king of kings", but "there remains nothing but". Man's vanity is ultimately his downfall and the reason for humanity's volatility and fragility. The crisis in each of these dystopian novels raises questions about morality. Where Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" proposes the solution of an imagined perfect society, which provides a contrast to his 16th century civilization, these dystopian novels instead focus on the negative aspects of the current moral value system and lead to its logical conclusion. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although writing in very different times, for each author the central theme is a debate about morality. Huxley's “Brave New World,” published in 1932, exists on the border between dystopia and utopia. The novel's moral system appears justified to the inhabitants of its civilization, but seems downright dystopian to most readers. Unlike George Orwell's "1984", in which the continent of Oceania is obviously imperfect, the society created by Huxley is significantly more ambiguous. Huxley's advanced society revolves around the concept that "everyone is happy nowadays"# (p.79) because the world is seemingly perfect. Additionally, everyone is encouraged to take a happiness-boosting drug known as “soma”2 (p.78). Parts of the belief system are presented negatively, however. The novel suggests that distributing antidepressants to the population is probably not the solution to society's problems. Tom Andrews argues that “To count [an imaginary place] as a dystopia, must be an expression of fear” (p.ix). Exaggerating contemporary views, Huxley implies that our happiness will ultimately depend on antidepressants. This aspect of “Brave New World” certainly expresses fear and therefore can be seen as decidedly dystopian. Thomas More suggests, similarly, that happiness and pleasure should not be based on artificial substances or objects. Utopians claim that “once you get used to [artificial pleasure], you lose all ability to experience real pleasure and are simply obsessed with its illusory forms”# (p.74). More asks: “What about those people who accumulate superfluous wealth, for the sole purpose of enjoying looking at it? Is their pleasure real or simply a form of illusion? 3 (p.75). gives this example, equivalent tosoma, as a pleasure that is ultimately harmful. However, rather than only analyzing contemporary values ​​negatively, More provides a more positive account. It makes a direct comparison between current society and utopian society, while “Brave New World” casts a disapproving light on contemporary values ​​while progressing those values ​​towards a disastrous future. More gives an account of two “true pleasures” 3 (p.76). he claims that “Mental pleasures include the satisfaction that is obtained from understanding something” and “Physical pleasures… are those that fill the entire organism with a conscious sense of enjoyment” 3 (p.76). More highlights society's problems that transcend the 16th century, but provides a positive solution in the form of his utopian island. In contrast, “Brave New World” proposes a solution by describing its opposite. Huxley's society aims to promote universal "happiness" by promoting sexual promiscuity. Common morality is reversed in “Brave New World.” Promiscuous sex is anything but taboo: it's almost mandatory. As the character Fanny states, “it is terribly inappropriate to carry on... with only one man” 2 (p.34). He tells Lenina: “she should be a little more promiscuous” 2 (p.36). Huxley's society was designed so that everyone is always happy. It is believed that sexual freedom will contribute to the general well-being of people. “Have[ing]” 2 (p.38) anyone who desires, no one is “forced to experience a long interval of time between awareness of a desire and its fulfillment,” thus sparing people from “strong… horrible emotions” 2 (p.38). However, although More admits that “sexual intercourse” 3 (p.77) is a form of “physical pleasure” 3 (p.76), he does not go as far as Huxley suggests society can go. “Brave New World” amplifies the changing attitude toward sex and implies that people will eventually “have” 2 (p.38) whoever they choose. The sanctity of marriage will be destroyed and the spirituality of sexual intercourse will be rendered superfluous. Huxley's world goes so far as to encourage “erotic play” 2 (p.27) in young children. Huxley's contemporary morality is in danger and he seems to warn society through his seemingly utopian world. The fundamental concept behind this sexual activity is encapsulated in the phrase “everyone belongs to everyone else” 2 (p.37). According to the novel's social codes, solidarity is condoned and loneliness is not permitted. This premise allows and encourages everyone to partake in promiscuous sex, which supposedly removes unfulfilled desires from the human psyche that