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Chapter 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humanity and Empathy
Reality vs. Artificiality
Alienation
Religion and Faith
Consumerism
Summary
Analysis
A once-thriving suburban building near San Francisco now lies in ruin, its thousands of apartments abandoned after World War Terminus. Dust, fallout, and decay dominate the area, serving as reminders of a war so devastating that no one recalls its cause or outcome. The war left the planet riddled with radioactive dust, forcing many survivors to immigrate to colony worlds under promises of a better life and the offer of an android servant. Those who remain on Earth either cling to its familiarity or lack the means or motivation to leave. Among the stragglers stands John Isidore, who is classified as a “special” (or “chickenhead”, derogatorily) due to his failed mental faculties test, which excludes him from immigrating.
With the help of the mood organs, Rick and Iran can partially distance themselves from the devastation World War Terminus caused, even if they cannot block it out entirely. However, John lives among the rubble, a reflection of his social class, which is in turn a direct reflection of his poor mental faculties. The existence of World War Terminus and John’s living conditions both point to a society that is not as empathetic as it claims to be—the war was presumably fought between humans, and now, humans refuse to care for vulnerable members of society like John.
Themes
John lives alone in one of the deteriorating apartments, starting his day with the blaring voice of his TV tuned to a government channel promoting interplanetary colonization. As he shaves, the program features an interview with a settler on Mars who praises the dignity of life on the colonies and the security of having an android servant. The broadcast frustrates John, who feels ostracized by the colonization propaganda that condemns him and others like him as unwanted on Earth. Despite his irritation, John prepares for his job delivering and picking up malfunctioning mechanical animals for repair.
Even though John is classified as a “special,” he has more varied and independent thought that someone like Rick, who is caught in the consumerist trap. John actively resists government propaganda, knowing that the depictions he sees on television are not accurate. However, as a worker for an electronic animal repair company, John’s job is to help maintain the consumerist and empty system that Rick has bought into.
Themes
When he turns off the TV, John confronts the oppressive silence of his empty apartment and the surrounding building. The absence of human life weighs heavily on him, creating a physical and psychological void. Seeking relief, he activates his empathy box, a device that allows him to experience a shared struggle with others by merging his consciousness with Wilbur Mercer (a figure akin to Christ). As he grips the handles of the device, the environment around him fades, and he finds himself climbing a barren hill alongside Mercer. He feels the rough stones beneath his feet and smells the acrid air, experiencing the climb as if it were real.
Because John cannot experience the company of others, he must turn to a new religion and a simulated reality. The need for empathy boxes and the teachings of Wilbur Mercer (referred to later at Mercerism) speaks to the profoundly alienating society John finds himself living in. The name “empathy box” suggests that this is a society no longer capable of producing empathy naturally, so people must turn to the boxes to supply it.
Themes
Along with the physical sensations, John hears the thoughts of countless others connected to the empathy box, sharing the same experience. A rock strikes his arm during the climb, leaving a cut. Despite the pain, John finds solace in the collective bond he shares with others through Mercer. While tending to his wound, John hears a faint sound of a TV from a lower level of the building. He realizes that someone else has moved in and feels a mix of excitement and nervousness at the prospect of meeting a new neighbor. Wanting to make a good impression, he searches his refrigerator for a gift and finds a cube of margarine. Determined to hide his status as a special, John sets off toward the sound, eager to make contact and alleviate his loneliness.
Just as it was for Christ in the Christian Bible, the endurance of pain is an important part of Mercerism. However, in the Bible, Christ endures pain to save humanity whereas, here, humans experience the pain alongside Mercer. For John, it is a spiritual experience, but it also physically wounds him. Given the need to purchase empathy boxes in order to experience Mercerism, it is clear that Mercerism, like everything else in this society, is also a product and should therefore be viewed with some level of skepticism—even as it seems to give John and others meaning and solace. Meanwhile, John’s eagerness to meet his new neighbor demonstrates his desperation for companionship.
Themes
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