The Dream

Due to the constantly shifting and contradicting world which succeeds the presumed death of Runciter, Joe Chip is driven to question whether he is really alive (and by extension what it means to be dead), which culminates in a struggle to reconcile man’s mortality with his will to go on.  Receiving mixed signals from the bathroom graffiti which reads “ALL OF YOU ARE DEAD.  I AM ALIVE,” and the television ad where Runciter states “Of course, I’m dead,” Joe is left to resolve how these two opposing statements could both possibly exist (129, 135). The only hypothesis that he can propose—which seemingly comes to him by divine inspiration—is that the ad was a mistake and that “Runciter had not died: They had died” (136).  Although he does settle the paradox with this theory, he also makes a certain assumption about his environment: he still holds onto the idea that the reality around him conforms to all principles of logic, even though this does not appear to be the case when examining the actualities within the aforementioned environment.  Perhaps like the absurd surroundings, Reason is regressing and losing its grip on the world.

If Joe is to accept his hypothesis as veracious, then he must also suffer its implications.  In recognizing himself as dead, Joe tries to endure the pain by splitting himself into two: the body and the soul.  Although he confesses that his body may be dead and withered like Wendy’s, he hopes his soul “out of the nest the bird, flown elsewhere” (139).  An optimistic yet tragic appeal, while this approach does fall in line with the formerly presented novum of half-life, it still produces the harsh truth that Joe’s present world is an inauthentic ruse.  Then, the question I pose is this: Why does Joe continue on if he has already accepted his death?  Is it to try and escape his current situation and return back to the familiar?  Is he trapped in a deceiving nightmare and forced to proceed?  Or is there something else at play?

Mind Games

        Seriously. What's up. These characters are stuck in a "going-out-of-existence" and "coming-into-existence," two terms that look like they've come straight out of Heidegger's Being and Time (112). Spanish talks about being "moved [...] into another world" and then "restored" to their "rightful universe" when Pat stunts her mental powers (60). Philip K Dick is the only science fiction writer I've encountered who has made me even more confused than I was at the beginning. I believe that it's too early in the game to make any calls about what's actually going on here. However, I do have a feeling that Pat's powers have something to do with this.

        On a more thematic note, both responsibility and aging have a significance in chapters 5-8. Before the incident, Runciter acknowledges the "irreversible burden on responsibility and age" which is another way of saying only two things are certain: death and taxes (63). After taking command of the squad, Joe suggests that they "blame [the incident] on Runciter" because he lead them to Luna and on page 96, it says that he feels angry at the fact that this may have been his own fault. Joe's lack of responsibility is evident in both this and his financial instability. Not once does he pay for himself throughout these four chapters. Joe also claims to be "a positive-thinking; powerful man" who "worked his way step by step to the top" (102). However, it is quite clear through his financial problems and inability to take responsibility that he is none of those things. He can talk the talk, but he can't walk the walk. He shows utter disrespect towards Runciter by claiming to be the heir of his business while being nothing more than lazy and irresponsible.

Human Cyborg

Hey guys I just saw this and thought it was interesting and also pertained to some discussions we've had in class.  Take a look if you're interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clIiP1H3Opw&spfreload=10

Femme Fatale

Sorry this is late.  I was sending important emails and eating brownies. Anyways, for those of you that read “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," this story’s world feels very similar.  They use many of the same terms, like poscreds for their currency and Luna and Terra for Moon and Earth, respectively.  However, there is a major difference between the two stories so far that I think is worth noting: the presence of female characters.  Now, I’m not talking just about their fundamental existence, but their presence, as in how the reader feels about the way they are characterized.  Quail’s wife, an ordinary, naggy woman, is nothing special, and it doesn’t even upset him when she walks out on him; however, Pat, the female lead so far in Ubik, creates an atmosphere of haunting dominance with her beauty, intelligence, and ‘talent’.  There is a cold determination and confidence about her that is reminiscent of Rachel Rosen in Androids, and the male characters of Ubik are wary of the power they sense the women wield.

