THEBALDWIN ES #1 Paladin in World of Warcraft

It all started 9 years ago. Story of my Gamertag.

 While living in Kanata Ontario, and having just moved from Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, I decided to get Xbox Live... 

   The main reason for this was due to the highly underrated game Mechassault. After finishing the single player campaign, the game had become an immediate favorite of mine, as the fast-paced, technically challenging game-play was highly engaging, so I became very exited to try it online. Thus, the gamertag Shiftymcgrif was born, and many a gigantic robot was brutally slain. Who remembers the satisfaction gained when you'd drill down some Mech, they'd get steamrolled into the dirt, and you'd hear that sweet 'going nuclear' noise, indicating that they were about to explode? Yeahhhh.

My favorite Mechs were Catapault, Madcat, and Atlas (sorted by size). I simply adored Javelin Missiles and lasers, though overall I'd have to say that Railguns were my favorite weapons. Playing this game online was very *very* intense at times. It was an online gaming experience that I have yet to see represented in any game since. #nostalgia

Also, this game had heavy metal themed introductions. Instawin.

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Death of a Salesman - Q&A - Passages

Something I whipped up not too long ago, for anyone who's read this play and enjoyed it, as I did.

Death of a Salesman Questions

1. Give some instances where Willy contradicts himself (p. 3-7). Suggest reasons as to why Miller would have Willy do this.

The most notable instance of Willy contradicting himself in the opening of the play is when he initially refers to his son Biff as a lazy bum for being 34 without and solid plans. Shortly after, he says that Biff is anything but lazy. Willy also refers to both his car and refrigerator as both reliable and junk. This proves that he is indecisive and somewhat confused. Another reason for this is that Willy is quick to see the bad side of things because he has become bitter, but somewhere in his mind is a glimmer of positive thinking.

2. What more do we find out about Hap’s character on p. 13-14? Describe the relationship between the two brothers.

Happy explains that he’s tired of his job and he wants to progress. Also, he talks about how he’s uninterested in dating girls all the time and he wants to settle down with someone nice. This is indicates that he is tired of his current life and he seeks change. The two brothers seem completely open with one another and seem willing to make plans for their futures at this time. Happy seems kind of lost about what he wants to do and he is somewhat like his father in the sense that he is indecisive as shown by his lack of long term plans. Biff seems apprehensive but he is still driven by success, and it seems as though both brothers want the American dream very much.

3. On pp.15-16 there is a shift in scene from the bedroom setting to the backyard. How is this transition made smooth?

The scene transition is made smooth through what seems to be Willy’s memory. The descriptions indicate that Willy is fully immersed in himself which would imply that he’s susceptible to flashbacks from the past. People continue talking as though everything’s in real-time and it’s all melded together as one scene.

4. How does life seem to be different in this new backyard setting? Comment on the mood and atmosphere.

The life described in Willy’s memory seems exciting and prosperous. There is a lot of action and momentum occurring as shown by how Willy and his sons are working together to complete everyday tasks and they seem happy. The atmosphere is light and enjoyable, and they all seem to get along well. This goes to show that Willy ants his sons to succeed and he feels full of motivation as well because they all want the American dream.

5. What negative memories do you detect from this backyard sequence? Show that the family paradise may not have been perfect (p. 15-22).

The first sign of a possible negative memory is that Happy is pointed out for stealing a football, which shows that he has a lack of morality. This notion could imply that the American dream is related to lies and theft. Another sign of negativity is Bernard’s news of Biff’s poor performance in school, but this warning doesn’t seem to be taken seriously and Biff is so convinced that he’s going to the University of Virginia that he signed his sneakers with the name. Bernard is merely acting as a voice of reason yet his concerns are disregarded. Lastly, Willy seems to boast about his commission when in fact it turns out he never really made that much when Linda asks him about it, which goes to show that he tries to make things seem better than they really are.

6. What sort of youth is Bernard? What is his relationship to the Lomans? What deficiencies does Willy detect in him? (p. 20-21).

Bernard seems like a determined youth who looks up to the Lomans, specifically Biff and Happy. Willy criticizes him for always studying, yet Bernard is wise for doing so. Willy fails to realize the importance of education, believing that success comes only from material wealth. Bernard’s reason isn’t considered important, yet Bernard realizes these problems with the Lomans and tries to help anyway.

7. Explain Willy’s strong reaction to Linda’s darning her stockings (p. 26).

Willy is upset to see Linda mending her stockings because Willy wants Linda to have fine things that aren’t tattered. He can’t stand to see her with anything less than perfect. Also, Willy gave a fresh new pair of stockings to The Woman, so perhaps he feels guilty to see Linda with ruined ones.

8. Compare/contrast Willy’s attitude towards Charley and Ben.

Willy feels that Ben is success incarnate, and he regrets not going with him to Alaska. However, Willy is hostile towards Charley for a couple reasons. For one, Charley is logical and he could be considered to represent reason, and Willy doesn’t want to accept his advice. When Charley offers Willy a job Willy refuses because he wants to protect his personal pride and he gets very agitated with Charley. Charley understands Willy’s problems and he only wants to help.

Ben represents success to Willy, and he sees him as a way to attain the American dream. However, Ben is always in a hurry and Willy can never seem to get the right answers out of him. This is portrayed by the fact that Willy is always at a loss to understand how one gets to riches and the American dream because Ben is so vague about it; “When I was 21 I walked out… and by god I was rich!” (p.33)

9. Suggest reasons why Miller would want to present Charley and Ben together.

Miller has designed this scene with Charley and Ben to show the mental battle going on in Willy’s mind regarding the American dream and his past. Willy feels that if he would have gone with Ben he would have gotten rich. However, Willy feels that the reasoning and logic given by Charley is annoying because he’d rather just get success without thinking about it. So Willy is denying reason by chasing some mystical story about Ben.

10. What does the character of Ben symbolize?

Ben symbolizes success on every level for Willy. He’s seen as perfect in terms of being able to manage everything by living the American dream, yet it is never clear on how he got there. Willy pleads with him to learn the secret but Ben is always in a hurry and can’t seem to provide Willy with any advice.

11. By referring to the following passage, outline the similarities and differences between Biff and Willy. Passage: p.44 [top]-p.45 [middle]”Sure you will. The trouble with you… Big shot!”

Biff and Willy both have a desire to build and make things new. However, Willy has no respect for Biff wanting to be a carpenter, and he thinks that you can only succeed by selling and being well liked rather than hard work. They both want the American dream, but have no idea how to get there. The main difference between them is that Biff doesn’t like the business world because he sees what’s happened to his dad, and he says that they laugh at him. Willy also childishly compares Biff to Bernard, because he sees his son as incompetent compared to Bernard.

12. Even though Biff knows the business world is not for him, he is still willing to give it a try. Explain his reasons. How does Willy react to the news that Biff will try to make it in the business world? Pp. 43-48.

Biff has a chance to make it in the business world by selling sporting goods for Bill Oliver. Even though he is somewhat reserved about business, he knows a lot of about sporting goods so it would be a good job for him. When he mentions it Happy comes up with his elaborate success plan involving them moving out west and starting a business, and Willy takes over the conversation by telling how to be and how to act in front of Oliver. This shows that Willy wants Biff to be the best and do everything right, because Willy has invested all his faith into him. Biff doesn’t react kindly to Willy’s blatant disregard for Linda though, because he’s always telling her to be quiet, and he yells at her. This causes Biff to get angry.

13. What social commentary is Miller making on p.60-62 via the character of Willy?

What Miller is mainly saying through Willy is that salesmanship used to be about honor and comradeship, but now it’s simply cut and dried. Willy can’t seem to understand where it all changed but he knows things have gone wrong, and Howard’s refusal to give him a job shows that Willy has lost touch with how modern business is conducted.

14. Are you more sympathetic to Howard’s point of view or that of Willy with respect to the business? Explain.

I’m more sympathetic to Willy’s view because he has put his whole life into the sales firm and has gotten next to nothing in return. Howard fires him for being out of touch with the new business world, and Willy can’t even pay his insurance. All Willy knows is how to sell according to how it was when he started out, and for Howard to have no compassion for that is unfair.

15. What is Miller trying to communicate to the reader in regard to the American Dream p.64-66?

I think Miller is saying that Ben represents the American dream. Ben has all the answers, and he knows exactly what he needs to do and where he needs to go. Willy hasn’t a clue, but he wants to follow Ben to the Arctic but can’t because Linda knows it dangerous and uncertain. Ben is always in a rush, and spares little time in explaining how to succeed, and Willy hangs on to every word but can’t seem to grasp any real meaning. Willy wants Ben to stay behind and help him but Ben simply leaves Willy feeling empty. What Miller is saying is that the American dream is some mythical promise of instant wealth with which there’s no defined path on how to receive.

16. We meet Bernard when Willy goes from Howard’s office to Charley’s office. How has Bernard turned out? Why is it appropriate that Bernard should appear now?

Bernard is an intelligent and inquisitive person who admires the Lomans, and he is brought up at this point to show his relationship with them. He simply wants to help them, yet the Lomans have so much pride that they’d rather go their own way without accepting outside help, especially with Willy.

17. Willy becomes aggressively defensive with Bernard. Why? What clues are there at this point that there may be a deeper story? P.71-73

Willy says he looks up to Bernard and values his advice, yet when Biff was flunking math Willy showed no concern, and when Bernard brings it up again and how Biff burned his sneakers Willy gets very angry. Willy can’t accept the fact that it’s his fault or he’s to blame in any way, and he doesn’t understand how Bernard got so successful which makes him jealous in a way. We learn about what happened with Biff and where it all went wrong with him, and we also learn about Willy’s unwillingness to accept failure and he contradicts himself even more.

18. Comment Charley’s character up to the end of his officer scene with Willy. What rather sad ironies are apparent at this point when we consider Willy’s relationship with Charley?

Even though Charley and Willy don’t really like each other, Charley offers Willy a job. Willy, out of his own self pride and stubbornness, refuses by saying he already has a job, which is a direct contradiction to the truth which he reveals later. This is ironic because Willy is desperate yet he won’t even accept the help he needs when it’s offered. Bernard explains to him that being well liked is meaningless, because as a salesman you’re only asset is what you can sell, and Willy doesn’t realize this. Their relationship is that of angst and tension, yet Willy calls him his only friend at the end. Willy is very jealous of Charley’s success.

19. What characteristics of Hap are reinforced in the restaurant scene with Stanley, the girl, and Biff?

Happy lies many times when talking to the girl, which shows that he is very dishonest when it comes to trying to get something. He tells her that he sells champagne and that Biff is a quarterback for the New York Giants, which impresses her but they’re both lies. When Biff explains how he stole Oliver’s pen and that he didn’t get a meeting, Happy tells him to lie to Willy and make it seem like there’s something to look forward to, adding to the dishonesty.

