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Level One: 0015
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ready Player One, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Reality vs. Illusion
Nerds, Underdogs, and Obsession
The Individual vs. the Collective
Inequality, Elitism, and Corporate Power
Utopia vs. Dystopia
Summary
Analysis
The Scoreboard quickly fills up with Sixer employee numbers, the first of which belongs to Sorrento. The OASIS Public School board decides to evacuate Ludus due to the disruption caused by the Sixers and creates a copy of the planet called Ludus II where school can continue. A battle between Sixers and gunters breaks out on the original Ludus, and the gunters eventually manage to break through the force field and enter the Tomb, where 95% of the them are defeated by Acererak and killed. The Sixers abandon the force field but continue sending thousands of avatars into the Tomb to obtain the Copper Key.
This passage highlights the unfair nature of the competition between the gunters and IOI. While the gunters eventually manage to disable the Sixers’ force field, most of them are not skilled enough to defeat Acererak. Meanwhile, because the Sixers are not acting as individuals, but are relying on a special team of experts, they are easily able to defeat the demi-lich and proceed to the next stage of the competition.
Themes
Before blowing it up, the Sixers planted materials in Aunt Alice’s trailer to make it look like a meth lab that exploded by accident. When his first endorsement check comes through, Wade buys a first-class, one-way bus ticket to Columbus, taking only his most important belongings with him. The bus has armor plating and bulletproof glass, and almost every passenger on it wears an OASIS visor. It takes several days to reach Columbus, and Wade spends the entire time logged into the OASIS.
Faced with IOI’s frightening power and complete lack of morality, Wade has no choice but to flee his former home. Luckily, the fact that he now has as moderate amount of wealth means that he can purchase the security and transportation resources that are only available to the rich.
Themes
Wade buys a new identity on the OASIS black market using his newfound fame as leverage. He assumes the identity of Bryce Lynch, a 22-year-old with a perfect credit score and degree in Computer Science. He finds a one-room apartment in Columbus and pays the first six months’ rent upfront. He notices that the apartment building was once a Hilton hotel. The apartment, which is on the 42nd floor, is opened using a retinal scan. There is no furniture inside. Wade promises himself that he won’t leave until he finds the egg.
With his family and neighbors dead, Wade is completely alone in the world, and the only thing he has to live for is the hunt. His vow not to leave his new tiny apartment until he finds the egg speak to the single-minded nature of his existence. For Wade, the hunt has become more than a competition; it is now the whole purpose of his life.
Themes
