Are the Citizens in BNW Happy?

Are the citizens in the Brave New World happy? Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World, describes a society where every measure possible has been taken in order to create some kind of happiness amongst the citizens of this New World. The natural question to ask oneself is if everyone really is contented. There are quite a few things that have to be examined while answering this question; the usage of the drug soma, being …

…the character illustrating this. John’s appearance in the novel shows that the creation of an individual happiness almost becomes punished by the society. So if one believes in a shallow happiness, backed up by soma, one could agree that all citizens of the Brave New World are happy. Yet if one believes in real happiness, contrasted by real sadness, it would be incorrect to claim that anyone in the Brave New World is happy.