cause distress. The phrase “everyone belongs to everyone else” suggests socialist values. In the tradition of the novel, the countries of the world have been united into one harmonious, communist-style continent. Where More's “Utopia” is undoubtedly a beneficial communist system, Huxley's world seems to focus on the denial of the human freedoms that such a large-scale system invokes. hen “Utopia” More describes a “shopping center in the center of [each of the city's neighborhoods]… [in which] the products of each family are collected in warehouses, and then distributed according to type among the various shops” 3 (p. 60). This resource sharing system closely resembles communist collective farms. Huxley's society appears to once again be pushing ideas, in this case Marxist socialism, to their logical, negative conclusion. The brave new world of the novel, at times, seems like a utopian world where everyone is happy thanks to the communist system; however the novel finally ends with “a pair of… dangling feet… right under the crown of the arch” 2 (p.229). When the savage hangs himself in the epilogue, the novel highlights the problems that Huxley's society producesstarting from concepts of sexual freedom and functioning almost like a socialist society. In “The Day of the Triffids,” published in 1951, traditional morality is challenged in discussions of repopulation. Since everyone has gone blind, it seems necessary to start having as many sighted children as possible. When “Brave New World” monogamous relationships are not considered 'correct'. A similar attitude is also present in Wyndham's novel. Dr Vorless says: “We can afford to support a limited number of blind women, because they will have sighted children. We cannot afford to support men who cannot see." he concludes, “in our new world, therefore, children become much more important than husbands”# (p.120). Traditional loyalties have become redundant due to circumstances. Josella thinks that “if [it was] those people in there… [she] would have to divide us into lots. [She] should say that every man who marries a sighted girl must also hire two blind girls” 4 (p.124). People are forced by their situation to change their attitude towards sex and marriage. In the face of adversity, an intense moral debate is undertaken. After Dr. Vorless's speech, a woman asks: “are we to believe that the last speaker defends free love… asks if he proposes the abolition of the marriage law” 4 (p.121). his moral stance competes with the pragmatism advocated by Vorless. Not all moral codes can be correct. Wyndham shows that on the brink of destruction you need to make complicated moral decisions to survive. The woman states: "There is still the law of God" (p.121) 4. She pursues blind faith in religion and does not adapt to circumstances, which will be her final downfall when she later creates a Christian society which will be destroyed . “Brave New World” similarly suggests that belief in God is counterintuitive in modern civilization because it is “old.” Both authors question the reality of God and belief in Him in modern life. Mustapha Mond says: “[i religious texts] talk about God hundreds of years ago” 2 (p.204). Religion is obsolete and the continuation of faith is dulling modern society in the work of Sigmund Freud and Henry Ford. These figures represent the human ideas that revolutionized the world and the way we think about it. The inhabitants of “Brave New World” combined these two figures in the concept of “Our Ford”. 2 (p.27) and sometimes, when talking about psychology, “Our Freud” 2 (p.33), which represents everything that the two men created and developed Freudian ideas such as the Oedipus complex influence Huxley's civilization and they are fundamental to the society of the novel. Mustapha Mond states: “Our Freud was the first to reveal the frightening dangers of family life” 2 (p.33). According to this theory, every human being is developed "in vitro" in order to eliminate "mothers" and "fathers" whose presence would have filled the world with "madness and suicide" 2 (p.33). The abolition of marriage and perhaps the destruction of the family unit is the aim of Doctor Vorless' pragmatic society in “The Day of the Triffids”. The philosophy may be considered “right,” given the situation, but it is obviously not morally ideal. Wyndham evaluates society's current moral values ​​and concludes that they could lead to catastrophe. The widespread blindness that has afflicted the Earth's population is apparently due to the malfunction of a satellite weapon. The protagonist, Bill Masen, says that there were “an unknown number of satellite weapons circling the Earth” and asks us to “suppose that one type was specially built to emit radiation that our eyes couldn't handle…Then suppose there was a mistake, or perhaps an accident... that sets off some of these things...” 