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The Empathy Box
At the end of the novel, Rick Deckard discovers a toad crawling through the desert. Although Rick believes that the toad is alive, and therefore highly valuable, he discovers that it’s actually just a machine, placed in the desert by an unknown explorer. As Rick describes the toad—a resilient creature capable of surviving anywhere, even a post-nuclear desert—it becomes increasingly clear that the animal is a symbol for humanity, which has somehow braved the ravages of its own world wars. Importantly, Rick then continues to value the toad even after he learns that it’s robotic. This is a crucial turning point in the book—it suggests that Rick has come to find humanity even in androids, or else has become even more lost in the question of just what is “real” and what is “fake.”
The Toad Quotes in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Toad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 22
Quotes
I'm a special, he thought. Something has happened to me. Like the chickenhead Isidore and his spider; what happened to him is happening to me. Did Mercer arrange it? But I'm Mercer. I arranged it; I found the toad. Found it because I see through Mercer's eyes.
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"Do you want to use the mood organ? To feel better? You always have gotten a lot out of it, more than I ever have."
"I'll be okay." He shook his head, as if trying to clear it, still bewildered. "The spider Mercer gave the chickenhead, Isidore; it probably was artificial, too. But it doesn't matter. The electric things have their lives, too. Paltry as those lives are."
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Get the entire Androids Dream LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Toad Symbol Timeline in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Toad appears in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 22
Rick sees a toad near his hovercar. This is an incredible sight, as toads are considered extinct creatures. Furthermore,...
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Carefully, Rick catches the toad, placing it in a cardboard box he finds. The toad is big and fat and...
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...tells Iran that he has a surprise for her, contained in a cardboard box: a toad. Toads, he explains, are tough creatures—they can survive anywhere, even a desert.
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Iran inspects the toad carefully. She finds an electric switch on the toad’s abdomen—it’s just a fake animal. Rick...
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...While Rick sleeps, Iran calls the pet store and orders artificial flies for the artificial toad. The store salesman suggests that Iran bring in the toad for periodic “tongue adjustments,” and...
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