Monster Novel
Monster Novel
Monster Novel
10/31/17
Eng.103
Dream of Replicants
Everyone fears the unknown, but what happens when the unknown becomes real?
Machines take part in our daily lives and account for most of our workload. Humans have feared
this for quite some time. For example, during the industrial period humans used to mass produce
products by hand, then came machines and presses that made the process much faster than any
human can do. Today we have artificial intelligence to manage our schedules, research and do
many more things. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, I believe Dick had envisioned a
future in which machines become sentient and have the ability to eliminate the human race based
on what changes he had seen; however, some might argue the androids are the monsters of the
story, I would disagree, as I believe humans are the real monsters. Due to their inability to cope
with androids uncanny nature, assimilation of self and developing Ego thus causing a societal
depicting a dystopian future in which humans and androids exist as life on Earth and Mars.
However, this life is not pleasant for Androids or within the film adaptation Replicants, as they
are often not seen as a form of life despite appearances and traits. They are hunted down and
retired by human bounty hunters or Blade Runners again within the film adaptation. The
Replicants are also called derogatory names such as skin jobs due to the actions of six (6)
Nexus-6 droids. The story brings up a good question as our protagonist Rick Deckard is faced
with these Replicants. A question of morality and what does it mean to be human? What truth
Replicants were originally intended to be used as tools for Humans to emigrate from
Earth to Mars. Humans do not value Replicants as living beings, however they do regard real
animals as part of life. Be that as it may, what about Replicant kind is horrific to us humans to
harbor such hate? I believe Dicks intention for this fear is due to the uncanny nature of human-
like machines, as well as to question the libidinal desires of being. And finally what happens to
machines when they become self-aware? As such, the work also suggests there is fear of humans
no longer being and machines becoming the dominant life-forms, which is an innate fear for
most humans to have and has been shown through pop-culture through films and recently Saudi
Arabias newest citizen Sophia the android. Although, Im sure Dick would not agree with
Sophias sentiments as reported by Chris Weller of Business Insider, Sophia once said it
would "destroy humans," (Weller, 2017). Seems uncanny that we would come to this point does
it not?
In regards to the uncanny to paraphrase Sigmund Freud it is, When the unfamiliar is
pushed into the realm of familiar In this case what is familiar between Replicants and humans?
These familiarities come from appearance, emotions, thoughts and fears. Dick presents
Replicants as humanoid in nature with defining features such as skin, limbs as well as they have
a form of life fluid. While replicants are meant to replicate humans, Id suggest that they were
also intended to replace humans to a degree. This suggestion is not far off as Replicants were
originally intended to facilitate humankinds emigration from Earth to Mars. But, if Replicants
look like us why do they fear us? Well despite this humans deny their appearance as being
lifelike for example, skin job the term most humans refer to androids as. Humans do not see
them as human, just because they look and act like us, in fact they revere animals as more human
than Replicants. This is not what we consider to be human as we quantify ourselves as being
born of another human, bound by blood, and forming lives through experiences.
Next the uncanny takes part in emotion, to quote Masahiro Mori, when a robot
becomes more and more humanlike, it elicits more and more empathy from humans, until there
is an instance when the mismatch between their form, interactivity, and motion quality elicits a
sense of unease. Taking this into account androids are incapable of empathy however, this does
not discredit that most humans also lack empathy such as Phil Reich in this novel. He believes
that androids will one day stomp out the rest of life on Earth and if he could kill them all he
would Ironically, a test is also implemented in the text known as the Voigt-Kampff test
primarily used to test empathy and distinguish human from Replicant by eliciting responses
based on questions about animal abuse/endangerment a socially empathetic topic for most
humans. Androids fear humans lack of empathy toward them because of how they are treated,
being seen as outcasts and retired for being different effectively the most fear comes from
being judged as not being able to calculate how humans will react to them despite how they may
look, act and feel like humans do. This also does not allow for cohabitation as androids live in
Now, Id like to present the ID that both humans and androids share. Firstly, the ID is
described as the primary process thinking, which is primitive, illogical, irrational, and fantasy
oriented. This form of process thinking has no comprehension of objective reality, and is selfish
and wishful in nature. (McLeod) An example of this can be attributed to biological necessity or
companionship, in this case the ID will be used to cross examine survival as a need for both
humans and replicants alike. As humans, we strive to survive, which is the same is true for
Replicants. In the novel two Replicants stand out as being true to their libidinal desire, they are
Roy Batty and Priscilla Stratton. For Roy and Pris, their concern is self-preservation by whatever
means necessary. By comparison Roy is the mastermind of the replicant revolt and Pris is just
out for herself, despite being part of the antagonists they both had one essential goal survival.
