![electric sheep, along with his covetousness for a real animal, is apparent from the
books beginning. Decker ponders his need for a real animal upon arriving at the
Rosen Association Building: within him an actual hatred once more manifested
itself toward his electric sheep, which he had to tend, had to care about, as if it lived.
The tyranny of an object, he thoughtit had no ability to appreciate the existence of
another (Dick 42). As defined by Decker, the tyranny of the technology is in its
lack of humanity, humanity defined as the ability to appreciate the existence of
another. However, Deckers interaction with the sheep and desire for a real animal
does not arise out of any innate emotional need such as loyalty or affection; rather,
Decker is purely concerned with using the animal to sustain an image, leading the
reader to ask whether Decker has an appreciation for the animal itself or merely its
purpose. For example, when Decker discusses the possibility of his electric sheep
breaking down, his only concern is that if anyone saw [the malfunctions]theyd
recognize it as a mechanical breakdown [and thus realize the sheep is electric]
(Dick 13). Moreover, Deckers neighbor Barbour is concerned that if others discover
his sheep is electric, theyll look down on him (Dick 13). Through both Decker and
Barbours references to an enigmatic they, the characters reveal an oppressive
societal expectation to display or create an image of humane-ness, namely through
the ownership and upkeep of an animal. If a true novum has a totalizing effect as
stated by Suvin, the novum is not the electric animal, however innovative; rather,
the novelty lies in the power of the electric animal. It is the power and influence of
the electric sheep on humans that has entail[ed] a change of the whole universe of
the tale, creating an entire new set of socioeconomic stigmas that make the human](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2c32bb62-979f-4f61-b044-a1af95227370-160730194121/85/Pizzino-essay-2-2-320.jpg)
![characters in Androids more concerned with proving their humanity than actually
being humane. Therefore, Dick takes the novum of technologys power so far as to
diminish the human-ness of humanity, transforming a characteristically humane
desire for relationship into a sterile compliance to societal norm.
The novum of technologys power not only diminishes humanity, but also
objectifies it. As previously stated by Decker, humanity is defined by its ability to
appreciate the existence of another (Dick 42). This ability to step outside of oneself,
to cease being a completely self-serving creature, can be equated with the
empathy frequently discussed throughout the novel. Dick uses this quality to be
the distinguishing factor between humans and androids; Empathyexist[s] only
within the human condition (Dick 30, italics added). In this vein, the reader comes
upon the empathy boxa piece of technology that allows a human to enter into
the sacred experience of fusing with Mercer, along with countless others, and in
doing so practicing empathy to the utmost degree. However, both irony and
foreshadowing resonate in the technologys name of empathy box. Empathy, the
ability to step outside the boundaries of self and into the experience of another, is
confined within the strict constraints of a box; indeed, the reader sees little to no
actual empathy being expressed between the humans of Androids. Moreover, the
religion of Mercerism is ultimately proven to be a shamthe religions leader,
Wilbur Mercer, is merely a second-rate actor; the environment in which fusion
takes place is an array of cheaply-made sets. No matter how novel the idea of a
technologically driven religion, the true novelty lies in the power the empathy box
has to convince countless humans of the verity of a completely fraudulent](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2c32bb62-979f-4f61-b044-a1af95227370-160730194121/85/Pizzino-essay-2-3-320.jpg)
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Pizzino essay 2
- 1. Landry Goodgame Professor Christopher Pizzino ENGL 4897 23 September 2014 The Tyranny of An Object: Technologys Dehumanization in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep In Philip K. Dicks novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, there are many pieces of technology that are both foreign to the reader and essential to the environment of the novel. As defined by Darko Suvin, these differing technologies are considered novums, or things that present a strange newness (Suvin 4) to the reader; more than simply being novel, however, a defining characteristic of the science fiction novum is that its novelty is totalizing in the sense that it entails a change of the whole universe of the tale (Suvin 64). According to this qualification, the ultimate novum in Androids is not so much any specific piece of technology, but the power that the technology expresses, specifically the power to overshadow and diminish humanity itself. One of the first novel pieces of technology to which Dick introduces the reader is the electric ersatz animal. It is through this relationship between Rick Decker and his electric sheep that the initial expression of technologys power is revealed. Due to the nuclear war, almost all animal species have become extinct on earth; therefore, those who own actual live animals have gained a certain distinguished status, proving to society that they can both afford and maintain a genuine animal. Decker is not one of these individuals, and his hatred for his own