20. How does each of the boys treat Willy? Account for the differences.

Willy only seems to care about what Biff has to say, completely ignoring Happy and telling him not to interrupt. This is because Willy has put all his faith into Biff and he expects him to succeed, yet Biff has a hard time explaining what happened. Willy ignores Happy because he only cares about Biff’s success.

21. The scene with the woman in the hotel room could be considered the climax of the play in many ways. Agree or disagree? What does it explain for the audience p. 88-94

Not only is Biff somewhat traumatized in this scene, likely to cause an impact in his life with regards to his perception of Willy, but the audience also learns that Willy is unfaithful. I would consider this to be the climax of the play, because it as at this point where Biff has flunked math and he’s feeling like a failure, so witnessing this must have made him even more upset, possibly ruining any self-esteem he had. Biff also accuses Willy of giving the women Linda’s stockings. Since new stockings are used to show Willy’s pride in being financially successful and being able to provide for Linda, this act is a clear sign of betrayal.

22. By referring the p.108, argue whether Willy has changed or matured through all his trials and tribulations.

Willy undergoes a revelation in this scene. He’s so entangled in his daydreams that he can’t confront reality anymore, but he finally understands that as a salesman, his primary objective is to sell himself. He makes the ultimate sacrifice in exchange for the American dream in the end, which is something that he’s pursued his whole life in order to provide for his family. However, he still sees Biff and Bernard in competition with each other, and he still ignores Linda altogether, and he went to his grave not understanding the importance of hard work with respect to the American dream. He also never stopped admiring Ben for becoming rich in Alaska, even though his easy riches connected to the myth of the American dream were never explained. When Ben says “It’s dark there, but full of diamonds,” Willy has taken this in a literal sense by relating to how if he ends his life, his insurance will provide wealth to his family. It could be argued that the only ultimate cause he cared about with respect to his family was providing them with wealth and material possession to the extent that he ignored everything else, and this remains current in his character throughout the play.

23. Very few people come to Willy’s funeral. In your opinion, explain the reasons for the scant attendance. What cautionary comment is Miller making?

Sadly, it seems as though none of Willy’s business friends attended his funeral because Miller wants to warn the reader that he essentially sold himself, but failed to truly reap the benefits of the American dream. Linda is upset that so few people showed, and it seems as though the ones he once worked with had forgotten about him completely, because that’s what the sales world is like. Being well liked is not something you can sell, and likewise, Willy taking his life is proof of this.

24. What is reinforced about Linda’s character on p. 110?

Linda feels that his business friends didn’t show up at his funeral because perhaps they blamed him, and later she says that her inability to cry is because she feels that he’s just on another trip. She also knows that Willy was a good handyman, and had he pursued that as a profession he might have enjoyed his life. This reinforces Linda as a voice of reason, because all along she knew where Willy was going and why he having problems, but Willy was so lost in his own pursuits that he ignored her all the time, and he always told her to be quiet.

25. Contrast the characters of Biff and Hap at the end of the play.

Happy believes that he will pursue in Willy’s footsteps to prove that he did not die in vain. He’s so convinced that Willy’s dream was a good one, and that it’s all about being the best. Biff feels that Willy never really knew himself, which makes Happy mad, but there is truth in Biff’s words. Happy is unwilling to accept the fact that his father was anything less than a great man with a good dream, similar to how Willy refused to accept that he needed to change in order to truly love and provide for his family.

26. Discuss the significance of the last words of the play: We’re free… we’re free…”

Linda is explaining that she is free of financial debt, but another interpretation might be that she’s free from Willy’s reckless dream as well. It is true that Willy’s death has freed Linda of financial worry, and perhaps granted her what Willy always wanted in the end; the American dream. However, it is somewhat sad because Linda is finding it difficult to grieve over Willy’s death because she feels that he’s “just on another trip.”

Death of a Salesman Passages

Dallas Swim

Describe the circumstances surrounding each passage and then explain its significance to the novel (thematically, symbolically, with respect to character development, or with respect to any other element of the novel).

1. p. 3 [near bottom] – p.4 [top] “I was driving along you… such strange thoughts.”

Willy explains how he nearly crashed his car while coming home from a sales job while Linda listens. What this passage reveals is that Willy’s mind seems to be slipping, almost as if he’s fading involuntarily. He seems troubled and can’t figure out why. This develops his character into that of a troubled and delusional man who’s veering off the course of his life.

2. p. 6 [near middle] –p.7 [near top] “The way they boxed us in… How can they whip cheese?”

In this passage Willy expresses his negativity towards the rising population that he claims is ruining the neighborhood and increasing competition. Also, he seems to jump to unrelated topics out of frustration, like how he mentions cheese at the end of his speech. This shows that he is beginning to lose grip with reality and he doesn’t like what’s going on around him, indicative of his resistant nature.

3. p.10 [bottom] –p.11 [top] “I tell ya, hap, I don’t know… that’s how to build a future.”

Biff talks to Happy about how unfulfilling it is to lead a normal living in dismal jobs that offer little reward. This passage correlates with the American dream in the sense that most people believe that the only route to success is that you’ve got to start at the bottom and work your way up through hard work, yet Biff is tired of it because he doesn’t see it going anywhere.

4. p.11 [near top] –p.11 [bottom] “hap, I’ve had twenty or thirty… Are you content?”

In this passage Biff goes into further detail about his discontent with a mediocre life. He talks about making his future and getting ahead, and how he’s a boy because he’s not married and doesn’t own a business. This relates to the American dream as well because there’s a strong feeling of wanting to live a happy life and get all those things that society views as status symbols.

5. p.12 [top] –p. 12 [bottom] “All I can do now is wait… till I can’t stand it anymore.”

Happy explains how he’s lonely even with the life that he thought he wanted. Ironically, he isn’t happy at all with how things are. He feels that the only way for him to get ahead is for the merchandise manager to die, and he also believes that he is constantly being surrounded by false people at work. He and Biff come up with a great scheme to head out west and this shows a character development in the both of them in the fact that they are very ambitious and close with one another.

6. p.19 [near top; 8 lines] “You and Hap and I, and I’ll show…This is summer heh?”

Willy furthers the notion that he is ‘well liked’ by everyone and therefore can park his car wherever and be recognized. This can also be considered another allusion to the American dream and how it assumes that if you’re well like you will go places.

7. p.23 [middle] – p.25 [top] “A hundred and twenty dollars! There’s so much I want to make for.”

Again the notion of being well liked in relation to success is emphasized in this passage. Willy first mentions this, but then talks about how people think he’s fat and laughable, and he uses this as a reason fro why his sales have dropped. Perhaps he pretends he’s well liked but the fact that his sales are low concern him. Linda, being the supportive wife she is, comforts him and attempts to boost his spirits. Willy envisions The Woman, who acts a sign of betrayal and infidelity on his behalf, and he converses with her rather than his actual wife. All of these points develop Willy’s character as rejecting reality and desperately wanting a happy life based around his self-constructed delusion.

8. p.33 [bottom] p.39 [middle] “No, Ben! Please tell about Dad… I was right! I was right! I was right!”

Firstly, Willy asks his brother Ben to talk about their dad. This is to give Biff and Happy motivation to pursue the American dream by being well liked and all-around. Then, in a demonstration of how competition is needed to survive, Ben asks Biff to punch him and they go at it, which ties in with the belief that you can only succeed by beating everyone else. We learn a bit more about Willy’s relationship with Ben as well, and from what is said between them it seems as if Willy really looks up to Ben and asks his advice. An example of this is when Willy asks Ben how to raise his kids, and Ben responds with a story about how he got rich. The story itself alludes to the American dream in the sense that there’s no logical method to being successful, it simply comes if you’re lucky

9. p.38 [bottom] p.39 [middle] “Are you home to stay now?... and there’ll be strange people here-

Biff is unsure of what he wants to do, even in this stage of his life. Linda tries to give him advice and she mentions the fact that she is getting old, and won’t always be there to help out. It’s almost as if she’d fading away while Biff is unable to grasp hold of his life and he hangs on to her for guidance and direction because he dislikes Willy.

10. p.40 [middle] p.41 [bottom] “Then make Charley your father… How lonely he was till he couldn’t come home to you!”

This passage clearly indicates that Linda is aware of everything going on in Willy’s life, and she recognizes all the problems he’s going through. She explains how Willy pays her with money from Charley (while pretending it’s his), and that he has been wronged in so many ways. She directs anger towards Biff, who is starting to sound ungrateful, when in fact Biff is simply fed up with how things are going and he doesn’t know how to succeed. This goes to show that although Linda is a voice of reason, Willy has always ignored her and followed his own troubled path.

11. p.51 [top] “Like a young god… can never really fade away!”

Willy is lost in a fantasy image from his memory. This shows that he’s always distracting himself with illusions of success and the American dream to avoid his problems. He never truly recognizes his own plight because of all these grandiose views of his life that he has sunken into. He simply wants to think of everything as working towards success, disregarding any reevaluation needed to fix present problems.

12. p.52 [bottom]-p.53 [middle] “There’s no question, no question at all… how much he’s going to ask Oliver for?”

There is the notion of seeds and growth in the passage to reflect Willy’s desire to grow and prosper despite the circumstances. He talks about building new things and establishing a better life because he wants to live the American dream. He refuses to accept himself as a failure because he believes that success isn’t about reason, but about building bigger and better things.

13. p.54 [middle; approx 10 lines] “Its twenty-five years… good-bye, I’m late.”

Willy is adamant that all the work he put into the home is for nothing. He thinks that it’s all just going to waste and that some stranger will just move in. He expresses his desire for Biff to take the house and raise a family, because he wants his sons to succeed because it would reflect nicely on himself. Once he realizes the negative parts of his message he cuts off the conversation with Linda abruptly and starts to leave because he is so unwilling to accept failure. This shows that since he’s put all his faith into Biff, he wants nothing more than for him to succeed and do well and achieve the American dream.

14. p.55 [bottom; 2 lines] “Maybe beets would grow… tried so many times.”

The theme of growth for success is emphasized through Willy’s desire to prove the worth of his labour. Even though Linda reminds him that he’s tried many times, Willy won’t give up because he refuses to accept failure. This also relates to how Willy put so much effort into raising Biff which has been unsuccessful because he refers to Biff as being lazy.

15.  p.73 [9 lines] “Yeah, I’m going… I guess that’s when it’s tough.”

Willy says that he can’t walk away when the going gets tough. He is so deeply rooted in his delusions that he completely refuses to abandon them, because he does not want to believe anything else. He does not want to restructure his views because he only cares about the drive for material wealth because that, in his mind, is the American dream. It’s ironic hoe he’s asking Bernard for advice, who was originally someone he considered a nerd with no good advice, but now he highly values his advice.

