"They were inside, here and now - safely inside with the fine weather, the perennially blue sky."
~ Brave New World, page 77
Okay, this whole soma thing is really frustrating me. First I had to reread the chapter; I couldn't even tell what was happening. I get that it is a drug used to lift one's spirits (and is probably abused as an anti-depressant), but I was really unsure of the extent to which it did this. People casually take it on a day-to-day basis in small doses, but they also go on soma-holidays with it? Does that mean it's a hallucinogen and they are imagining their whole holiday, or are they just so drugged that everything seems perfect as they continue their lives? But even more importantly, the government is encouraging the people to take it all. At first I thought that would be destructive to the government (the drugs might affect their work performance), but then I realized that it might be the only way to get through the day. The government has not only conditioned them to think that they are always happy, but now they also supply drugs for them to always have an escape if they are feeling bad, thus having total and complete control over them.
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