Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Medieval Art Reference?
As I read through Brave New World I've noticed that in their society a person's size also denotes their rank in the caste system. This reminds me of the Medieval paintings in which the peasants and other low ranking members of society were depicted as dwarfs compared to the high ranking members of society such as the lords and nobles. Is this just a coincidence or was this purposely done by Huxley? I also don't understand why they would do this in addition to the color-coded uniforms that are worn. Could the size difference in the castes be simply to further widen the gap between each caste or does it have a deeper meaning? Also I don't understand why the lower castes would be smaller in stature since they are the ones that do the physical labor, while the larger upper castes mainly hold administrative or intellectual positions, could this be because someone of larger stature often appears more commanding?
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Yes, I believe that Huxley used a social ranking system similar to the one used during the medieval times on purpose to better portray to readers the system they used to divide classes.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the reason for the differences between classes (done purposely during the embryo stage) is to further widen the gap between each caste as well as to better differentiate people who belong to different castes. The differences in sizes could mean various things. When one thinks about a peasant, they will imagine someone who is weak, subservient, and small. Their short size represent the small power that they hold over people. On the other hand, when one thinks about a lord or someone of power, they envision a powerful and prominent figure overseeing their people. Their great height symbolizes the great power they behold. The lower castes are shown as smaller in stature, for they are looked down upon by the dominant upper class.
The color-coded uniforms are used to portray one's caste/social status. It's kind of like how in certain societies, the color purple is worn only by the rich/upper status.
Although Huxley uses size to denote social class, I don't think a real society would do this. Many examples of leader and follower had been smaller and bigger respectively. For example the slaves in the Americas outnumbered owners 100's to 1 and another is when bears and tigers are tamed by people who are 1/2 their size, and since the lower classes were deprived of oxygen which lessens their mental power, I think Huxley's use of size is an unnessary and unrealistic use of symbolism in this futuristic society.
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