In Brave New World, what connection do locations like Obstacle Golf and the College of Emotional Engineering have to our world? What is Aldous...

Many of the locations for Huxley's A Brave New World center in and around the city of London. As with today, businesses, corporations, and government offices are housed in the center of the city. Obstacle Golf is located at the Stoke Poges Club House which is ten minutes away by helicopter, not by car (75). The College of Emotional Engineering is "housed in a single sixty-story building in Fleet Street" (78). At the bottom of this huge building are the newspapers, radio station, and the TV, Movie, and Music propaganda offices. One can infer from the placement of the CEE compared to the Obstacle Golf course that the setting is much like today's world. Businesses are in the city and golf courses are on the outside of the city where there is more room to play outside. 

However, the different social classes in the novel are physically separated from each other so that Gammas don't mix with Alphas unless in service-centered activities. For example, Gammas and Epsilons work on the Great West Road near the Hounslow Feely Studio and the Television Corporation's factory. These lower classes also take public transit systems to and from work every day, but the Alphas and Betas fly around in planes and helicopters. Also, the lower classes can't play Obstacle Golf because it is probably too far for them to get to without public transportation. The Club House might also represent today's recreational clubs for rich people--the memberships are so outrageously priced that only the wealthy can pay to play. 

Furthermore, the College of Emotional Engineering is located in the top 18 floors of the huge building on Fleet Street. It is completely separated from the lower-class people and their jobs. The positioning of the CEE and the Obstacle Golf shows that only the elite classes have access to these more privileged institutions. Even though society today claims that tolerance and equality are valued, people still separate themselves in business and in recreation by choosing to work and play away from others of different social classes. Money and social status still play a role in who is able to afford such luxuries as vacations or education today. Huxley demonstrates this concept by the way he sets up his world. He may be saying that human nature will never change; in fact, it might get worse if it is not checked.