After reading over and over about the characters taking soma I became extremely curious as to what exactly soma is. As I did my research I quickly discovered that soma is also commonly known as carisoprodol. This drug is a muscle relaxer that manages to block pain sensations between your brain and nerves in your body, which explains why many of the characters in Brave New World take this medicine when they want to ease their pain or sadness. Often when the characters would take soma it would be taken multiple times a day about 1-2 "grammes" per dose. While I continued to do research and read on the dosages, it turns out you are only recommended to take 250-350 mg three times a day.
Overall, yes I know this book is a dystopian fiction novel but how are the characters not at any sort of health risk? How has taking soma, a drug, become so normal and a basic routine in their daily lives? I'm sure this has partially happened due to addiction but it just astonishes me that a society sees this as normal and that they will even persuade each other to take more soma to deal with their emotional instability.
-Juliana Cervantes
I agree with your claim with how this 'dystopian' society is not so perfect when everyone is clearly experiencing some sort of discomfort and problem everyday. I interpret soma as a somewhat 'better' form of an antidepressant but also a worse form because it literally relaxes all your muscles, and the brain, to the point where the characters hallucinate their own happiness. I think of the soma taking as more of a routine rather than an addiction because the people in this society were taught to love soma at a young age like the children at the hospital on page 213 when John discarded all of the soma tablets out the window.
ReplyDelete-Julianne Z.
Soma is a whole distraction from the world, keeps them young,and makes them feel relaxed. The only reason I could think of them taking it is to feel nothing. I think taking soma makes them have no feelings, no thoughts, which is the main reason for drugs! The society has them as their own "advil" to us, just something to relive the pain.
ReplyDeletefrom Nayeli: Anything that is addictive has health risks especially if it mixes with the pheromoans and muscles of humans. In my opinion soma probably became implemented and advocated by the government. This is probably because it’s used as a form of control because if everyone is happy then there is no resistance to the caste-like system that the government has created.
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