16.  p.81 [whole page].

We begin to see the real problems with Biff arise in this passage. He is starting to feel that everything relating to the business world is a lie, and he says his life has been ridiculous because of it. He took Oliver’s fountain pen out of anger, and he despises the fact that he’s only ever been a lowly shipping clerk, a far cry from Willy’s delusional fantasies of him being a huge success.

17.  p.82 [near top] “Dad is never so happy as when he’s looking forward to something.”

As if to insult him, Happy thinks as long Willy has something to look up to, rather than achieve it, he will be happy. This is in relation to Biff, who is told to construct a lie to make himself look good in front of Willy. Happy thinks its fine to provide Willy with false hope, because perhaps he knows that Willy is a lost dreamer.

18. p.85 [middle] p.89 [top].

In this passage Willy’s worst fear is realized; Biff was not a success with Oliver. Willy’s dream is slowly being eroded even though he desperately holds onto it by searching for hope in Biff’s words, but Biff explains that he doesn’t want to go back to Oliver and that he took his pen. Willy thinks that Biff is spiting him, as if this was all some elaborate plot against him. We begin to see Willy’s fantasy world be torn apart, brought upon by the realization of his failures and how he’s failed those around him.

19. p.96 [middle, 11 lines] “Here’s some more… I don’t have a thing in the ground.”

Tying in with the growth motif, Willy feels that he has nothing planted, or rather he has nothing left to look forward to. He feels defeated because his delusions have been ripped apart. His desire to rebuild and make something new is indicative of his nature to forget his problems and keep doing the same thing until things finally work, because things have failed so far.

20. p.99 [near bottom]-p.101 [middle] “Carrots… quarter inch apart. Rows… one-foot rows… to be sure you’re not making a fool of yourself.”

Willy is contemplating suicide at this point, and he is asking Ben for advice. He says that Biff will see him as important once he witnesses all the people that come to his funeral, which is sadly ironic considering very few people do go, but Willy is determined that this final act will make him a martyr, and that his family will be given everything they deserve. What he fails to realize is that all his family ever needed was his true love and compassion and not some mythical direction devised by him as a route to material success. Ben tells him that Biff will think he’s a coward for taking his life, and that the insurance company probably won’t honor the $20,000, but Willy doesn’t care because he’s so convinced that it’s something tangible that he can see and touch, “like a diamond shining in the dark.”

21. p.103 [near middle-bottom] “Spite, spite, is the word don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing!”

Willy cannot accept the fact that he has failed, he simply feels that Biff is doing everything in spite of him. He does not confront the truth of the matter, which is that Biff is sick and tired of Willy’s delirious desire to cultivate him into someone who seeks manifest destiny. In a sad way, Willy wants Biff to feel guilty for what he’s about to do, which is commit suicide, because he wants to be remembered as a great man who did everything for his sons but was blamed against unfairly. Willy thinks that everyone is either trying to spite him or blame him for all the problems in his life.

22. p.104 [top]-p.105 [near middle] “Leave it there! Don’t move it… Then hand yourself! For spite, hand yourself!”

Biff sets things straight in this passage by being so brutally honest with Willy that his delusions are completely ripped apart. Biff sees everything as a carefully constructed lie, and he feels everything is fake, so he has lied and stolen his way through life out of anger. His main anger lies in the fact that Willy put so much encouragement and faith in him to be the best that he could never take orders from anybody because he felt above everything else. Ironically, Willy blames Biff for all of this, rather than putting to appropriate blame on himself for which he’s responsible because Willy can’t accept failure on his behalf.

23. p.105 [middle]-p.106 [near top] “No! Nobody’s hanging himself… waiting for me to bring them home!”

Biff confronts Willy with the fact that he hates the business world. Willy refuses to accept this from his own son, claiming that he’s special and he has all this potential, but Biff just wants Willy to view him as an ordinary man and respect that. Biff doesn’t want Willy to always expect him to bring prizes home and be the best at everything, because that expectation has always haunted him, but that’s all Willy’s ever believed in for achieving the American dream, so he can never accept that as wrong.

24. p.106 [near middle]-p.107 [top] “Pop, I’m nothing... And it does take a great kind of a man to crack the jungle.”

Even though Biff is revealing all his inner turmoil and anguish, Willy interprets it all wrong. He thinks that Biff just likes him, since all Willy cares about as a salesman is being well liked, which means that he feels he’s succeeded in selling Biff his idea of the American dream in a way. This goes to show how convoluted his thinking really is, and when Ben steps in it only encourages him to kill himself because he believes that Biff will be magnificent with the money. He relates everything to material acquisition, and never understands the true love of his family.

25. p.111 [top; approx. 10 line] “Nobody dast blame… It comes with the territory.”

Charley’s speech epitomizes the ideology of a salesman, who values his own dreams and material success above anything else. He’s saying that Willy can’t be blamed, because the unfair demands placed on him by his job forced him to care only about defending his own beliefs. In order to justify his existence Willy had to construct an elaborate delusion to distract him from the downward spiral of his life and the lives of those around him, and instead of fixing he just kept dreaming. The relation to him being a good handyman ties in with this because he was excellent at building things with his hands, he was a creator, and he had to create a dream filled existence to legitimize his occupation because he felt that selling was the only way to the American dream, which explains why in the end he sold himself.

TALKIN' BOUT THAT SWTOR

REMIX

THOUGHTS ON SITH WARRYUHS

MAYBE DC EMPLOYEES SHOULD PLAY LoL

'If this is your attempt at being edgy and reaching out the huge female comic audience...'

No. This is their attempt to appeal to the lonely, introverted, basement-dwelling, virgin male, who undoubtedly comprises a sizeable marketshare. Newsflash - girls read comics too. 

Like most males, I like boobs, whether animated or not. However, there's a time and a place, and just as I would cringe at seeing my favorite video games being filled with bare-assed / chested dudes who debased their characters by frequently requisitioning sex in off-beat ways, it is not impossible for me to recognize the trouble here.

It just doesn't work. There are more effective ways to celebrate an independant, strong female personality. Just look at the League of Legends ladies.

They know how to get down, and are not afraid to slay the worst baddies. They are girls who kick ass, and are only sometimes scantily clad (some of the in-game skins are a little revealing, but not distastefully so).

Proof of this can be heard by many of the in-game quotes from female champions. It does not take long for one to realize these ladies are not only inspiring, but also intelligent (and in some cases murderously bloodthirsty). *gasp* LoL chicks are anything but eye-candy props, because they will kill you, and respawn times are shitty.

In these quotes, there are also many lols to be had If you're clever enough to catch the allusions to popular media, provided exclusively by Riot's pro writing dept.

Examples:

Caitlyn, the Sheriff of Piltover: She's a detective with a huge sniper rifle, and her cupcakes, while extra-scrumptious, are often placed upon bear traps. Worth losing a limb over? Absolutely.

"Go ahead, run. I'll give you a five minute head start."
 "Me, miss? Not by a long shot."
 "I love a good chase."
 "Boom. Headshot."
 "Sorry boys, I keep the fuzzy cuffs at home."
 "The whole is greater than the sum of its... (Gun falls apart) parts." 

Riven, The Exile: LoL's newest champion. Like her fractured psyche, she carries around a busted blade. However, at times of super rage, the sword reforms, and she becomes a foe vanquisher.

"My spirit is not lost!"
"Choose your own path."
"Learn from your mistakes."
"This cannot go unpunished."
"A broken blade is more than enough for the likes of you!"  
(Sighs) "I knew I should have sprung for the blade warranty."

Vayne, the Night Hunter: She's just a badass. No nonsense. Get slayed.

 

"The dark should fear me."
"Cleansing blood with silver." 
"I bring swift death."
 "Time for reckoning."
"Joke? What do you mean?"
"I have no time for nonsense."

Sivir the Battle Mistress:

"For the honor of all."
"The hunt begins."
"Enjoy that breath, it will be your last."
"I will strike you down."
"You may call me mistress... but only from your knees."

Wedding pics

Some preliminary shots from my sister's wedding at Poet's Cove =)

Picture Time

dat Feynman, and Time Travelin'

So in the relativistic case, the Feynman path-integral representation of the propagator includes paths which go backwards in time, which describe antiparticles. The paths which contribute to the relativistic propagator go forward and backwards in time, and the interpretation of this is that the amplitude for a free particle to travel between two points includes amplitudes for the particle to fluctuate into an antiparticle, travel back in time, then forward again.

PHYSICS TO-DO LIST:

• FIND THE HIGGS (knowing neutrino masses would be nice too!)
• FIND THE DARK-MATTER PARTICLE.
• QUANTIZE GRAVITY (graviton?).
• QUANTIZE DARK ENERGY (darkon?).
• QUANTIZE INFLATION (inflaton?).
• SOMEHOW TEST POST-1980 THEORIES (Strings, etc.)

http://tinyurl.com/4ctjmv

Mo' Quantum Mech.

Quantum mechanics – dynamics of the miniature- the theory of the interaction between quanta (energy) and matter; the effects of quantum mechanics become observable at the submicroscopic distance scales of atomic and particle physics, but macroscopic (large) quantum effects can be seen in the phenomenon of quantum entanglement (see below).

Quantum entanglement – spooky action at a distance – Consider for a moment an orange thrown skyward. As the orange moves, it undergoes changes in its position, spin, and velocity (which in turn affects its acceleration). Similar properties are used to explain the ‘state’ of electrons (particles with mass) and photons (mass-less particles), and other elementary particles.


The state of a particle is also called its quantum mechanical description. Some of the properties used to describe a particles’ state are position, momentum, spin, and polarization.

Now imagine that this orange has a friend, which is also an orange. The orange friends are identical in every aspect, and even behave in exactly the same way. When one orange spins left, the other spins left, and these changes occur instantly for both oranges, as if they were in perfect sync. These instant changes occur no matter the distance between the oranges. One might be so brave to state that these oranges are quantum entangled!

Measurements on systems of entangled particles reveal that it is possible, no matter the distance, to change two things at once. This idea defies intuition, and sits very uneasily with most people who might ask questions such as

How can one account for something that was at one point indefinite with regard to its spin (or whatever is in this case the subject of investigation) suddenly becoming definite in that regard even though no physical interaction with the second object occurred, and, if the two objects are sufficiently far separated, could not even have had the time needed for such an interaction to proceed from the first to the second object?

Quantum field theory - (QFT) – the modern relativistic version of quantum mechanics used to describe the physics of elementary particles; it can also be used in non-relativistic fieldlike systems in condensed matter physics.

Points on Shakespeare's King Lear.

