Friday, September 3, 2021

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Essay: Summary & Analysis

In the book, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick, the world has been overcome by poverty and hunger. The people are unable to live in the world as it is and instead they use their money on false pleasures such as living animals or having a sheep to keep them company.

The story begins with Rick Deckard who is a bounty hunter who is hired to go out and kill six escaped Nexus-6 replicants that have come to Earth from outer space. He goes on his journey and meets lots of different people and things along the way that make him question what he thinks he knows about his life.

Introduction

Science fiction novels are a great way to explore the human condition and explore the world of possibility. They also help us imagine the future of our society and what it could look like.

In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Philip K. Dick imagines a future where World War Terminus has left behind a radioactive wasteland littered with biologically devastated humans, animals, and mutants. The collapse of society has led to an explosion in animal cruelty and child abuse, but most importantly animal kind (androids). Dick writes that there are no longer any natural animals left in this world because they have been killed off by the ionizing radiation from nuclear fallout.

This leads to a bleak future where empathy is absent from society because robots cannot feel love or sorrow, leading to their eventual decline as they are unable to reproduce.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep: Summary

Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a dystopian sci-fi novel that takes place in a world where androids are created to take the place of humans in society.

The protagonist is Rick Deckard who hunts down androids who have been manufactured illegally by the company that manufactures them, Rosen Association. These androids typically escape from Mars, but they can also be found on Earth or the colonies on other planets.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep: Literary Analysis

Philip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, is a novel set in the year 2021, in a post-apocalyptic world. The story revolves around Deckard, a bounty hunter working for the San Francisco police department.

One of the themes that I found to be most prevalent in this novel was that humans were becoming dependent on technology and machines, while their humanity was diminishing. An example of this is when Deckard has to retire electric sheep instead of real ones because people cannot afford real animals anymore.

Conclusion

The novel can be interpreted on a number of different levels, which is one of the reasons why it has been so successful. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a science fiction novel that was originally published in 1968 by Philip K. Dick. The novel’s plot revolves around androids and the question of what defines human empathy and compassion. In other words, do androids dream about electric sheep?

The book’s main protagonist is Rick Deckard who falls into the role of bounty hunter in order to make ends meet. He is tasked with hunting down six escaped androids that are posing as humans on earth. The book's final chapter leaves readers with an ambiguous ending - one where it isn't clear if Deckard himself is an android or not.

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