“Of course it does. Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented had none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.” (227, Chapter 16)
The question of “what is happiness” if brought up many times throughout the novel. The Savage believes that happiness is not a chemically-induced joy brought about by soma, but that it is caused by meaningful experiences. Mond agrees that true happiness which can be felt deeply is enjoyable, but that it also comes with a price of feeling despair. To quote Alexander Dumas in The Count of Monte Cristo, “Only the man who has experienced extreme agony can experience true happiness.” Huxley, like Dumas, is saying that happiness is relative to all the other not so pleasant experiences in one’s life. Happiness is not quite so ‘grand’ for the citizens of World State because they have never been subjected to suffering. The “glamour of a good fight against misfortune” is instigated by the triumph of victory against misfortune. This new society chooses superficial happiness in order to forgo pain. The World State sacrifices the emotion of happiness for stability.
Is this world without pain or true happiness better than our world with suffering, passion and joy? What is the difference in the meaning of happiness between The Brave New World and reality?
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