How is the notion of justice utilized in Shakespeare's King Lear? What comment is Shakespeare making in regards to the role of justice in society?

• In the amoral world of King Lear, chaos ensues when those in power relinquish social justice. Such is the case with Edmund and Lear’s daughters, whose unjust acts of savagery instate complete chaos.

Evidence:

• First point of support: Since Edmund and Lear’s daughters have no sense of social justice, their acts of savagery create chaos.

Examples: 

“Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile;
Filths savour but themselves” (4.2.38)

“Know thou this, that men are as the time is; to be tender-minded does not become a sword.
Thy great employment will not bear question; either say thou’lt do’t, or thrive by other means” (5.3.31).

• Second point of support: When social justice is recognized by Lear, it is too late for him to prevent chaos because he has lost power.

Examples: 

I am a man, more sinn’d against than sinning” (3.2.58).

“Through tatter'd clothes small vices do appear;
Robes and furr'd gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks;
Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw does pierce it” (4.6.163).

c. Third point of support: Characters believe punishment derives from divine justice, when in reality it is from a lack of social justice.

Examples: 

“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods.
They kill us for their sport” (4.1.36).

“The gods are just, and of our pleasant vices make instruments to plague us” (5.3.170).

“This is the excellent foppery of the world, that, when we are sick in fortune, often the surfeits of our own behaviour, we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and the stars…” (1.2.118)

 Discussion

Evidence of chaos caused by social injustice is observable throughout King Lear, but it is still unclear if, by the end of the play, the notion of divine justice is fully recognized. The broadness of that question is not without some skeptisism, but it could be speculated that the lack of justice met coincides with the desire for justice, inasmuch the audience might recognize this as a reprehensible flaw. Perhaps Shakespeare was in some way trying to push the development of social justice, as he very carefully depicts that a world with a lack thereof is quite undesireable.

Another theme that is maintained throughout the play not necessarily that of divine justice, but rather it is how, in the absense of divine justice, man should be responsible for the right and wrong actions of man, as this notion translates to the most valuable form of social justice, whereas divine justice does not. In the context of Lear, defining right and wrong will always be a subjective issue, but what is clear is that power without social justice results in chaos.

Shakespeare’s King Lear is a tragic story involving the Great Chain of Being, filial ingratitude, and good vs. evil. As with similar worksworks, the central themes of this play reflect the author’s outlook on humanity. With emphasis on character development in King Lear, Shakespeare conveys his views on humanity in such a way as to catagorize people, via their personal actions, as being innately defined as either good or evil. Shakespeare is saying that, regardless of societal influences,  one must understand that someone of an inherently good nature will seldom make an attempt to hurt, lie, or otherwise backstab others for personal gain.

Examples of characters endowed with an inherently good nature are Cordelia, Lear, and Edgar. Alternately, Shakespeare relates that a person with evil tendencies will stop at nothing to attain personal power, often resulting in the suffering of others. Throughout the play, Edmund, Regan, Goneril, and Cornwall exhibit a clear alignment towards evil. Additionally, it is important to recognize that when establishing an atmosphere of irrepsonsibility and disregard, Shakespeare shows that evil thrives behind the guise of riches. Those who manipulate events to suit personal greed exemplify this notion. However, whether or not a person is evil or good may not be readily identifiable, as it is easy to misconstrue the true nature of an individual veiled by expensive fineries and high status, and it is this uncertainty that is most often exploited when motives of an evil origin are present in that nature.

“Through tatter'd clothes small vices do appear;
Robes and furr'd gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks;
Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw does pierce it.” (4.6.163)

Essentially, what is conveyed here is that those who are not fortunate enough to possess wealth will suffer from the most minor of infractions, and those with wealth can simply evade prosecution. What this proves is that wealth can do much to conceal a person’s true nature, though in the end that person is still either good or evil. It is imperative to note that everyone is liable to sin, though that does not necessarily make them evil.







The Good/Evil Lineup


Edgar is man of honesty and dignity. He is compassionate and caring, as seen in his
conversation with Lear and how he understands Lear’s plight, and wishes him well. Thus,
he appears to be the character with the most good in him.

Kent is selfless, good natured spirit, and is always loyal to Lear. This is shown with how he tries to protect Lear, and always stick by his side. (An example of this would be when he becomes enraged at Oswald’s letter that contains negative comments about Lear)

The Fool is also loyal and honest, and acts as Lear’s conscious in a way. Through obscure metaphors and description he reveals to Lear his own turn of events and Lear always trusts him because the fool does not lie.

All things considered, King Lear is a decent person who seems to have an excessive amount of personal pride. In the beginning of the play, he equates his daughters love with material things such as land, and does not have a clear sight of what he is doing. Once he realizes his power is lost he becomes angry and embittered, especially after his daughters cruel transformation. However, through this we see Lear’s empathetic and concerned sign, and even take pity on him for having poor decision making skills in his old age, but aside from his blindness he is still mostly good.

Gloucester is like Lear in the sense that he is blind, and in his situation he’s blind to
Edmund’s lies. He fails to realize the world around him and is very gullible and foolish.
Despite this, he is still a loyal man who lives with some dignity, as shown by his faith to
Lear and when he shows mercy for Kent when he’s locked in the stocks.

Cornwall is a fairly evil character. He is easily persuaded by Regan, and as shown by
locking Kent up in the stocks, and plucking out Gloucester’s eyes, he is willing to do
sinister things.

Due to the illigitimacy of his birth, Edmund is mistreated, but that does not justify his malicious actions throughout the play. His ambition grows boundless as he forms alliances with Lear's daughters Regan and Goneril. Together, they device plot to assassinate his brother, so that he can claim his inheritance.

Goneril is dishonest, mean-spirited, and spiteful. She lies to Lear in how much she
loves him in order to get more land, and completely disrespects him after getting it.
She complains of his knights and asks him to leave, showing him no signs of love or
acceptance.

Regan is very similar to Goneril in the fact that she has no respect for age and rank. She
shows this by punishes Gloucester (ripping out his eyes) and Kent (locking him in the
stocks). She is clearly evil.

It is shown that Cordelia genuinely loves her father because she doesn’t try and flatter him with love simply for material gain as her sisters do. She seems inclined to trust Lear and still have some respect for him, perhaps realizing his condition. She simply recognizes right from wrong and acts on that premise.

Gamers Unite: Read This Article

http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/22786_To_My_Someday_Daughter.html

Link courtesy of @pokketsays on twitter.

This article is written from the perspective of a father forewarning his 'Someday Daughter' about the male-dominated gaming scene. It focuses on a recent date between a known Magic Player and a Tech Crunch Writer (known to the i-nets as #FinkleDate), resulting in a petty internet troll-a-thon that evoked feelings of anger, entitlement, and negativity all around.

While it is true that Finkle's female companion of the evening was less than enthusiastic in a follow-up article she wrote, something to consider is that she should not be made to feel guilty or stupid over her apparently lack of interest with regard to Finkel's gaming skills. She shouldn't be rewarded for using such bitter and potentially hurtful phrasing,  but she shouldn't be condemned for making her own decisions.

While I don't believe that two wrongs make a right, it can honestly be said that guys write scything articles about women they don't like all the time. What bothers me is why people feel the need to publicly showcase their dislike of someone. Veteren internet enthusiasts refer to such defamatory literature as trolling. Trolling can serve two purposes:
a) Satire;

In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement.

Or b) Character assassination;

...an attempt to tarnish a person's reputation. It may involve exaggeration, misleading half-truths, or manipulation of facts to present an untrue picture of the targeted person. It is a form of defamation

Without going into too much depth, it can be said that the usefulness of satire far outweighs that of character assassination. What also made a lot of sense to me is this quote describing the more flamboyant reactions of gamers to this event,

'In that instant, gamers felt so much pride, and so much fear, that they became not the evolved renaissance men of gaming to which Day[9]'s Manifesto had so cheerfully referred, but the knuckle-dragging apes of their ideal

Not apes, but trolls, and bad ones at that.

**

As a whole, Tait, the author, sheds light on a well-established social issue that's plagued the world of gaming for years, that of female gamers, their place in the industry, and how they are treated. No genius is needed to see that there are huge obstacles for females devoted to traditionally male-oriented arenas such as gaming, whether it be in the form of stereotyping, disrespect, or disregard. Just like in the world of literature, females with talent should never be dismissed or ignored on the basis that they are female, because when people are enthusiastic about something, and love something, then their interest in it should never be shunned or discouraged, but cultivated and nurtured, so that they might be themselves, and be happy.

My Favorite Book

Written in 1984

·       Chapter 1

In Neuromancer, the reader is introduced to a dystopian world filled with social decay, rampant drug use, and ridiculous technology. The setting seems quite dark and forbidding, “the sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.” (Gibson 3) Case, who is the main protagonist of the novel, is introduced in a grungy bar called the Chat. We learn that he is a washed up ex cyber-space ‘cowboy’ (someone who uses cyberspace to hustle for money) who was brutally maimed by his former employers for stealing from them. He appears burnt out, and he converses with the Chat’s bartender Ratz, who is an ugly and fat man with a dry sense of humor. Ratz’s appearance correlates with the symbol of decay, “his teeth a web work of East European steel and brown decay.” (3) Steel also seems to be an important motif in the story because it indicates a kind of tangible foreign presence throughout this futuristic world representing different things. For example, Steel from East Europe is used to support Ratz’s decaying teeth, Japanese steel is used to describe a deadly shuriken, and German steel is used to describe a cigarette lighter that looks like a surgical instrument.

Case has a witty and dead sense of humor, and he seems somewhat suicidal over the fact that he can’t jack into cyberspace anymore. He continues to drink away his sorrows and pop amphetamine pills (known as a ‘dex’) while conversing with Ratz about his problems. Case’s chemical dependencies are an important theme in the story, as it shows how he has lost touch with reality entirely. To Case, the ultimate state of altered reality is cyberspace, also known as the Matrix. The Matrix is a very important symbol used to emphasize the notion of disconnectedness, as it is referred to as a “consensual hallucination.” (5) The theme of social decay is also apparent when Chiba is described as “a magnet for the Sprawl’s techno-criminal subcultures.” (6)

          Since the incident Case has become a street hustler working in Night city in the Ninsei neighborhood of Chiba city Japan, and he’s spent a lot of time and money wondering around ‘Black Clinics’ to try and reverse the neurological damage inflicted by his ex-employers. Treatments specializing in nerve-splicing, implants, and microbionics are known as “black medicine” (Gibson 6) which is another important symbol supporting the theme of man’s overdeveloped sense of dependency on technology.

The city where Case lives is referred to as an ‘urban sprawl,’ a place of immense social decay bathed in electronic light, “the bars down Ninsei were shuttered and featureless, the neon dead, the holograms inert, waiting, under the poisoned silver sky.” (7) Massive corporate entities surround the city.