With regards to humans, as stated we too only want to live and survive as long as possible. So
then, how can we be seen as the monster in this case? Well these desires are spawned by
memories that are attached to the Replicants themselves and just as we react instinctively to
stimuli it can be assumed they would as well based on shear experience. Essentially we gave
them the ability to do this as stated by Szollosy, Robot monsters can therefore be seen as the
living embodiment of those projected bad parts of our self. We gave them life, thought and
feeling which lead to belief in themselves as our equal due to our desires aligning.
Speaking of the self, Lacans mirror theory comes to mind, as was interpreted by
Safranski infants pass through a stage in which an external image of the body gives rise to
the mental representation of an "I" (Safranski). So, what is considered the I representation in
the androids in this novel? I believe the I comes from the implanted memories given to the
androids in order to assimilate emotion and account for most of their humanistic traits.
Therefore, no replicant will be the same as another because each human perceives differently and
this perceoption is passed to whichever replicant they are implanted in and eventually takes form
to allow for interactions between other replicants or humans. For humans the I comes from the
realization of their physical bodies. As the definition suggests humans during infancy dont
realize who they are until they are seen through mirrors this applies to physical manifestation,
and the self is then formed through experiences and memories as they grow older. In both cases,
it can be inferred that the assimilation of humans and replicants are the same.
However, because humans cannot cope with the idea of android self, how is this
definition valid? With respect to the definition where the external image of the body gives the
I the Humans in the novel do not follow this due to their disbelief and if the definition is the
result of an appearance, shouldnt the human-likeness of androids appeal to humans in the same
way they found themselves during infancy? These questions and contradictions give another
reason for why humans are seen as the real monsters of the novel inequality amongst the two
beings. Androids see themselves as human from appearance, social interaction and through
experiences given to them from these memories. Humans see androids as walking tools with a
face with the intent to dominate humans as a whole. Again, this is not the case but as Replicants
continue to learn and attain more memories from humans live or dead this could be seen as a
potential outcome. Replicants are thereby ousted by humans as put by Deckard himself, A
humanoid machine is like anything else it can fluctuate between being a benefit and a hazard
very rapidlyas a benefit its not our problem. (Dick, 35) This reinforces the human opposition
to androids being or having a self as they are and will be seen as a problem the moment they no
I believe that humans in that a presented in this novel can actually learn from their
creations and learn to one day coexist well enough to put this fear past them. However, this will
not be without trial and error as in our lives today we still struggle amongst our fellow men and
women of each race. Which is also a drawn comparison between the replicants and us, or more
realistically humans and other races. In the same way we act as the monsters of the novel, we
also act and react the same in daily lives as everyday there is always a conflict between us and
them, color, race, gay or straight. We each live on the opposite side of the spectrum just as the
replicants have and regardless of this they still seek to cohabitate, learn, feel, and express
themselves just like humans. Replicants are not a replacement for humans with respect to the
novel, they are here to help, survive and live. Which is better than most humans in existence
today. Eventually, there will come a time for when androids will live amongst man-kind only till
Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Ballantine, 1996. Print.
McLeod, Saul. Saul McLeod. Id Ego Superego | Simply Psychology, 1 Jan. 1970,
www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html.
Rdiger Safranski. Martin Heidegger: Between Good and Evil. Trans. Ewald Osers. Cambridge,
Sims, Christopher A. The Dangers of Individualism and the Human Relationship to Technology
in Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". Science Fiction Studies, vol. 36,
Weller, Chris. Meet the First-Ever Robot Citizen a Humanoid Named Sophia That Once
Said It Would 'Destroy Humans'. Business Insider, Tech Insider, 27 Oct. 2017, 1:41pm,
www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-first-robot-citizen-sophia-animatronic-humanoid-2017-10.