4 (p.247). In creating a dangerous universe of satellite weapons, Wyndham describes Russian-American tension during the Cold War, which saw the invention of continental ballistic missiles (heCBMs) and other destructive devices operated by satellites. When Masen deduces, “we have brought this fate upon ourselves” 4 (p.247) Wyndham implies that humanity has allowed itself to be carried away by technological advances and that some in particular have the potential to nullify human existence. He brings the nuclear arms race to its dystopian conclusion in “The Day of the Triffids,” underscoring the need to recognize nuclear weapons as a serious threat to humanity. “Watchmen” shares this concern with the advancement of technology and particularly the threat of nuclear fallout. . The conclusion of chapter 4 quotes Albert Einstein: “The release of atomic energy changed everything except our way of thinking… The solution to this problem lies in the heart of humanity. if only he had known, he should have become a watchmaker”1 (Chapter 4, p.28). Although humans have created weapons with enormous destructive capabilities, we have not understood the need for extreme caution. The fact that Einstein wished he had had nothing to do with the creation of the atomic bomb underlines its disturbing nature. “Watchmen” encapsulates the darker element of nuclear weapons through the motif of the Doomsday Clock. Throughout the novel the clock gets closer and closer to midnight as the nuclear apocalypse gets closer and closer. Both “Day of the Triffids” and “Watchmen” use their fictional dystopias to show how human technologies have progressed one step too far and that unless a dramatic alteration in values ​​occurs, disaster will ultimately ensue. The historical context of the novels may explain the focus on nuclear technologies. In 1953, 2 years after the publication of “The Day of the Triffids,” the Doomsday clock was set at 2 minutes to midnight, the closest the world has ever been to theoretical destruction, which may explain the Wyndham's concern over nuclear holocaust. Furthermore, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists stated in 1980, 6 years before “Watchmen” was first published, that “[The Soviet Union and the United States] have behaved like what might best be described as 'nucleoholics'- -drunks who keep insisting that the drink consumed is definitely 'the last', but who can always find a good excuse for 'just one more round'”#. What ultimately causes humanity's downfall in every novel is the vanity of man. The nuclear arms race in “Day of the Triffids” and Veidt's decision to bomb Manhattan in “Watchmen” stem from a person or faction of people's belief that they are “better” or “more capable” of making decisions than to others. More states that "no living creature is naturally greedy, except from fear of want - or, in the case of humans, from vanity", which he defines as "the idea that you are better than people if you can display more superfluous properties than they can” (p.61). More the problem of human vanity must be erased to create his utopia. Utopians are free from this need to impress or improve other inhabitants, which, according to More, makes them more pure and they function better than citizens of other nations. Huxley reveals a similar opinion by exaggerating current values, rather than explicitly stating the flaws of human nature. The oligarchy of the "Controllers of the World" in "Brave New World" shows the worst of human vanity , because they consider themselves more capable of making decisions than anyone elseMore's society functions according to a similar system, he provides a positive account of society. In “Utopia”, “the population is divided into groups of thirty families, each of which elects an official” (p.51). More concludes that a communal society maintained by a few controllers may be the solution to government problems, but suggests that it be elected by secret ballot, in contrast to Huxley's autocracy. The government of the novel appears to be utopian, as it unites the world under one way of thinking, but ultimately destroys human freedom and prevents any other way of thinking. Huxley highlights the harmful consequences of the excessive advancement of technology as another failure of human vanity. Perhaps influenced by a first-hand look at commercialism in America while writing “Brave New World,” Huxley shows how attempts to make life easier through technological advances can go too far. Creations such as the “Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Center ” produce and condition children into different castes. They are divided into one of five different social classes: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon semi-idiots. Each child is created with a predestined class choice. Their life is fabricated for the sole purpose of acting as a cog