Case also converses with a Pimp known as Lonny Zone, who’s also a drug abuser and hustler, another sign of social decay. At this point Case is poor and helpless wondering around Chiba in a drug-induced daze. The zone in which he lives, Night City, is referred to as “a deranged experiment in social Darwinism, designed by a bored researcher who kept one thumb permanently on the fast forward button.” (7) This emphasizes the notion of social decay and dystopian imagery.

Case remembers a girl by the name of Linda Lee, who was one of his old girlfriends. He thinks back to the time he found her in an arcade, where Gibson’s uses literary devices in the form of use of diction and description of Linda;

Under bright ghosts burning through a blue haze of cigarette smoke, holograms of Wizard’s Castle, Tank War Europa, and New York skyline… And now he remembered her that way, her face bathed in restless laser light, features reduced to a code: her cheekbones flaring scarlet as Wizard’s Castle burned, forehead drenched with azure when Munich fell to the Tank War, mouth touched with hot gold as a gliding cursor struck sparks from the wall of a skyscraper canyon. (8)

          This unique use of literary devices in reference to technology, humanity, artificial lighting, and imagery is present throughout the novel, which helps to establish a fast-paced, paranoid atmosphere. Later on Case meets up with Linda in some rundown coffee house. His addictive personality is emphasized, “finally he’d seen the raw need, the hungry armature of addiction.” (8) There is a symbolic concept associated with fake looking and worn surroundings when Case is talking with Linda Lee in the coffee place, “everything seemed to wear a subtle film, as though the bad nerves of a million customers had somehow attacked the mirrors and the once glossy plastics, leaving each surface fogged with something that could never be wiped away.” (9) I believe that the notion of ragged and worn down surroundings indicates the overuse and tearing away of what once represented usefulness and convenience. Throughout the book there are constant reminders of how things have degraded beyond any semblance of beauty that they might have once represented. Both Linda and Case are heavy drug users, and they make no attempt to hide this. It’s almost as if they’re both operating on permanent highs, building up to an impending crash.

          Night city is also described as “a deliberately unsupervised playground for technology itself,” (11) meaning that all things associated with the negative side of technology are deeply rooted. Case is captivated by the image of Shuriken as well, which signifies deadly force and the type of life he’s living because they’re fast, sharp, and reckless. He visits a man named Julius Deanne, a 135 year old Welshman who’s had “his metabolism assiduously warped by a weekly fortune in serums and hormones.” (12) Julius (or Julie, as Case calls him) is an example of how extreme technology has become. Julie is obsessed with well-tailored suits and preserved ginger, perhaps indicative of his desire for perfection and preserving himself. He also wears highly stylized “prescription lenses, framed in spidery gold, ground from thin slabs of pink synthetic quartz and beveled like the mirrors in a Victorian dollhouse.” (12) The notion of decadent style is portrayed heavily through Julius. He also calls everybody ‘old son,’ “you seem to be clean, old son.” (12) This shows that he represents a sort of remnant of civility and properness that seems to have vacated society. We learn that Julius is an importer/exporter of antiques and fine goods, and that he appears to have a seamless pink face. Case goes to him for information because Julie has connections and he seems to know about everything that’s going on, and case wants to find out about Wage’s plans, “Julie, I hear Wage wants to kill me.” (13) Case is a highly paranoid person, and he thinks everyone is out to do him harm. Julie tells him that Wage doesn’t want to kill him and more obscure references are made about Julie’s belongings and his appearance.

          In a fit of paranoia, Case believes someone is after him and he takes off into the night, so he goes off to rent a gun. Gibson seems to describe every object in extreme detail, perhaps indicative of a highly paranoid state of drug-induced perception, “A Japanese girl in a sleeveless black t-shirt glanced up from a white terminal, behind her head a travel poster of Greece, Aegean blue slashed with streamlined ideograms (17)… Someone scored a ten-megaton hit on Tank War Europa, a simulated airburst drowning the arcade in white sound as a lurid hologram fireball mushroomed overhead.” (17)

          Case picks up a weapon and travels through an arcade. He believes he’s being followed and he begins to run while everything around him turns into a blur of holograms and light. It turns out that nobody was following him, and he ends up crashing through the arcade causing damage and problems along the way. He returns home, which is a place known as ‘CHEAP HOTEL,’ because “if the place had another name, Case didn’t know it.” (19) This goes to show that Case is completely lost in the surroundings of reality because he does not care about them. All that matters to him is getting jacked back into the matrix, and it pains him to know that he can’t. Instead, he wonders around stoned on drugs in an attempt to reclaim any sense of himself by cutting loose street deals just to survive. Inside Cheap Hotel, coffin like living quarters that symbolize the dehumanization of technology. A life of rapid degeneration of society brought upon by rampant body altering black clinics and drugs are literally manifested by the tomb in which Case sleeps. Case sets up a deal to sell some stolen RAM and heads out at sunrise to Ratz’s bar. Strong descriptions are used to describe the falseness of Wage’s face, “it was a tanned and forgettable mask. The eyes were vat grown sea-green Nikon transplants.” (21) No character seems to be their real self, as if they’re shielded behind a façade of artificiality.

          Case thinks Wage is going to kill him when he comes into the bar, but Ratz threatens him with a riot shotgun so no trouble erupts. He begins to feel the burden of his endeavors, “Case felt the weight of the night come down on him like a bag of wet sand settling behind his eyes.” (23) His condition seems to be steadily deteriorating. Case explains that “towns like this are for people who like the way down,” (23) in regards to Ninsei.

          Case returns home to cheap hotel to find that his Coffin-like apartment has been broken into. He enters the room and finds a woman threatening him with a flechette pistol. The woman tells Case that Linda took some of Case’s hardware, and she is described by having “mirrored glasses. Her clothes were black, the heels of black boots deep in the temperfoam.” (24)We find out that her name’s Molly, and that she’s been following Case the whole time. She is offering him a job and wants him to work for her boss. Gibson has portrayed her as strong and independent character, “because if you try to fuck around with me, you’ll be taking one of the stupidest chances of your whole life.” (25) She possesses “ten double-edged, four-centimeter scalpel blades,” beneath her nails, which are retractable and deadly, another sign of how technology has been twisted into a form of death-dealing and menace.

·       Chapter 2

Case is taken by Molly to the Chiba Hilton hotel where he meets a man named Armitage. It turns out that he’s an ex-special forces agent from a war that had happened not too long ago. He reveals a piece of information with which Case is not comfortable with, “we invented you in Siberia, Case.” (28) Armitage mentions ‘Screaming Fist,’ which is the name of a series of virus programs used in the war. Case learns that “the prototypes of the programs you use to crack industrial banks were developed for Screaming First.” (28) Case’s programs are referred to as icebreakers, and they are designed to break “ICE, intrusion countermeasures electronics.” (28) Armitage hints that he wants to use Case’s exceptional abilities, but Case reminds him that he cannot do so because of his injury from his former employers. Armitage mentions that “our profile says you’re trying to con the street into killing you when you’re not looking,” (28) hinting at Case’s suicidal tendencies. Then Armitage makes a very intriguing offer, “what would you say if I told you we could correct your neural damage, Case?” Case replies with “I’d say you were full of shit.” He clearly has trust issues on every level, and he feels that nobody is worth trusting anymore.

Case ventures out into a yard with Molly to discuss the deal. There’s an ever-present Asian style to their surroundings, “white boulders, a stand of green bamboo, black gravel raked into smooth waves.” (29) Molly’s appearance is also described,

She hooked the thumbs in the belt loops of her leather jeans and rocked backward on the lacquered heels of cheery red cowboy boots. The narrow toes were sheathed in bright Mexican silver. The lenses were empty quicksilver, regarding him with insect calm. (30)

Lacquered and silver objects are present throughout the story, and I believe they are a symbol representing the fake sheen of what the future represents. Everything’s fine and shiny on the outside, but it’s entirely fake and for aesthetic purposes only. Case refers to Molly as a “street-samurai,” which is an interesting comparison of something modern vs. something considered traditional. To accompaniment of steel with the company it was manufactured in is also a symbol, “she lit it for him with a thin slab of German steel that looked like it belonged on an operating table.” (30) I believe that this is to describe how certain countries produce things of steel as a tangible representation of their presence in foreign countries. At other times steel is described as being cold and possessing an odor, “cold steel odor. Ice caressed his spine.” (31) Steel seems to be a mystical element of solidness and paranoia. It’s shiny and useful but somehow dangerous, just as the shiny shuriken from the first chapter is described.

          Another important literary device in Gibson’s storytelling is the use of poetic style description. An example of this is when Case is undergoing neurosurgery to repair his damage,

                    Hold still. Don’t move.

          And Ratz was there, and Linda Lee, Wage and Lonny Zone,

          a hundred faces from the neon forest, sailors and hustlers and

          whores, where the sky is poisoned silver, beyond chain link

          and the prison of the skull. (31)

          Where the sky faded from hissing static to the noncolor of

          The matrix, and he glimpsed the shuriken, his stars. (31)

          These bizarre poetic allusions create a depressing fantasy-like feeling in regards to the decay and strangeness that is omnipresent in Ninsei. Molly threatens Case when he tries to move during his treatment, “You don’t lie still, I’ll slit your fucking throat. You’re still full of endorphin inhibitors.” (31) This is an example of her dominant personality. Case finds out that his blood and pancreas has been changed, and that his liver has been repaired. His immediate reaction is to want to go “punch deck” into the matrix, which demonstrates his impulsiveness, but Molly reminds him that “Your nervous system would fall out on the floor if you jacked in now.” (32) They then discuss Armitage for a moment and how he’s out selling drugs. Molly tells him that they’re going to head off to Amsterdam, Paris, and then gives Case a massage. This leads to sex, which is described using technological terms,

                    The images came pulsing back, the faces, fragments of

          neon arriving and receding… his orgasm flaring blue in

          a timeless space, a vastness like the matrix, where the

          faces were shredded and blown down hurricane corridors. (33)

         

          Even intercourse has been somewhat dehumanized by the influence of technology, as if it has almost replaced some human emotions. In this techno-fetishistic society, almost everything is related to shiny technological advancement wrapped in bright neon.

