Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep

In Philip K. Dick’s 1968, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Planet Earth has encountered a World War Terminus which all contributed to nuclear fallout. The war has demolished the population on Earth, and has left it approximately uninhabitable for animals. The outcome of this event caused all species to become nearly out, and with the possession of an infrequently animal became a symbol of a person’s wealth, high social profile, and our professional status. Throughout the novel, Dick shows that owning an authentic animal was an honor, but with engineering science, humans were able to satisfy their needs with electric animals which are easier to procure, way affordable, and widely abundance. The relationship between humankind and
the environment through animals shows that humans do care and value animals, as it is presented in the novel and in today’s world, animal’s are rather cherished in human’s possession for their glorification in a social estate. First, throughout the novel, Dick shows Rick’s, the Bounty Hunter, consumerist desire to have an authentic animal and his route to consummate his goal. Rick forces himself to work by retiring (killing) androids, Nexus 6 models. For every android he was able to retire, earned himself, $1000 for each. Rick becomes selfishness to not buy an electric animal, but rather to find an authentic one to express his social worth. In chapter 15, Rick is out on the market for an animal, and encounters a dealer that persuades Rick to buy his ticket out a miserable desire, “The thing about rabbits, sit, is that everyone has one. I’d like to see you step up to the goat-class where I feel you belong” (Dick 66). This passage illustrates that consumerism has ruled human lives by brainwashing them to believe, that the most eminent quality of product puts the purchaser in a higher position from everyone else. We ensure this with the company Apple with their incipient iPhones, and even today modern attraction, the hover board. Then, Rick bought the goat and cared for it and thus did his wife, Iran. They committed themselves to take charge of it, and additionally, maintain it in good order. This showed the reader that humans still cherish the remaining creatures. Some other example of cherishing the remaining species would be when John Isidore, in chapter 18, discovers a spider.
Isidore found a spider and showed it to the humanoids. The androids were astounded, just amazed. Slightly, like a baby discovering candy. The androids were curious token more about the spider so they decided to experiment with it, ripping off the spider’s legs. The spider seemed to be dead at a point and Isidore commenced to take in an empathy breakdown for it. John Isidore’s empathy had answered to him, “The mutilated spider, advancing itself haltingly on its surviving leg; he picked it up and held it in his palm of his hand. The bones, he realized, have reversed themselves; the spider is again alive. Mercer must be here” (Dick 85). This passage describes that Isidore’s empathy toward the spider was received by the almighty so called God,
Mercer. The utilizations of animals in this novel were also cherished as a denotement for glorification. Not entirely does this novel contain this certain case, but yet even famous people in today’s world have animals or even animal body part of their glory. In a Clashdaily web article, writer Doug Giles, addresses famous actor and also Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, on her boycotting Oscar’s video, but surprisingly struck her back along an illegal publication. “Wasn’t a horn growing from your head, but rather an elephant ivory tusk? This was sort of shocking to me because I thought you Hollywood types would not, under any circumstance, own ivory taken from a slaughtered elephant”. Was the Ivory tusk a glorification to Jade and Will Smith to showcase it on their home, either to show her wealth or brag about owning one? Particularly the same glorification is noticed in the novel, when Rick visits the Rosen Association.
Rick descries that Eldon Rosen owns the last of the remaining owl and a never before seen a raccoon. The Owl and the Raccoon symbolize that they are key items for Rick’s world to hold a rare animal in his hold. In chapter 4, Rick notices that the rare animals were even labeled to prove their value. “With all the sub listings. The list prices, naturally, appeared in italics, like Percheron horses, none existed on the market for sale at any figure” (Dick 16). This passage illustrates how Eldon Rosen bragged about his possessions, to demonstrate his wealth and his potent
living. Even in today’s universe, animal buying is at its highest through all kinds of consumer ways, with people buying animals of all sorts, people buying apparel made from animal fur to even human buying food consumed from slaughtered animals. In a CNN web article, by author Doug Gross shows how the black market has become the home to buy exotic creatures. “The international fund for animal welfare calls the Illegal sale of wild animals online, ‘one of the major wildlife conservation challenges of our generation’’. In a Mirror website of the year article, author Kara O’Neill, writes how famous former boxer, Mike Tyson, who purchased 3 tigers shows his wealth, “The tigers cost him $4000 a month”. The purchase of a tiger is uncalled for. What is the point of buying an exotic animal, like a tiger, if you can’t even get 1 foot away from it, before it rips the owner apart? Both Mike Tyson and Eldon Rosen are familiar because they require to possess a rare or exotic animal acts as an overruling of animal and a sign of power in a company environment. Why is it that Rick, Eldon Rosen, Mike Tyson and Jade Smith all buy animals to show dominance? Why do they brag about it to the public? Is humanity coming to a conclusion that human will immediately set out to feel like gods to all other species? Do they even think about animal values and their right to live free and wild? What is the lesson learned close to American values and Animal values? An American value in both, the novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And in real life show that American’s are considered to be materialistic. Humanity would think that their material objects, such as; Tyson’s tiger, Rick’s goat or even Eldon’s Owl, all are just considering a benefit to a natural living in which the owners may have a feeling, like it’s all hard work paying off, more like a reward. And so far, it has been noticed that object, such as animals and etc, all are made with a high priority to be obtained, held, and forfended, but not enjoyed to gain a relationship or some sort of link. As for animal values, animal are to be set free and untamed. An animal’s life has a biological value of its own species; value of other species may affect the maturation process and can cause adjustment disorder. Take for example, a human being raced by a monkey. The human will never know what is it to be human and with time the human will soon realize why he doesn’t look like the other monkeys. This is a signal of anxiety which is then referred to be an adjustment disorder. So overall an animal cannot survive under a superior and an animal cannot be a darling. Given these points, animals are not to be kept as pets or as a trophy to showcase. In the novel, do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? To sum it up, Rick mentions that authentic animals or electric animals all have spirits and should be treated fairly and not torched or destroyed. In this novel, Philip K. Dick is trying to post a message to his readers about animals, a message in which he attempts to get the reader’s mindset to love and value life. This vision reflects the reader to understand that a world must respect all existing things and most importantly animals because there is no greater gift humanity can have on the environment.