In both pieces of cyberpunk Blade Runner and Neuromancer question what it means to be human through the depiction of modern-day technology with beings that aren’t necessarily human but robots. The contrast, however, is how the Blade Runner and the Neuromancer approach whether it is acceptable to be an advanced being.
In Blade Runner, society is filled with advanced technology. Therefore, you would think replicants would be an aspect of their culture. However, the replicants are being retired. Meaning they are being hunted down and killed because they are a threat to humanity. One of the first replicants we are introduced to is Rachael, who does not even realize that she is not a human—that she was implanted with synthetic memories from someone else to make her believe that she was human. The point of Rachaell was to show the audience that these replicants and robots are special beings and that it’s hard to tell a replicant from a human additionally these robots have no identity because their purpose is to serve human beings their memories are not their original ones but ones from humans who they are to always mirror. Another important replicant in Blade Runner is Roy. Roy’s main objective is to find a way to expand his life. Roy goes to great extremes by killing his creator. However, his desperate and extreme attempts go to show one how he wants to stay on earth for a longer amount of time. His attempts were extreme however this is a human response to stay on earth to experience the many wonders and be with the ones we love. While the replicants were not humans they had wants and purpose to that of a human that made them understand the purpose of life.
In the Neuromancer, society is also filled with advanced technology. However, in this society, it is almost necessary to have enhancements to fit in or be happy. The main character Case is a computer console which is also known as a hacker. However, he is unable to do his job because he stole from his former employer who fried his brain/ nervous system. Therefore, his ability to “jack” into cyberspace was taken away. Case is extremely affected by his inability to jack into space, leading him to do drugs heavily to take away the gnawing feeling of not being able to go to cyberspace. The setting where Case lives is riddled with poverty, crime, and overpopulation. Being able to go to cyberspace was an escape from this world that is nothing but adverse. Moreover, another important character is Molly Millions. She is modified with multiple enhancements. In Molly’s past, she was a “Meat Puppet” also known as a prostitute. She used her enhancements as a way to empower herself and take control back from others who used her for their pleasures.
In conclusion, both pieces of work incorporate how technology impacts individuals by helping us question our humanity through a world where technology is always evolving by observing through the perspective of individuals who are not human struggle in a dystopian society. In the Neuromancer, it is more socially acceptable to be technologically modified while in the Blade Runner to be a replicant is dangerous and not acceptable.
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