The use of deceit as a technique of control is addressed in both Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago. One is taught, in Chapters 11-18 of Brave New World, how the usage of Soma, a medication that promotes euphoria, is used to persuade the residents of the world state into accepting their predefined roles in society. Similarly, in Chapter 3 of The Gulag Archipelago, Solzhenitsyn outlines totalitarianism’s use of the “permanent lie” to control citizens’ ideas and behaviors. While the control techniques differ, both texts discuss the perils of permitting people in authority to alter the facts for their ends.
The use of Soma is depicted in Brave New World as a technique of sustaining the world’s stability. Citizens are conditioned to accept their predefined social positions from birth, and any deviation from this training results in punishment or ostracism. Soma is used to calming those who might otherwise dispute their assigned positions or the state’s authority. “It’s one of the conditions of perfect health,” says the character Mustapha Mond. That’s why we made such a big deal about it” (Huxley, loc. 1966). By linking Soma usage with health, the state creates an environment in which any questioning of its use is viewed as an outlier. Similarly, Solzhenitsyn discusses the deployment of a “permanent lie” to keep control over citizens. The concept of a “permanent lie” refers to the belief that the state can change the facts to serve its objectives, even if it contradicts objective reality. Solzhenitsyn writes that the “permanent lie” “surrounds us with a dense and high-powered fog” (Solzhenitsyn, p. 40). Citizens find it difficult to determine the truth and hold those in authority accountable for their actions as a result of the fog.
While the control techniques differ, both works highlight the risk of permitting people in authority to alter the truth. The usage of Soma in Brave New World lets the state keep control over its inhabitants by fostering a culture in which questioning authority is viewed as a sign of disease. Similarly, the deployment of the “permanent lie” in The Gulag Archipelago creates a culture in which citizens are unable to recognize the truth and consequently unable to hold those in authority accountable. The proliferation of disinformation and the weakening of trust in traditional sources of information demonstrates the perils of the “permanent lie” today. The emergence of biased news sources has made it difficult for citizens to distinguish objective facts, and the proliferation of social media has made it simpler than ever for those in power to influence the truth. The risk of this manipulation is that it permits those in authority to avoid accountability while maintaining influence over the people.
Summing up, both Brave New World and The Gulag Archipelago show the consequences of allowing people in power to alter reality. The usage of Soma in Brave New World creates a culture in which challenging authority is considered a sign of illness, whereas the “permanent lie” in The Gulag Archipelago develops a civilization in which citizens are unable to detect the truth. The proliferation of disinformation and the weakening of trust in traditional sources of information demonstrates the perils of the “permanent lie” today. Citizens must be vigilant and hold people in authority accountable for their actions to ensure that the truth is not distorted for their benefit.