pp. 1-98
I think it is very sad the way in which people in this
society are living. Their apparats are clearly extensions of today’s smart phones
(I thought it was amusing how they referred to iPhones as being extremely
outdated), and they distract individuals from face-to-face interactions, even
when the individuals are standing right next to each other. The numerical
profiling that many of the functions of the apparat rely on, especially the
descriptions of people’s recent purchases, reminded me of the book Feed, by M.T. Anderson, in which
characters have implants in their brain that give companies direct marketing
power over individuals. These issues—the emotional divides between individuals
created by a technology screen, as well as the increasing influence of
marketing and consumerism in society—are issues that our current society is
already faced with. Though social media is intended to be a tool that brings
people together, it often actually makes people feel more alone; it also takes
up significant amounts of time that could be spent actually doing something
with friends, or in doing something important. These same issues are well
represented in SSTLS, such as when Lenny goes to meet his two friends and his
friend Noah is only really interested in video-taping Lenny for his show, as
opposed to actually talking to him and hearing about his time in Rome.
As privacy is increasingly eliminated in the social and
public sphere, government intrusions into individuals’ lives seem to be
simultaneously growing. In fact, though its specific goal is not the same, the ARA
reminds me a bit of the British government as depicted in 1970, which is
concerning to me.
In reading this description and reflection on the beginning pages of Super Sad True Love Story, I found connections to George Orwell's 1984 as well as my current Lit Circle book, A Clockwork Orange. The reliance on technology to control the lives and choices of the populace seems very Orwellian in nature; the difference between these two, of course, being that Orwell described this phenomenon back in 1948, while Super Sad True Love Story was published three years ago. It is easier, of course, to make allusions at what modern technology will develop into when one is writing about technology which is already available.
ReplyDeleteWhile SSTLS and A Clockwork Orange may not seem to have a lot in common, the theme I see between both is social isolation. Despite the fact that citizens of both societies interact with others regularly, nobody seems to connect with anyone. This isolation is due to the complete takeover of technology in Super Sad True Love Story and to the omnipresence of violence in A Clockwork Orange.
Here's my question: the protagonist of A Clockwork Orange has some small quirk that makes him different, something that he uses to escape the violent confines of his society. (He thoroughly enjoys classical music, and will become violent against anyone who criticizes it in any way.) Does SSLTS' Lenny have any such idiosyncracies? If so, what are they?
As Ms. Graham said below, Lenny is indeed idiosyncratic... in addition to not being that enthralled with technology, he loves to read print books (which no one in the society does anymore... everyone thinks they are quaint, old-fashioned, and some say the paper is rather smelly). Lenny is also often just out of the loop, and doesn't keep up with developing mainstream culture as much as most others.
DeleteI find it interesting that most of these futuristic/dystopian novels explore the society through the eyes of someone who doesn't fully buy into the society. These characters don't represent the average experience(or the average's person's opinions); I wonder if the author were rather to write about a person who embraces these societies, if we would be less or more critical of them? Perhaps the societies would be less believable when viewed through a lens that is dissimilar from our own. By creating characters who reflect and critique the societies they live in, it is easier for the author to directly address the issues he's writing about, and it is easier for us the readers to sympathize with the characters (as we identify with them more)and become invested in the story.
Em, I also had a question on A Clockwork Orange: what is the rest of the society that Alex lives in like? Is everyone as violent as he is? Is it just small bands of thugs who terrorize everyone else? What is the government like and what role does the government play in allowing this violence to take place?
The themes of SSTLS that you mentioned (how increased social media can actually further isolate people) relate to Brave New World. Although the technology in Brave New World is not social in nature, it is expected that the society’s technological advancements will bring people together. The characters in Brave New World have all been conditioned to believe that “everyone belongs to everyone else.” But the innovations that have become widespread in the society seem to drive people apart. People are not longer born; they are Decanted—one of a thousand or so identical twins. This method of growing babies in bottles is an impressive feat, but it resulted in the complete destruction of the connection between parents and children. Additionally, scientists in this world have figured out how to render certain babies infertile so as to make the socially-accepted promiscuous lifestyle more feasible. While this too is a technological accomplishment, people are consequently less emotionally invested in their relationships.
ReplyDeleteAll these texts represent "progress" that results in harm to our humanity. I find this to be somewhat unsettling, perhaps because I also find it to be true. We are all "plugged in," and thus we become less aware of the immediate world around us while claiming that we are more connected to each other electronically. I have read Feed, too, and while it's a more extreme version of SSTLS, it does have the same elements of a pervasive technology.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Lenny is indeed idiosyncratic! He is certainly not a product of his time, much as Alex's love of music seems incongruous to his lifestyle and environment.