in the machine of society. Technological advances such as the “Bokanovsky process” have made large-scale human production possible. “A bokanovskified egg will germinate, proliferate, divide. From eight to ninety-six buds, and each bud will become a perfectly formed embryo… Making ninety-six human beings grow where before only one grew” (p.4). All resulting humans are genetically and physically identical. Human beings are conditioned to enjoy the jobs they are forced to do. Life is made so easy that it becomes almost useless. Every person is designed to serve a purpose in society. Humanity simply feeds itself for the sake of existence. The individual is rendered superfluous as everyone is conditioned to serve society. Yet everyone in the novel is "happy", as the World Controllers have removed everything that would lead to unhappiness. Society advances perfectly and efficiently. All the human advances in technology, which seem to make life too simple and undermine the concept of freedom, mean that everyone lives probably perfect existences. Thanks to soma they are happy and fulfill their role in society flawlessly. The limitation of individuality and freedom of speech are the price that society ultimately must pay for perfection and, as Mustapha Mond states, “happiness must be paid” (p.201). The sacrifice of freedom must be made in order for society to function in the way Huxley intended. This sacrifice is what blurs the line between utopia and dystopia in “Brave New World.” The novel seems dystopian because basic human freedoms have been abolished, but the world actually appears utopian because of the perfect harmony and happiness present in every level of society. David Bradshaw argues that "whichever interpretation the reader prefers, it seems more likely that the composition of Brave New World proved so problematic for Huxley... because he was not sure in his mind whether he was writing a satire, a prophecy or a project" (p.xxiv). Bradshaw highlights the novel's ambivalence. The novel's protagonist, Bernard Marx, serves as a case study of a system malfunction. Marx is decidedly unhappy in his life and shows that the novel seems to lean towards a sort of satirical prophecy of the future. The society imagined by Huxley fails to make him happy. Although Huxley differs slightly, Wyndham and Moore's dystopias fit more appropriatelyMore's definition of human vanity, concerning "superfluous wealth". The underlying theme of “The Day of the Triffids” and “Watchmen” is the conflict between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the United States. Each accumulates nuclear weapons in an attempt to defeat the other. The vanity of each nation, in thinking it is better and stronger than the other, means that "the margin of survival [shrinks] frighteningly... since 6 August 1945" (p.115). As a result of the competition between the two nations for superiority, the security of the world was in grave danger at the time Wyndham and Moore were writing. Wyndham suggests that “the fatal slip” would occur “sooner or later” and when it did “balance would be lost and destruction would be unleashed” (p.116). The “destruction” refers to nuclear fallout, since a simple “error in judgment” in a moment of hysteria or, as “The Day of the Triffids” shows, an accident would have been enough to unleash nuclear chaos on the world. Wyndham's dystopia is a hypothetical reality, serving as an example of what could happen to the world. “Watchmen” uses a similar theme, but presents it differently in graphic form. Throughout Chapter 3, the symbol of radioactivity is used as a motif to represent the ever-present threat of a nuclear winter. The chapter cover (Chapter 3, p.1) depicts a skull-like billow of smoke obscuring the words "FALLOUT SheLTER", making it appear to read "ALL heL". These images give the same warning as Wyndham's "narrow margin of survival", but represented graphically; the result of the nuclear arms race is the possibility that a simple “slip” will cause “ALL HEL” to be unlocked. The paranoia about nuclear war is, in any case, driven by the implications of the simple human vanity of the USSR and the USA. Vanity is the fundamental human flaw in each of these novels, leading humanity to its tragic and probably inevitable end. Both “The Day of the Triffids” and “Watchmen” reference Shelley’s “Ozymandias” to explore human vanity. When “The Day of the Triffids,” the character Coker thinks back to post-apocalyptic London and says, “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, look upon my works, O mighty one, and despair!” (page 161). The quote conveniently encapsulates the idea that humans should not consider their works, or themselves, immortal. The Houses of Parliament provide an image similar to the “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone” in “Ozymandias”. The narrator in “The Day of