Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Empathy

The only factor that distinguishes an andy from a human

Blade Runner

Film adaptation in 1982

Isidore

A "chickenhead," didn't pass the standard IQ test, possibly Asbergers, very sweet, kind and caring, good understanding of societal conventions, works for Hannibal Sloat and Van Ness Pet Hospital driving the truck, eventually becomes friend to Pris Stratton, used as a foil to Rick Deckard, second protagonist, used to develop themes of societal values of morality, empathy, and intelligence (has empathy but not intelligence, socially excluded), audience sympathizes with him

Pris Stratton

A Nexus-6 android that is the same model as Rachael Rosen, moves into the same apartment as Isi to escape retirement, cold and detached like Rachael, friends with all the other androids (Polokov, Batys, Luba, who all came to Earth on the same ship), characterizes Isi by how he responds to and treats her, in particular the scene where she tortures the spider and Isi realizes her lack of empathy must mean she is an android, shows his extent of intelligence

Polokov

A Nexus-6 android, injured Dave Holden, posed as Soviet WPO cop Sandor Kadalyi and almost killed Rick before he was retired, first android audience sees Rick retire, therefore establishes routine and atmosphere of danger involved in Rick's job

Rachael Rosen

A Nexus-6 android, part of the Rosen family of the Rosen association, niece of Eldon Rosen, given the Voigt-Kampff test by Rick Deckard and later sleeps with him, cold and detached personality, foil to Iran Deckard, used to develop themes of artificial intelligence and what constitutes a human (has intelligence but not empathy, socially excluded)

Luba Luft

A Nexus-6 android, retired by Rick, was an acclaimed opera singer, Rick likes opera, Rick has difficulty retiring her because he feels an attraction to her, makes him question his capability as a bounty hunter and a human within his society

Phil Resch

A cold and detached human bounty hunter whom Rick assumed to be an android because of his character and because he worked at a police department run by androids, Resch had actually been deceived by Rachael Rosen and slept with her as Rick would later, dehumanizing him and even though he was able to continue retiring androids, he has no empathy for them

Andy

Another name for android; made of living matter rather than robotics; are capable of emotion, rational thought, making decisions, and so on.

Dada

Artistic and ideological movement that began around the same time as World War I; believed that the reason and logic of the upper class had lead people into war; they expressed their rejection of said reason and logic through artistic expression that appeared to reject logic and embrace chaos

OE

At the end of Chapter 11, what is the importance to Resch's conception of his identity that he loves his pet squirrel, Buffy?

Philip K. Dick

Author

Rick Deckard

Bounty hunter, husband to Iran Deckard, works for Inspector Bryant, works with Dave Holden, protagonist, sleeps with Rachael Rosen, used to develop themes of human behavior and establish the typical expectations of a citizen in the setting, internal conflict as a result of external conflict

OE

Deckard buys a Nubian Goat to regain his confidence. How would buying this goat restore his confidence in his profession? Is this attempt successful? Does it restore his confidence?

OE

Deckard seems on the verge of being unable to perform his job. Consider his questioning how androids attempting to save their lives can be viewed as unlawful.

Android

Derives from the Greek andr-, meaning "man," and the suffix -eides, used to mean "of the species; alike.";

Isidore

Dick utilizes the character to blur the boundary between human and android; wishes he could be as smart as an android; has a vision of Roy as mechanical; considers bounty hunters as robotic killing machines;

Gnosticism

Distinguishes between the "Demiurge" (the evil god of the physical earth) and a "True God."

OE

He follows this thought by admitting to Bryant that his sheep is electric. The next time he buys a sheep, he will get a real one in compensation. For what is he compensating?

Isidore

His vision of Roy expresses the standard bounty hunter view of androids. Conversely, his view of bounty hunters would (again) suggest bounty hunters are the true "killing machines."

OE

How does Deckard react to the possibility that he is beginning to empathize with female androids?

OE

How would our perception of the novel change if Dick concluded before Deckard finds the toad?

Gnosticism

Humans seek to escape the Demiurge and rejoin the True God with the help of Messengers who reveal knowledge of humans' true spiritual nature.