- 2. electric sheep, along with his covetousness for a real animal, is apparent from the books beginning. Decker ponders his need for a real animal upon arriving at the Rosen Association Building: within him an actual hatred once more manifested itself toward his electric sheep, which he had to tend, had to care about, as if it lived. The tyranny of an object, he thoughtit had no ability to appreciate the existence of another (Dick 42). As defined by Decker, the tyranny of the technology is in its lack of humanity, humanity defined as the ability to appreciate the existence of another. However, Deckers interaction with the sheep and desire for a real animal does not arise out of any innate emotional need such as loyalty or affection; rather, Decker is purely concerned with using the animal to sustain an image, leading the reader to ask whether Decker has an appreciation for the animal itself or merely its purpose. For example, when Decker discusses the possibility of his electric sheep breaking down, his only concern is that if anyone saw [the malfunctions]theyd recognize it as a mechanical breakdown [and thus realize the sheep is electric] (Dick 13). Moreover, Deckers neighbor Barbour is concerned that if others discover his sheep is electric, theyll look down on him (Dick 13). Through both Decker and Barbours references to an enigmatic they, the characters reveal an oppressive societal expectation to display or create an image of humane-ness, namely through the ownership and upkeep of an animal. If a true novum has a totalizing effect as stated by Suvin, the novum is not the electric animal, however innovative; rather, the novelty lies in the power of the electric animal. It is the power and influence of the electric sheep on humans that has entail[ed] a change of the whole universe of the tale, creating an entire new set of socioeconomic stigmas that make the human
- 3. characters in Androids more concerned with proving their humanity than actually being humane. Therefore, Dick takes the novum of technologys power so far as to diminish the human-ness of humanity, transforming a characteristically humane desire for relationship into a sterile compliance to societal norm. The novum of technologys power not only diminishes humanity, but also objectifies it. As previously stated by Decker, humanity is defined by its ability to appreciate the existence of another (Dick 42). This ability to step outside of oneself, to cease being a completely self-serving creature, can be equated with the empathy frequently discussed throughout the novel. Dick uses this quality to be the distinguishing factor between humans and androids; Empathyexist[s] only within the human condition (Dick 30, italics added). In this vein, the reader comes upon the empathy boxa piece of technology that allows a human to enter into the sacred experience of fusing with Mercer, along with countless others, and in doing so practicing empathy to the utmost degree. However, both irony and foreshadowing resonate in the technologys name of empathy box. Empathy, the ability to step outside the boundaries of self and into the experience of another, is confined within the strict constraints of a box; indeed, the reader sees little to no actual empathy being expressed between the humans of Androids. Moreover, the religion of Mercerism is ultimately proven to be a shamthe religions leader, Wilbur Mercer, is merely a second-rate actor; the environment in which fusion takes place is an array of cheaply-made sets. No matter how novel the idea of a technologically driven religion, the true novelty lies in the power the empathy box has to convince countless humans of the verity of a completely fraudulent
- 4. experience. If Mercerism is false, the entire experience is self-manufactured from the psyches of its participants; therefore, in Androids, technology proves itself to be influential enough to force humans to draw inwardthe opposite of acting empatheticallyand fuse with the artificial in pursuit of a manufactured and ultimately meaningless experience. Empathy is no longer a real human characteristic, but an ineffectual and inhuman objecta box. Here lies the significance of Dicks novel: through Androids, we see a human race that has become so invested in making the artificial appear real that the practice has turned in on itself; the real becomes artificial; the human becomes inhuman. In such a poignant display of a world in which differences between humans and robots boil down to nearly undetectable trivialities, Dick challenges the reader to ask: Is there is any characteristic at all that can be exclusively human?
- 5. Works Cited Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968. New York: Del Rey, 1996. Print. Suvin, Darko. Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a Literary Genre. New Haven: Yale UP, 1979. Print.