The Eutopian Dimension of Mustapha Mond’s Totalitarianism in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Vis a Vis Plato’s Philosopher King Notion and Freudian Psychoanalysis of the Superego

Abstract

Dystopian literature often depicts totalitarianism from a negative angle, one which is synonymous to dictatorship or tyranny. However, totalitarianism encompasses not only mere authoritarianism, but a guiding ideology as well. This ideology is what may steer towards the overall welfare of the city state. That is to say, totalitarianism does not always denote a dystopian nature as it can carry eutopian characteristics as well. By the 20th century, the essence of dystopia and utopia was no longer a fixed one. In that, it came to be defined according to a person’s perspective of what a good place is. Departing from this notion of relativity, this research leaves room for analysing totalitarianism, not from a dystopian angle, yet from a eutopian one. To investigate this notion, this research uses two main theoretical pillars: those of Plato and Sigmund Freud. More thoroughly, this research aims to depict the eutopian characteristics of totalitarianism from a psycho-political angle, adhering to Platonic and Freudian arguments of the Philosopher King notion and the rulers’ manifestation as an External Superego Replica. From this on, this research projects these ideas on Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World where the World Controller of the World State projects Platonic Philosopher King and External Superego Replica characteristics. These variables highlight the eutopian dimension in his rather totalitarian rule of the World State; a World State that is characterized by the extinction of inconveniences such as: aging, poverty, war, and fear of death. Happiness and stability, in this society, is the “primal” ideological end and concern of Mustapha Mond as a totalitarian ruler. Consequently, the analytical and comparative approaches are applied to shed light on the eutopian dimension of the Brave New World totalitarian regime.