Finished Feed and I have to confess I was hoping for (but not expecting) a happy ending. The bit at the end where Titus was also wanting a happy heart-warming ending reminded me of the way the dystopian sf movie Brazil was recut for tv release, with a ridicuously fake happy ending slapped on, totally against the filmmaker's wishes.
I think in terms of technology, we're a ways away from the world of the book. It'll be a while before a jaunt to the moon is as routine as a jaunt to a casino. In terms of social attitudes, though, I think we're pretty much there. The obsession with celebrities, being cool, consuming the right products, demand for instant (and often superficial) information, corporations positioning themselves as being agents of good...it's all here already. Although it's more an undertone in the book (the geopolitical threats of war from other countries), the narcissistic society of feed consumers also allows them to shut out that unpleasant reality in a way that seems rather familiar.
The ultimate paradox I'm left with (and one that doesn't figure in the book so much) is how the ultimate customization of what one consumes (in terms of information and other products) leads to a society that is so conformist. It's as if even the nonconformists are looking for some way to fit in.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I agree with you about the happy ending. I did not expect Titus to dump Violet--and I really did not expect him to NOT contact her after she apologized to him. That was very selfish of him...but I guess that is part of what is being portrayed in the book. I think he only spent time at her bedside at the end to lessen HIS guilt.
Yes, Titus' behavior really bothered me, too. I'm still trying to figure that part of it out. I think part of it might have to do with his defensiveness about being thought of as "stupid", but there's a lot more going on than that. It's almost like he pulls back from the fun and real emotions he experienced with Violet; maybe the feed is safer and less complicated? Or is it just a way of distancing himself from her problems, because he can't deal with the idea that the feed doesn't always work and can destroy your health and life when it goes wrong.
I think there are a number of different interpretations of his behavior, which makes it more complicated.
Post a Comment