          Case and Molly head over to the Chat where Ratz is tending the bar. Case tells Ratz to tell Wage that he’s got his money to prevent any further confrontation with him. Case tells Molly that he’s got to take care of some business before they leave, but what he really wants to do is get information on Armitage to see what he’s all about. Molly picks up on this, “You’re going up there to check us out with your smuggler.” (34) By smuggler she means Julius Deane. Julie’s bizarre appearance is described again, “Deane’s shirt was candy-striped cotton, the collar white and rigid, like porcelain.” (34) Case asks Julie to find out about Armitage, and he finds out that he’s got a temporary arrangement with the Yakuza, and a group called ‘the sons of the neon chrysanthemum.’ Case asks about the war, which turns out lasted only 3 weeks, and was ended by the ‘Screaming Fist’ operation that Case unknowingly participated in. Julie describes it as “Great bloody postwar political football, that was. Watergated all to hell and back.” (35) This is a clear reference to the Watergate scandal, which underlines the idea of political abuse and corruption. We find out that Julie was not in the war, but he says “Wonderful what a war can do for one’s markets,” (35) indicating that he profited from the conflict.

          Case pays Wage off and walks along with Molly back to Ratz’s. It’s started that “he’d sensed it. Linda’s death, waiting…” referring to Case’s ex-girlfriend who stole from him. This provides foreshadowing for later events involving Linda. Case tries to take some of his octagonal pills of amphetamine but Molly informs him that his new pancreas and plugs in his liver prevent him from getting high anymore, “You’re biochemically incapable of getting off on amphetamine or cocaine,” to which Case responds “Shit.” He tries eating a dozen octagons and nothing happens, showing that this bothers him greatly due to his heavy addiction to them. Gibson’s description of a place called ‘Sammi’s’ further develops a dystopian, corroded feeling of the future,

Sammi’s was an inflated dome behind a portside warehouse, taut gray fabric reinforced with a net of thin steel cables. The corridor, with a door at either end, was a crude airlock preserving the pressure differential that supported the dome. Fluorescent rings were screwed to the plywood ceiling at intervals, but most of them had been broken. The air was damp and close with the smell of seat and concrete. (36)

Inside Sammi’s is a crowd of spectators observing holographic representations of knife-fighters amid a “strata of cigarette smoke.” Case is with Molly at this point and they travel through the area, and Molly leaves to get some food while Case stares at the extremely violent contest of the knife-fighters. This shows how brutal futuristic entertainment has become, and how clearly desensitized people are towards it.  Case’s longing for the thrill of the matrix is emphasized at this point as well, “Seven days and he’d jack in. If he closed his eyes now, he’d see the matrix.” (37) His desire to be connected to technology is intrinsically linked to the existence of his being.

         

Case then suffers a massive pang of paranoia, believing that the operation hadn’t worked and that it had all been some dream. He then sees Linda amidst the crowd and he follows her. As he chases her “the ghost line of a laser branded across his eye,” indicating that someone with a laser sighted weapon has targeted him. A thin boy with spiked blond hair begins coming after him with a razor in hand, and just as he’s about to slit Case’s throat Molly shoots him with her explosive fletchettes, “the face was erased in a humming cloud of microscopic explosions. Molly’s fletchettes, at twenty rounds per second.” (38) The crowd is apparently oblivious to the shootout, as they are too transfixed on the knife-fight going on. Case gets up and heads over to Linda’s body. She’d been killed by the boy’s laser, yet it doesn’t seem to affect him, “Case walked on, feeling nothing.” (38) Molly asks him about his and he shakes his head, and she tells him that he killed her over the RAM she’d stolen from Case. What this implies is that technology seems to be valued above human life, and it doesn’t seem to affect Case that she’s was killed, although he does seem to care on some level when he asks “Who sent them?” Molly hands him a bag of preserved ginger, a symbol of Julius Deane, which proves that he ordered the killing.

          They head to the port where Armitage is waiting with a hovercraft. The chapter ends with “The last Case saw of Chiba were the dark angles of the archologies. Then a mist closed over the black water and the drifting shoals of waste.” (39)   

Part Two: The Shopping Expedition

·       Chapter 3

Case, Molly, and Armitage arrive at a place called BAMA, the Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis, which is an urban sprawl. To explain the area, you could “program a map to display frequency of data exchange, every thousand megabytes a single pixel on a very large screen. Manhattan and Atlanta burn solid white.” (43) This is a clear sign of how prevalent cyberspace technology has become in large cities. The reader gets the sense that the Sprawl is some deep and ancient labyrinth,

Somewhere down in the Sprawl’s ferro-concrete roots, a train drove a column of stale air through a tunnel. The train itself was silent, gliding over its induction cushion, but displaced air made the tunnel sing, bass down into subsonics. Vibration reached the room where he lay and caused dust to rise from the cracks in the desiccated parquet floor… sunlight filtered through the soot-stained grid of a skylight. (44)

The reader gets the feeling that this urban metropolis is choking under decay and dust. Case’s description of Molly also indicates his technological association with humanity,

He lay on his side and watched her breathe, her breasts, the sweep of a flank defined with the functional elegance of a war plane’s fusilage. Her body was spare, neat, the muscles like a dancer’s (44)

His room is described as “empty… blank walls, no windows, a single white-painted steel fire door. The walls were coated with countless layers of latex paint. Factory space.” (44) Case’s existence is frequented by temporary living quarters that don’t seem quite real or significant in any way. They are just objects with little relevance because the only real thing in his world is virtual reality. He talks about his travels in Amsterdam and Paris as if they were a blur.

The colour burgundy, perhaps a symbol of something old like wood, is also prevalent, “scratching her stomach with burgundy nails.” (45) Burgundy could act as a sort of allusion to the warmth that no longer exists in this society. Also mentioned frequently are appliances manufactured in foreign countries, “Molly was making coffee on a German stove,” (45) which could support the concept that things used for everyday life have to be imported because they aren’t made in places that care only about the matrix. This could also tie in with the idea of how foreign objects made of steel are prevalent because steel is something hands-on and tangible, unlike the purely electronic and biotechnological inventions in Case’s realm.

          The concept of beauty is also described as being engineered and affordable in the description of Armitage, “The handsome, inexpressive features offered the routine beauty of the cosmetic boutiques, a conservative amalgam of the past decade’s leading media faces.” (45)

          Armitage mentions to Case that “You needed a new pancreas. The one we bought for you frees you from a dangerous dependency,” to which Case responds, “Thanks, but I was enjoying that dependency.” (45) This goes to show Case’s addictive, stubborn personality and unwillingness to change his destructive behaviour. Armitage then drops a bombshell. He tells Case that “You have fifteen toxin sacs bonded to the lining of various main arteries… They’re dissolving.” (46) He explains that he has enough time to do his job, and when he does he will inject him with the cure and replace his blood. This is to ensure that Case does the job, because if he doesn’t, he’ll die. This doesn’t seem to bother Case because he’s suicidal already.

          He and Molly travel outside, where it is summer in the Sprawl. The concept of mass consumerism is indicated here, “the mall crowds swaying like wind-blown grass, a field of flesh shot through with sudden eddies of need and gratification.” (46)

          Armitage has supplied Case with an advanced computer system known as a Ono-Sendai, and series of hacking tools. ‘I saw you stroking that Sendai; man, it was pornographic,” (47) is Molly’s joking reference to Case’s reaction to the computer. What’s ironic is that Case seemed more interested in the technology than the toxin sacs in his blood. Case asks about how Molly has been ‘kinked’ into working for Armitage, and she says it’s simply out of professional pride.

         

          In an effort to determine if the toxin sacs in Case’s blood are real, Molly takes him to a strange place in a Manhattan alleyway. The place has a description that’s important to thematic concepts in the book;

…dense tangles of junk rising on either side to walls lined with shelves of crumbling paperbacks. The junk looked like something that had grown there, a fungus of twisted metal and plastic. He could pick out individual objects, but then they seemed to blur back into the mass: the guts of a television so old it was studded with the glass stumps of vacuum tubes, a crumpled dish antenna, a brown fiber canister stuffed with corroded lengths of alloy tubing. An enormous pile of old magazines had cascaded into the open area, flesh of lost summers staring blindly up as he followed her back through a narrow canyon of impacted scrap. He didn’t look back. (48)

There is a notion of eternal obsolescence from all the old decaying technology and books. If something isn’t cutting edge it simply collects dust and piles up into mountains of waste. It’s almost as if this society is so quick to irresponsibly discard the junk it once found useful in the name of progress, and it now surrounds them. It has simply become something to avoid and forget about. These are important themes in the book.

          Here we meet ‘the Finn,’ who is the owner of the place containing all that old technology.  He is described as having been ‘designed in a wind tunnel. His ears were very small, plastered flat against his narrow skull, and his large front teeth, revealed in something that wasn’t quite a smile, were canted sharply backward.” (48) Molly asks him to scan case for any sign of the toxin sacs in Case. He seems to be obsessed with time and money, “that’s fine by the Finn Moll. You’re only paying by the second.” (49) He finds nothing though, but his scanners aren’t very advanced so they’re not sure.

         

          Molly informs Case about the job they need to do. Basically, a legendary hacker by the name of Dixie Flatline, who is dead, has had his ‘construct’ locked vault in a library owned by a company named Sense/Net. A construct is basically someone’s mind stored in a computer program, and Molly tells Case that he needs to retrieve it from this locked vault. Case seems very suspicious and paranoid about the situation, “Yeah, it’s all weird. You’re weird, this hole’s weird, and who’s the weird little gopher (in reference to the Finn) outside in the hall?” Molly outlines the details of the plan and Case accepts it, because he really doesn’t have any other choice.

          As Case flips through TV channels, he stops on a show that describes the matrix in what is possibly one of the most important passages in the novel.

‘The matrix has its roots in primitive arcade games… in early graphics programs and military experimentation with cranial jacks.’ On the Sony, a two-dimensional space war faded behind a forest of mathematically generated ferns, demonstrating the special possibilities of logarithmic spirals; cold blue military footage burned through, lab animals wired into test systems, helmets feeding into fire control circuits of tanks and war planes. ‘Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts… A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…’ (51)

          It turns out that this information is being shown on a kid’s show. What’s interesting is that these descriptions define our current internet system, yet in 1984 a widespread internet did not exist. This passage underlines Gibson’s main concepts of cyberspace and the matrix. His prediction on how computers would evolve is a strikingly accurate portrayal of current technology. The comparison of Cities to the matrix is also an important motif because it demonstrates the ideas of vastness, complexity, artificial light, and a virtual or artificial existence.

