Polyamoury and Society in Huxley's Brave New World and Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land

Polyamoury and Society in Huxley's Brave New World and Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land
Rhiannon Perkins

       Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and the second half of Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land both address superficially utopic societies which promote polyamourous relationships--those that involve having more than one sexual or emotional partner. The two novels approach these relationships from different angles and deal with their advantages and disadvantages in very distinct ways. Both Huxley and Heinlein eventually reveal the imperfections in their proposed utopias. While Huxley's distopia is more explicit, the non-sustainability of the socio-religious government that Heinlein presents also becomes apparent. Nevertheless, it is this societally encouraged multi-partner bonding that underlies the premise of both novels. It is important to consider differences in the biological, and psychological reasoning behind these relationships as well as the role women are given in each of the two societies.
       The biological aspect is one of the most striking differences between the novels. Biologically speaking, men and women both face serious conflicts in selecting a mate. Men are predisposed to mate with many women, while women want one man who will stay to support and protect her through pregnancy and child-rearing. However, women are also predisposed to select the strongest and fittest males to mate with, to provide any offspring with the best genes possible. These men are most likely to look for another women after sexual relations, and those who are likely to enter a permanent relationship tend to be weaker and less virile. Huxley and Heinlein approach this issue in drastically different ways.
       In Huxley's London, the question of sexual selection has been eradicated by the relegation of reproduction and child-rearing to hatcheries and the concepts of mother and family are now taboo; " 'Try to realize what it was like to have a viviparous mother.' (Huxley 39) That smutty word again. But none of them dreamed, this time, of smiling." In fact, in the society created by Huxley, the easiest way to insult someone is to ask who his mother was. Since live birth is no longer acceptable, women are either permanently sterilized or trained rigorously as youths on the use of birth control. As adults, they are expected to have sexual relations with any man who is interested, and emotional attachments to none--as the hypnopaedic axiom goes, 'everyone belongs to everyone else.' (Huxley 42) In fact, the correct behavioral patterns are rigorously promiscuous; " 'He patted me on the behind this afternoon,' said Lenina. ' There you see!' Fanny was triumphant. 'That shows what he stands for. The strictest conventionality.' " (Huxley 44) Even though Lenina is attracted to the idea of seeing Henry exclusively, for the sake of her reputation she must "make the effort" and be more promiscuous.
       Heinlein, on the other hand, describes a society in which the biological needs of both sexes are fully addressed. In Michael Valentine Smith's "Nest", the group lives collectively and all adults interact sexually. This provides for both the typical male predilection for variety and the female desire for support and protection--an ideal environment for all, whether single, married, adult or child. In this environment, strong emotional bonds are necessary, for the strength of the group as a whole and to avoid jealousy and possessiveness. The philosophy by which Smith runs his Nest, although it encourages emotional ties, is surprisingly similar to the Fordian philosophy in Brave New World. As Jubal Harshaw explains to Ben Caxton, "Now comes Mike and says: 'There is no need to covet my wife...love her! There's no limit to her love, we have everything to gain--and nothing to lose but fear and guilt and hatred and jealousy." (348)
       Jealousy and possessiveness are important psychological problems that both Brave New World and Stranger's main characters must address. In each case, a character finds it difficult to fit the established mold of openness and sharing--in the first it is Bernard Marx, and in the second, Ben Caxton. However, the points made by the authors are very different. Caxton acts according to the norms of an American culture that, while futuristic, is similar to western society today. His relationship with Jill early in the novel is somewhat serious, and, in chapter four, Ben even expresses intentions of marrying her. When Ben later encounters Mike and Jill in their Nest, he happily has sexual relations with both Jill and Dawn Ardent, but when faced with the opportunity to be with both Jill and Mike, he panics and leaves. Despite his actions, he cannot see the traces of a jealousy he thought he had abandoned and instead claims he acted out of love for Jill. Jubal forces him to be honest with himself;

"Good. Then you are asserting that your stomach turned and you fled in a panic because of a need to make Jill happy."
"Hey, wait a minute! I didn't say--'
"Or was it some other emotion?"
"I simply said--" Caxton stopped. "Okay, I was jealous! But Jubal, I would have sworn I wasn't." (Heinlein 345)