OE

Immediately following Polokov's retirement, Deckard calls his wife. What is the significance of Deckard's comparison of Iran to Polokov? Is Polokov in some way more human, in Deckard's perception, than Iran?

OE

In his pursuit of Luba Luft, what evidence suggests that Deckard himself might be an android? Consider his meetings with Crams and Garland.

OE

In light of the fact that animals are sacred within Mercerist doctrine, what is the significance of Pris cutting the legs off a spider while Buster Friendly demonstrates that Mercerism is a fraud?

Mercerism

Quasi-Gnostic religious movement founded upon the ability of humans to experience fusion with Wilbur Mercer via an empathy box; When connected to Mercer, the user of the empathy box is also connected to all other users "logged in" at that moment; Because they are incapable of empathy, androids are excluded from fusion with Mercer. Consider how this again represents a method of control and justifies the treatment of androids in Dick's novel.

Kipple

Random junk that theoretically "reproduces" until it inevitably fills the universe and covers all life, its dominance can only be delayed by its temporary removal and disposal (like in WALL-E)

Gnosticism

Religion that aims at the personal revelation of some type of hidden, divine knowledge. The term "gnostic" derives from "gnosis," which means "knowledge" in Greek

Dave Holden

Senior bounty hunter who was injured by Polokov, allowing his duties to be transferred to Rick, creates circumstance that places Rick in the senior bounty hunter position which provides Rick with the money to buy his goat and his meeting Rachael Rosen and Luba Luft that begins his premonitions toward female androids, represents success in society for Rick

Buster Friendly

Television show host on the mandatory government channel, typical eccentric, nonsensical, entertainment aficionado, exposes Wilbur Mercer to be a phony, is an android created by the government to feed the public certain ideas, represents government deception, establishes the reality of androids' integration into society despite their supposed inferiority

Voigt-Kampff test

Test administered by bounty hunters to test one's empathy capability and determine if they are humans or androids, uses a mesh disk to measure involuntary flushing of the cheek and a light beam focused on the eye to measure involuntary pupil dilation while the bounty hunter asks the subject questions intended to elicit an empathetic response

Inspector Garland

The android Inspector at the false police department, retired by Rick, characterizes androids from the perspective of one who is aware that he is an android unlike Rachael and the others

Wilbur Mercer

The false deity or prophet of Mercerism, people "fuse" with Mercer through an empathy box and experience his journey up a hill with others also fusing, hit by rocks thrown by "killers," experience real wounds/blood, dies at the top of the hill and then is resurrected to repeat the journey, later proved to be fake by Buster Friendly, Rick Deckard becomes Mercer, pg. 23-24 connection with Isi? Purpose?

World War Terminus

War that created wasteland setting and resulted in the plot; nature is destroyed; represents the devastation that can result from the misuse of technological power--it is interesting in this light that technology is also used to fill the gaps created by the war, as can be observed in the Buster Friendly Television Program, or in the creation of electric animals as replacements for those destroyed

OE

What does Mercer mean when he tells Deckard that "the basic condition of life" is "to be required to violate your own identity"?

OE

What is the importance of Iran's attitude toward Deckard and his toad in the last few pages of the novel?

OE

What is the role of television? Think in particular of Buster Friendly. This program fills in the vast silences in the aftermath of World War Terminus where human noise would otherwise exist. Compare the use of television in Androids to its use in Fahrenheit 451.

OE

What is the role of the mood organ? Again, ask yourselves to what degree humans in Dick's novel are dependent on technology in their view of reality.

OE

What is the significance of Deckard's devotion to the toad even after it is found to be electric? What has he learned regarding his ability to value life?

OE

What is the significance of Edvard Munch's Scream (1893) to Resch? What is the significance of Munch's Puberty (1895) to Luba? See eLearning "Selected Semester PowerPoints" folder.

OE

Why does Rachel kill Deckard's goat?

OE

Why is Buster Friendly's announcement concerning Mercerism so important to the androids? Consider the foundation of Mercerism and how this foundation helps to exclude and separate androids from humans.

Iran Deckard

Wife to Rick Deckard, chronically depressed, used to develop motif of human emotion, foil to Rachael Rosen

1992 (2021 in later editions)

Year in which the story takes place

1968

Year of publication