the Triffids” finds it “hard to believe that [the Houses of Parliament] meant nothing anymore, that they were now just a pretentious confection of uncertain stone that could decay in peace” (p.152). . Each image represents how the vanity of human nature leads it to believe that its "works" will last forever. By juxtaposing the arrogance of this self-confidence with a wasteland, humanity's flaw is exposed. Shelley highlights how human empires can easily fall by following the declaration "behold my works, ye mighty, and despair!" with the phrase “There's nothing left but”. The caesural pause after this sentence provides a dead stop to the line, showing how humanity can be stopped just as easily. Ozymnadias' "works" are reduced to nothing, proving that his citation is little more than vain, human hyperbole. Similarly to Shelley, Wyndham describes the “silence” and oblivion of London's surroundings. The narrator notes, “[he] had not seen a single living creature…since [they] began.” This observation underlines the baronial wasteland that London has become, “there is nothing left but”. Moore shows similar devastation in “Watchmen” accompanying the same quote – “My nameit is Ozymandias…” – with a completely white panel (Chapter 9, p.28, Panel 13), showing the abyss that has replaced civilization. The moment Adrian Veidt's character, Ozymandias, drops an atomic bomb on Manhattan, he claims to be preventing the global fallout. Considering Shelley's poetry, it seems strange, however, that Veidt chooses the pseudonym Ozymandias, as the character's empire is erased by time. Moore is perhaps suggesting that, while seemingly solving the world's problems, Veidt is as vain as the poem's Ozymandias: he has no successors or equals, and in his shortsightedness and vanity is as flawed as any other powerful figure throughout history. .Each of the novels shows how imperfect human values ​​can lead to disastrous consequences, if allowed to progress logically. Vanity prevails in all the novels as a fundamental weakness of humanity, which will lead man to be the cause of his own annihilation. “Watchmen” and “The Day of the Tirffids” show in particular how, brought to the brink of extinction, man finds himself confronted with his own contingency and insignificance. The “two vast and trunkless legs of stone” not only represent man's vanity, but also highlight the ease with which man's empires can be swept out of existence. Ozymandias' arrogant exclamations of greatness are supported by "nothingness," which suggests that humans should not think that their creations or species are a necessary part of the world. Like Shelley, Moore contrasts a thriving human civilization with emptiness. Veidt attempts to confront humanity with its own volatility by destroying Manhattan with the same nuclear energy that could annihilate the world. The population of New York City, seen throughout the novel, is reduced in an instant to nothing more than images of destruction. The corpses are piled on top of a large clock that has struck midnight, symbolizing the doomsday clock finally striking midnight for humanity. This display effectively shows the fragility of human existence. Just like in The Day of the Triffids “when there was no traffic, nor any noise” (p.53). Wyndham describes the desolation of London, which was obliterated “by a mighty cut” (p.60). Centuries of civilization can be abolished in an instant. The post-apocalyptic void left in both novels shows how easily humanity can be reduced to nothing and highlights the insignificance of man compared to the vastness of all other existences. In "Watchmen" Moore explores human insignificance when Jon Osterman (Dr. Manhattan) travels to Mars with Laurie Juspeczyk. He states that "Everyone [on Earth] will die" due to nuclear war and Jon adds, "...and the universe won't even notice" (Chapter 9, p.18). he has a bleak view of existence and "in [his] opinion, [life is] a highly overrated phenomenon" (p.13). In the bigger picture of the universe, human life is simply an insignificant speck: “short and trivial” (p.17). Faced with epic landscapes like those on Mars (see fig.) it seems difficult to see the importance of human life, since "Mars gets by perfectly without even a microorganism" (p.13). When “Watchmen” the magnificent canyons and craters of Mars are similar to the abyss that man confronts when faced with the prospect of nuclear war. Jon asks if “the human heart knows such abysmal depths” (p.18) as the canyons of Valles Marineris. Moore suggests that, faced with disaster, humanity can begin to understand the empty landscapes of Mars and, consequently, its own insignificance. Wyndham expresses similar ideas about the ability of nature and the rest of the universe to swallow humanity. Towards the end of the Day of the Triffids the streets are described as “streaks of green carpet” (p.242). While.