          At this point it has been 8 days since Case left Ninsei, and he is about to jack into cyberspace for the first time since his operation. When he looks at his ‘deck’ (the device used to jack into cyberspace), he doesn’t really see it, seeing instead the “shop window on Ninsei, the chromed shuriken burning with reflected neon.” (52) It is clear that he relates experiences involving computers with strong, exciting images is in life. He then closes his eyes and jacks in with poetic description,

And in the bloodlit dark behind his eyes, silver phosphenes boiling in from the edge of space, hypnagogic images jerking past like film compiled from random frames. Symbols, figures, faces, a blurred, fragmented mandala of visual information… And flowed, flowered for him, fluid neon origami trick, the unfolding of his distanceless home, his country, transparent 3D chessboard extending to infinity. Inner eye opening to the stepped scarlet pyramid of the Eastern Seaboard Fission Authority burning beyond the green cubes of Mitsubishi bank of America, and high and very far away he saw the spiral arms of military systems, forever beyond his reach. And somewhere he was laughing, in a white-painted loft, distant fingers caressing his deck, tears of release streaking his face. (52)

It’s almost as if Case belongs in the matrix, since it appears that his ability to jack into it again has renewed his life’s purpose. It can be argued that his body is a metaphorical ‘Case’ of obsolete flesh and blood for his paranoid, matrix-craving mind. This would represent another important literary device.

The Finn visits Case in his apartment and goes over some upgrades for his Ono-Sendai to help him with his mission. He installs a flip-flop switch, which is a device that allows access to “live or recorded simstim (simulated stimulation) without having to jack out of the matrix.” (53) He states that it’s to access Molly’s ‘sensorium,’ which would psychologically place him inside her mind. This is another example of how the limits of technology have been pushed to such an extreme way, to the point that you can experience what it’s like to be in another person’s body.

·        Chapter 4

The plan is set to retrieve Dixie’s construct from Sense/Net, but first Molly must get some additional help. Case uses the simstim unit, another form of highly advanced technology, to enter Molly’s senses, “for a few frightened seconds he fought helplessly to control her body. Then he willed himself into passivity, became the passenger behind her eyes.”  (56) Molly heads to a place known as Memory Lane, which is an area that sells various microsofts and other devices. They are described in great detail, “The counters that fronted the booths displayed hundreds of slivers of microsoft, angular fragments of colored silicon mounted under oblong transparent bubbles on squares of white cardboard.” (57)

Soon after, Case makes an important observation about society, “Fads swept the youth of the Sprawl at the speed of light; entire subcultures could rise overnight, thrive for a dozen weeks, and then vanish utterly.” (58) This thematic concept of fads correlates with the frequent obsolescence of technology. What’s popular at one moment is very quickly replaced by new and more interesting things.

An important group of people known as the ‘Panther Moderns’ is explained here. Case is told that he has to work with them on his mission, and he watches a program them;

There is always a point at which the terrorist ceases to manipulate the media gestalt. A point at which the violence may well escalate, but beyond which the terrorist has become symptomatic of the media gestalt itself. Terrorism as we ordinarily understand it is innately media related. The Panther Moderns differ from other terrorists precisely in their degree of self-consciousness, in their awareness of the extent to which media divorce the act of terrorism from the original sociopolitical intent…”(58)

          It is clear that the Panther Moderns are some form of terrorist organization with a political purpose. After Case meets them he referrers to them as “mercenaries, practical jokers, nihilistic technofetishists.” (59) Case meets a Modern named Angelo, who’s described as having bizarre appearance, “His face was a simple graft grown on collagen and shark cartilage polysaccharides, smooth and hideous. “ (59) This ties in with the motif of an engineered appearance, since people in this society to not accept their natural image.

          Case spends the next several days cutting into Sense/Net’s ice, and he looses track of time completely while in the matrix. He has dreams about Ninsei and Linda Lee, which are very confusing to him, “Once he woke from a confused dream of Linda Lee, unable to recall who she was or what she’d ever meant to him.” (59) Case has become so absorbed in his mind and the matrix that he can barely remember or care about the people he once cared about. It takes him a total of 9 days to break into Sense/Net, and the hackers (Panther Moderns, Case, and Molly) start their plan.

          Molly is designated to be the one who breaks into the Sense/Net building, and her nickname for the operation is ‘Cat Mother,’ a clever wordplay on the fact that she has retractable razor claws. The rest of the hackers are stationed in various locations around the US, and they all have special jobs to make the plan a success. While Case’s icebreaker program works through Sense/Net’s security in the background he loads into Molly’s sensorium and she is disguised as a tourist inside the building. Several other Moderns use payphones to call the police and inform them that Sense/Net has just been flooded with a psychoactive agent called Blue Nine. This is so the building is evacuated to make their job easier. Then Molly kills a guard on her way through the elevator while the Moderns manipulate the video surveillance in the building.

          Soon after Molly breaks a leg while fighting her way through to the construct and she administers endorphin analog to kill the pain. She completes the mission with Case’s assistance and begins to leave the building. A brigade of riot police are stationed behind barriers outside with orders to kill anyone who’s leaving because of the Blue Nine threat, which they don’t realize was a hoax by the Moderns. Molly is shocked to find bodies of Sense/Net employees stacked three deep in the lobby way as she stealthily goes to leave. It turns out that the Panthers knew this was going to happen all along, and plan to use video footage of the slaughter to support their cause of anarchy. Meanwhile, Case is being observed by the Panther Modern leader, Lupus Yonderboy, “his hair was pink. A rainbow forest of microsofts bristled behind his left ear… his pupils had been modified to catch the light like a cat’s.” (67) He also wearing a chameleon suit and can blend in with his surroundings, like all the Panther Moderns. Armitage is there with Case as well, and he tells the Modern leader that he let the Sense/Net situation get out of control. Lupus responds with “Chaos… That is our mode and modus. That is our central kick.” (67) Armitage reluctantly pays him for helping to retrieve the construct because he feels guilt-ridden over the deaths. I think Lupus represents a sort of underlying evil that manipulates forces behind the scenes, whose sole purpose in the story is to create chaos and conflict since it would have been possible to retrieve the construct without the unnecessary death.

          Case leaves the building and thinks over the whole ordeal. His paranoia seems to be growing again, and he can’t make sense of the situation. Then Lupus sneaks up behind him and delivers a message. The message is ‘Wintermute,’ and nothing more. This message appears to act as foreshadowing to later events.

         

·        Chapter 5

Molly undergoes surgery to repair her broken leg in “some giant version of Cheap Hotel, each coffin forty meters long,” (71) which is another reference to the motif of graveyard-like buildings filled with coffins. Case meets up with her and tells her about Lupus’s message, ‘Wintermute.’ Molly doesn’t seem to want to discuss it, so they grab lunch and head back to the Finn’s place. The Finn’s room is described again with the same feeling of technological decay,

Case felt like the stuff had grown,,, it was changing subtly, cooking itself down under the pressure of time, silent invisible flakes settling to form a mulch, a crystalline essence of discarded technology, flowering secretly in the Sprawl’s waste places. (72)

          This time it’s correlated with organic properties like a flower, as if the discarded junk of society is somehow threatening to outgrow the new. Molly hands the Finn a piece of paper with some writing on it, and he seems to become excited over it. He and Molly begin discussing Wintermute, and Case is completely lost about what’s going on and he tries to butt in on their conversation. The Finn explains that Wintermute is an artificial intelligence with Swiss citizenship, and it was built for the Tessier-Ashpool S.A Company, “It’s got limited Swiss citizenship under their equivalent of the Act of ’53… Built for Tessier-Ashpool S.A… Wintermute is the recognition code for an AI. I’ve got the Turing[1] Registry numbers.” (73) They discuss the idea that Armitage’s personality is in fact an artificial intelligence, “If Yonderboy’s right… this AI is backing Armitage.” (73) They postulate that Wintermute is running him. This is all very confusing to Case, who has no idea what they’re talking about, but the Finn explains about Tessier-Ashpool S.A., which is integral to this whole idea of AI and Wintermute.

          We find out that “The Finn was a fence, a trafficker in stolen goods, primarily in software.” (73) The Finn explains that he worked with another fence named Smith, someone who dealt with art history programs and tables of gallery sales, and he goes to the Finn for information about Tessier-Ashpool S.A. This is because Smith had a supplier named Jimmy, who was basically a burglar that stole an “intricately worked bust, cloisonné over platinum, studded with seedpearls and lapis… It could talk… with a beautiful arrangement of gears and miniature organ pipes” (74) Jimmy leaves the bust with Smith, who discovers that it had been commissioned by Tessier-Ashpool. While in possession of the bust, a “vatgrown ninja assassin” (74) effortlessly passes through Smith’s security systems and demands the bust. Smith, fearing for his life, gives the ninja the bust. The ninja pays Smith for it, and asks who stole it, then “Within days, Smith learned of Jimmy’s death. (75) All this leads to an investigation by the Finn to find out about Tessier-Ashpool, where he learns that they’re a “Family organization. Corporate structure… very quiet, very eccentric, first-generation high-orbit family… Big money, very shy of media. Lot of cloning.” (75)

So basically, this information leads the group to be suspicious of Armitage, who they believe is operated by the AI Wintermute, which is apparently owned by Tessier-Ashpool S.A. Molly tells Case to crack a London database that Armitage bought from the Moderns to find out more information.

Hours later and Case is alone and thinking about Dixie Flatline, who we find out was once Case’s mentor who taught him many tricks about cyberspace, “it was disturbing to think of the Flatline as a construct, a hardwired ROM cassette replicating a dead man’s skills…” (76) This shows that perhaps he’s beginning to reclaim a sense of his own humanity through observing some of the bizarre perversions that advanced technology has come to represent. As Case begins reflect on more human-related experiences, this may develop into a stronger theme later on. It is quite clear that in this society, the degrading perversions of some technology have become widely accepted and commonplace;

A pair of predatory-looking Christian Scientists were edging toward a trio of young office techs who wore idealized holographic vaginas on their wrists, wet pink glittering under the harsh lighting. The techs licked their perfect lips nervously and eyed the Christian Scientists from beneath lowered metallic lids. The girls looked like tall, exotic grazing animals, swaying gracefully and unconsciously with the movement of the train, their high heels like polished hooves against the grey metal of the car’s floor. Before they could stampede, take flight from the missionaries, the train reached Case’s station. (77)

          What the office techs are doing would clearly be repulsive and unacceptable in any public setting today. Just as traditional Christians would probably try to uphold some sense of moral integrity, the Christian Scientists seem to exhibit their distaste towards this act, but don’t seem to do anything about it. I think the point being made here is that without some form of social control or moral consideration, bizarre, morally unsound perversions thrive.  

          As Case exits the train he’s also bombarded with advertisements promoting cigars and other things, with pulsing messages like ‘WHY WAIT?’ “He’d seen the ad, or others like it, thousands of times. It had never appealed to him.” (77) It could be argued that Case’s contempt for society, the ads, the social decay, and the moral degradation surrounding him has allowed him to develop a sort of impervious sense of disconnection form it all. Just as with his desire to withdraw into the matrix, it is also possible that his suicidal feelings are related to his desire to escape the madness surrounding him.

