I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

by

Harlan Ellison

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream Symbols

AM

AM, the supercomputer in which the story’s characters are trapped, isn’t just one machine—it is an interconnected supercomputer whose reach encompasses the entire Earth. This allows for multiple interpretations about the symbolism behind AM, the…

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The Hurricane Bird

The “bird of winds” symbolizes the duality of AM as both a product and a destroyer of humanity. Even amidst all possible torments, AM actively chooses images and creative depictions that the humans will recognize…

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Canned Food

Canned goods represent the dwindling hope for salvation that Ted, Ellen, Gorrister, Benny, and Nimdok desperately hold onto as they are trapped in the belly of AM. In the beginning…

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