Once Jubal helps Ben "grok" the principles of Michael's religion, he returns to the Nest and becomes an integral part of the group.
Bernard Marx, on the other hand, is a social misfit in every sense. He is so different from other members of his caste that other characters in Brave New World wonder whether a mistake was made before his "decanting"; "They say somebody made a mistake when he was still in the bottle--thought he was a Gamma and put alcohol into his blood-surrogate. That's why he's so stunted." (Huxley 47) Bernard rejects everything about Fordian society, from the Soma that is used to keep people happy with their situation, to the treatment of women, to the hypnopaedia that is his line of work. This complete reaction makes him hate everyone who has accepted the state-sanctioned stability and contentment, even as he resents and envies them the social status he feels his small size denies him; "How bitterly he envied men like Henry Foster and Benito Hoover! Men who never had to shout at an Epsilon to get an order obeyed; men who took their position for granted." (Huxley 60) Marx's jealousy, then stems from his inability to conform--an inability exaggerated by his unwillingness to accept the polyamourous and public lifestyle advocated by the state;

he was still wretched-wretched … that she should have trotted away to join Henry Foster, that she should have found him funny for not wanting to talk of their most private affairs in public. Wretched, in a word, because she had behaved as any healthy and virtuous English girl ought to behave… (Huxley 59-60)

       Marx's second problem with the Fordian regime is the way it regards its women. He rails constantly against the way that they are regarded simply as objects of desire and prized only for their "pneumatic-ness". His interior monologue is characterized by this mute rejection of these tendencies; "Talking about her as though she were a bit of meat…Have her here, have her there. Like mutton. Degrading her to so much mutton." (Huxley 46) His discomfort with the attitudes of Fordian society is echoed later in John the Savage, who, unlike Bernard, grew up in a society where live births are common and women are usually monogamous. When faced with Lenina and other "conventional" women, he is amazed by their beauty but cannot comprehend their behaviour. When Lenina tries to initiate sexual relations, John is immediately disgusted and angered; "As though awakened by her cry he caught her by the shoulders and shook her. " Whore!" he shouted. "Whore! Impudent strumpet!" (Huxley 157) Bernard represents the view of the reader, who is never completely comfortable in the world Huxley has created, while the Savage seems, to serve as a voice of reason--an outside vision that clearly sees the self-perpetuated exploitation Fordian women suffer.
       Heinlein, on the other hand, has created a society in which everyone, after sharing water, is equal. The mantra "Thou art God" is a way of loving and cherishing all those who are your intimates, but even within this egalitarian framework and the constant friendly banter that characterizes the Nest, women are a precious commodity--cherished as child-bearers and goddesses and protected by all those that surround them. Though others are not denied respect, only women within the circle receive this preferential treatment; " 'You've been in bed with some fancy babes--' 'Uh… some.' 'I know damn' well you have. But you will never again crawl in with one who is not your water brother.' " (Heinlein 335) As Mike tells Ben on his first visit to the nest, humanity has a wonderful benefit over the Martians, the difference between man and woman that allows for the sharing and closeness that sexual relations represent to the Martian. It is telling, too that the services given by the church feature a disproportionate number of priestesses; it is the woman who opens herself and makes herself available to all. The priestesses are " 'Mother of All, the unity of many…" (326) and one of the most powerful religious symbols to the cult--another sort of exploitation, but much less harmful.
       It becomes clear, then, that neither Huxley nor Heinlein is advocating nor condemning polyamourous lifestyles. Each shows the freedom from jealousy that overwhelms a society where romantic and sexual partners are considered private property, but also shows what is lost to a society that makes this choice. Where the state has infiltrated into personal lives to the point where even sexuality and societal position are predetermined, it is necessary that a loss of freedom follow. On the other hand, when a group of people comes upon a life free of hate and jealousy through closeness and understanding, they become threatening to those in positions of authority. The authors' opinions on the subject remain ambiguous. What is certain, however, is that both Heinlein and Huxley are challenging their readers to think about their perceptions of the world, in particular sexuality, and to draw their own conclusions. Perhaps it is only through removing sexual taboos and the desire to control one another in the name of love or sex that we can better understand one another.

Works Consulted

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