            In the scene in Joe’s apartment, Pat is in total control.  Dick writes that she “continued unperturbedly unbuttoning her blouse,” (32) and uses her attractiveness to get what she wants out of Joe.  I think the word ‘unperturbedly’ fits perfectly with Pat and her stone-cold dominating persona, and that’s what so far makes her feel so menacing to me.  She has tons of cash, a talent that is off the charts, and the looks to match.  All the makings of a femme fatale.

            So how do you all believe Pat’s role throughout the novel will play out?  Do you think she will use her unique powers for good or evil?  Is she a young, rebellious teen acting on impulse, or a mature adult ready to make her mark?

            “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale” chronicles a man’s experience with a company called “Rekal” that offers its clients the ability to have false memories of their fantasies put into their heads. In this story, PKD addresses many of science fictions most intriguing questions, and one theme that this story deals with a lot is a man’s search to find what is genuine, and what is artificial (similar to the theme addressed in PKD’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?). Much like what is seen in Electric Sheep, the reader really has no clues as to who or what to believe, and the proverbial rug is constantly pulled out from under you, as PKD loves to do so much. This technique brings a lot of skepticism to this science fiction world, which leads to a lot of uncertainty toward the trustworthiness of the technology in this world.

            One of the most interesting parts of this short story is when the main character, Douglas Quail goes to the psychiatrist who tells him about his deepest, most intense, subconscious desire so that this memory can be implanted in his brain. The dream that they find, is that as a young boy, a spacecraft lands so that it is seen by only him, and a group of very small alien creatures come out. They tell him that they have come to invade but they are so blown away by his kindness and mercy that they decide not to invade while he is still living, thus making him the only thing preventing the earth from destruction. This dream provides a lot of insight to human nature, namely how we want to be perceived, and this story seems to suggest that while are deepest desires are to protect the greater good, it comes from a place of narcissism and a desire for glory.

Here is a link to the trailer for the 1990 film Total Recall, which is based off this story. It's wildly entertaining and totally ridiculous. I especially like the part where Arnold Schwarzenegger takes a robotic old woman head off of his own head and then throws it at a group of people as it proceeds to explode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFMLGEHdIjE

Man or Machine?

William Gibson’s “Burning Chrome” details the story of two professional hackers who break in and steal money from a high profile criminal known as Chrome. The story presents some dystopian elements of future crime and ambition, but most importantly, blurs the distinction between the natural and virtual world. At the onset, Automatic Jack notes that he “knew every chip in Bobby’s simulator by heart” (179). This is the first instance of a dichotomy that runs throughout the course of the story, namely the tension between what is human and what is manufactured. The heart, one of the lasting symbols of love and passion, is used as a metaphor to describe a mechanic simulator. In fact, an overarching theme in this story focuses on the idea of love and loss. Both hackers allowed for emotion to enter their heist in the form of Rikki Wildside. Rikki motivates them to complete their goal, but after the mission is accomplished, she leaves and goes to Hollywood. For someone as mechanical as the character Bobby, his love and loss of Rikki proves to be genuinely painful for him, which further highlights the hazy division of humanity and technology.

Another universal theme in this work involves the consuming nature of technology. Besides the matrix, which serves as a virtual representation of the digital world, a practice known as “simstim” appears as a popular activity in this society. Rikki “spends hours jacked into unit” as she prefers to live the experiences of another person’s life before her own (195). Unlike the empathy box used to practice Mercerism in “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” which shows that humans need to embrace technology, this practice appears somewhat as an alarm that as technology advances, we must resist the desire to let it overtake the aspects of our lives that make us human. All in all, what do you think Gibson is trying to say about the growth of technology? Do we lose some aspects of ourselves on account of “cyberspace?” Is technology necessarily bad for humanity?