          While walking back to the loft, Case has memories about Flatline and his early days in a bar that catered to cyberspace cowboys and the ‘joeboys’ that learned from them. Flatline is also known as Pauley, “They’d all heard of Pauley, the redneck jockey from the ‘Lanta fringes, who’d survived braindeath behind black ice.” (77) One of Case’s memories of Flatline reveals important aspects of his character;

Boy... I’m like them huge fuckin’ lizards, you know? Had themself two goddamn brains, one in the head an’ one by the tailbone, kept the hind legs movin’. Hit that black stuff and ol’ tailbrain jus’ kept right on keepin’ on. (78)

          Case referrers to him as “McCoy Pauley, Lazarus of cyberspace…” (78) It is quite clear that Case looked up to him, thought of him as a mentor, and as a friend. Case then inserts McCoy’s construct into his ‘Hosaka’ (brand of computer) and starts conversing with him as if he were a living being. McCoy’s memories seem to be intact as well when Case asks him who he is, “Miami, joeboy, quick study.” (78) Since McCoy’s construct is a ROM (read only memory) it forgets things when it’s unplugged, but Case then fixes this by giving it a sequential, real time memory. He then asks Dix (McCoy’s nickname) to help him with the London database break-in, to which he responds “You gonna tell me I got a choice boy?” (79) I believe that this interaction symbolizes human relations with technology on a much higher level than anything before. Case is directly communicating with a dead person who he

·        Chapter 6

The Flatline cooperates with Case to break into Armitage’s London database, which appears to have no security measures whatsoever. They find out that the data contains video recordings of postwar military trials, central figure being a man named Colonel Willis Corto. Case watches some and makes a startling discovery, “A man’s face filled the screen. The eyes were Armitage’s.” (82) After two hours of searching Case becomes tired and confused, and he doesn’t reveal his findings to Molly immediately because he’s trying to sort the story out. It turns out that Willis Corto was involved with operation Screaming Fist. The purpose of the operation was to covertly fly into Russia to test a program called Mole IX, “the first true virus in the history of cybernetics.” (82) However, the Russians discovered them and they were shot down with pulse guns. Corto survived and managed to commandeer a Russian gunship to Finland where it was shot down, yet he survived the crash. The war ended 9 days later, and “Corto was shipped to a military facility in Utah, blind, legless, and missing most of his jaw.” (83) This situation is also referred to as being “ripe for watergating,” (83) which is another symbol of political corruption and abuse of power. Trials regarding the incident were televised, and Corto was called to testify. His testimony was “repaired, refurnished, and extensively rehearsed,” (83) in order to save “the careers of three officers.” (83) This event clearly emphasizes the theme of political corruption in the novel by how the government was responsible for manufacturing stories and cover-ups to protect itself.

These actions also mark a profound shift in Corto’s (who’s hinted at as being Armitage’s) character, who “seemed to grow obsessed with the idea of betrayal...” (84) His presence in high-profile crime became prolific. Later, it seems that he was admitted to a French hospital where he was diagnosed as being schizophrenic. He was then sent to a government institution and became the subject of an experimental program designed to cure him through the application of cybernetic models. Case finds out that “He was cured, the only success in the entire experiment,” (84) but the records end. It is probable that at that point he was cured with, or began to be controlled by, the artificial intelligence Wintermute during the experiments.

Armitage then phones and informs Case and Molly that they have to go to Istanbul, which Molly considers a “Bad old town.” (85) They pack up and start to leave. Aboard the train, Case has some flashbacks to his childhood,

The landscape of the northern Sprawl woke confused memories of childhood for Case, dead grass tufting the cracks in a canted slab of freeway concrete… Case watched the sun rise on the landscape of childhood, on broken slag and the rusting shells of refineries. (85)

          These descriptions, in correlation with his possible feelings of humanism, could hint at the fact that he’s beginning to have a better understanding of life. Things are starting to make sense for him, as if a veil of confusion is being slowly removed. 

·        Chapter 7

Case and Molly arrive in Istanbul. They meet The Finn in a hotel lobby, and Molly refers to him as a “Rat in a business suit,” (88) which is a joke on behalf of his appearance. Case makes an observation about some old things, “A few letter-writers had taken refuge in doorways, their old voiceprinters wrapped in sheets of clear plastic, evidence that the written word still enjoyed a certain prestige here.” (88) This observation shows how archaic standard writing has become, which would tie in with the theme of social decay brought about by new technology.

Armitage gives Case a call while they enter their hotel room. Case asks to have more information about his assignment, but Armitage tells him that he knows all he needs to know, and tells him to meet a man named Terzibanshjian later and hangs up. Molly laughs at the fact that Case pronounces the name of the man they’re about to meet as ‘Jersey Bastion,’ “You got an ear for language, Case. Bet you’re part Armenian.” (89) She appears to enjoy making fun of Case, which is a symbol of their close relationship.  

At this point the group gets into a Mercedes and drives through town after picking up Terzibanshjian, who’s been spying on a man named Riviera He’s described as “a young man in a gray suit and gold-framed, mirrored glasses.” (89) Most characters that Case encounters such as Molly, Julius, and others, seem to all have mirrored glasses. The motif of mirrored glasses represent that these characters are somewhat secretive and their true consciousness is hidden from Case, who seems mostly oblivious to the fact. However, there seems to be a growing part of him that does want the truth.

Terzibanshjian examines Molly’s face, stating that “You particularly, must take care. In Turkey there is disapproval of women who sport such modifications,” to which Molly replies, “It’s my show, Jack.” (89) She then pulls a gun on him for the offence and says, “Maybe you get the explosives, lots of them, or maybe you get a cancer. One dart, shitface. You won’t feel it for months.” (90) This confrontation clearly proves that Molly is a strong, ruthless, and perhaps emotionally troubled character who does as she pleases regardless of anyone’s opinion. Her rebellion to authority is a recurring theme in the story. Also, this passage shows that gender prejudice does still exist in this world. We also learn that Riviera removes his lung to install a number of cybernetic implants, which goes to show how people are willing to sacrifice their bodies for the sake of new technology.

Case, Molly, the Finn, and Terzibanshjian exit the vehicle and enter into a densely crowded bazaar, where “a thousand suspended ads writhed and flickered.” (91) Along the way, the Finn points something out to Case that seems quite remarkable, “Hey Christ… looka that… It’s a horse, man. You ever see a horse?” The embalmed horse seems strange to them, and “the thing’s legs had been worn black and hairless by decades of passing hands.”(92) Case replies that he had never seen one, which alludes to the idea that a great majority of animal life has become extinct. I believe that this world that has become so dependant on electronics that the animals of which it used to depend on have become obsolete, and therefore extinct. This supports the theme of discarding things that are no longer considered beneficial.

They head down an old alleyway in search of Riviera, who they believe is on one of his routine drug runs so they know where to find him. Terzibanshjian warns them that Riviera possesses the ability to create bizarre hallucinations in people, which causes them to become cautious. Then they witness a man getting mutilated by something that was “two meters tall, stood on two legs, and seemed to be headless… glittering like black chrome.” (93) It appears to assault them, but this is really a hallucination devised by Riviera to aid his escape. However, Molly sees through the illusion (possibly because of her mirror-like eye implants) and shoots Riviera unconscious. He’s taken away by the Finn and someone named Mahmut.

Later on Case and Molly walk through a courtyard discussing Armitage, “do you think he knows he was Corto, before?” (95) Molly asks him to investigate Wintermute (the AI supposedly controlling Armitage) but Case says it can’t be done because it’s too complex. Case then changes the subject to discuss Riviera. Molly, who’s read his profile, reveals some startling information about him,

I’d soon kill him as look at him…He’s a kind of compulsive Judas. Can’t get off sexually unless he knows he’s betraying the object of his desire… he’s done (killed) eighteen in three years. (96)

          Not only is Riviera sadistic thief, but he’s also addicted to a mix of cocaine and meperidine. Case meets back up with Armitage and asks him about Riviera and the Finn, who are fine, and Case is reminded about the dissolving toxin sacs in his blood steam.  Case examines Riviera, who’s with them in the Hilton lobby and he’s described as “slender, blond, soft-voiced, his English accentless and fluid… He was very beautiful; Case assumed the features were the work of a Chiba surgeon.” (97) Then Case receives a strange call that comes through on a nearby payphone. It’s from Wintermute, and it asks him to talk with it. Case hangs up and each phone he nears rings as he exits the building.

Part Three: Midnight in the Rue Jules Verne

·       Chapter 8

The location of Freeside is introduced at the start of the chapter. It is referred to as a

…brothel and banking nexus, pleasure dome and free port, border town and spa. Freeside is Las Vegas and the hanging gardens of Babylon, an orbital Geneva and home to a family of inbred and most carefully refined, the industrial clan of Tessier and Ashpool. (101)

          While on their way to Paris aboard a THY liner, Case notices something strange. Riviera gets slapped for passing Molly a drink containing a “black rose, its petals sheened like leather, the black stem thorned with bright chrome,” and she tells him, “No, baby. No games. You play that subliminal shit around me, I’ll hurt you real bad.” (102) It is not explained why this offends her, but it might act as a foreshadowing symbol for a later event.  

          The group then boards a shuttle en-route to Freeside. Case seems to be somewhat afraid of flying, “he closed his eyes and told himself the shuttle was only a big airplane, one that flew very high.” (102) He’s then hit with space adaptation syndrome, which “was worse than Molly’s description.” (103) He is then woken by the steward as they enter JAL’s terminal cluster. His cigarette addiction kicks in strong here, “eyeing a shred of Yeheyuan tobacco that had drifted gracefully up out of his shirt pocket to dance ten centimeters from his nose. There was no smoking on shuttle flights.” (103) This irritates him greatly, but it might symbolize the idea that Case is beginning to resist life-harming temptations. It turns out that they aren’t in Freeside yet, but have stopped in an orbital station called Zion to wait for a transfer shuttle. Case asks Molly about Zion, and she explains, “Dreads. Rastas. Colony’s about thirty years old now… It’s an okay place by me.” (103) They agree to enter Zion, which;

…had been founded by five workers who’d refused to return, who’d turned their backs on the well and started building. They’d suffered calcium loss and heart shrinkage before rotational gravity was established in the colony’s central torus… Zion’s makeshift hull reminded Case of the patchwork tenements of Istanbul, the irregular, discolored plates laser-scrawled with Rastafarian symbols and the initials of welders. (103)

In Judaism, Israel is most often designated as the land of Zion. However, Rastafarianism, a religion that spread in Jamaica in the 20^th century, considers Zion to be a utopian place of unity, peace, and freedom (considered Ethiopia). In both religions, Zion symbolizes a longing by wondering peoples for a safe homeland. 

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[1] Alan Turing was a British mathematician who in the 50s who ran tests to determine if a machine was intelligent and his name is used to describe aspects of AI in the novel.