In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley warned of a person's need to conform and how this can lead to a bleak future. Conformity has a significant impact on the thoughts and behaviors of people who live in the “World State” described in the book, as well as people in our own contemporary society. It seems that a person's need for conformity comes from their need to fit in. While it can keep people happy, it can have many detrimental effects on people if taken too far. One of the best ways to explain conformity in its Brave New World context is to look at the drug soma. Soma is encouraged and used by all inhabitants of the "World State" when they experience feelings that are neither happy nor pleasant. This allows them to free themselves from pain, sadness, or any feelings they consider “bad.” Everyone is encouraged to take it and in doing so conforms to the larger group. This gives the user false happiness. Bernard believes that following this standard goes against his personal morals. He doesn't see the benefits because they are only temporary. In their world, Soma is like any other recreational drug in our society that gives the user an exalted feeling of happiness. I think this has been largely realized in our own society. We have so many medications at our disposal that we can take whenever we want to feel better. Some are as simple as a mild painkiller like Tylenol, while others are more powerful and illegal, like heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Illegal drugs are the closest to the effect of soma in Brave New World. However, the government neither approves nor condones their adoption. In fact, being found in possession of these items will lead to serious consequences, such as a long-term prison sentence, like... middle of paper... all the time, it's hard to imagine why someone wouldn't. want to do the same. Thus, conformity not only leads people to behave in a socially acceptable manner toward others, but can also lead them to want to avoid people altogether. Compliance is a powerful tool used by a society to get people to respond and behave in a way that is either the most accepted way of doing something or in the way desired by the governing body in order to keep the people under his control. This can have positive effects on a culture as well as negative effects, depending on the nature of the action and the extent to which it is carried out. Brave New World warns us of what might happen if we allow ourselves to be controlled like puppets and settle for a static population. Works CitedHuxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. Print.