Analysis Of Dave Eggers A Hologram For The King

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Live With an Author Essay

“Were scars the best evidence of living?” Dave Eggers prompts this tragic question through the mid-life crisis of the protagonist in A Hologram For The King. Eggers is familiar with scars after facing the death of both of his parents in a span of 5 weeks at the age of 21(Melissa Albert). Following this detrimental experience, he suffered a disconnect with his older siblings and was forced to take care of his younger brother. In order to cope with the loss of his parents and the falling out with two of his siblings, Dave Eggers focused on his career. His book, A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius, was the first edition to a long line of books centered around a character with the desire for a better life. Similarly,

Mercer comments on a typical scene in today’s world: how people often struggle to engage in a conversation when they become preoccupied with their phone. Since technology plays a huge role in Mae’s life and career, she often perceives the events on her phone to be superior in terms of importance when compared to conversing with the people in her environment. Furthermore, Alan’s dad shares the flaws of digitally dependent jobs while expressing his concerns for Alan’s new occupation, he insists,“ ‘We've become a nation of indoor cats,’ he said. ‘A nation of doubters, worriers, overthinkers, thank God these weren't the kind of Americans who settled this country”(A Hologram For The King 84). Dave Eggers’ utilizes Alan’s father to address how society’s fixation on their screens has resulted in a pessimistic outlook on one’s self-worth. As a result of the constant focus on presenting a respectable image on social media, and sometimes falling short, people have become what Alan’s dad calls

For instance, after the people of her company were asked if they agree that she is awesome, and some chose the disagree option, Mae thinks to herself, “Each push of that button, the pull of a trigger... she felt full of holes as if every one of them had shot her, from behind, cowards filling her with holes”(The Circle 409). Mae’s overly dramatic response to the minority of her coworkers disliking her indicates her strong desire for admiration. Because she describes this feeling as the equivalent of a gunshot, it is clear that the Circle’s focus on esteem has been influential for Mae who wants to attain success at the company. On the other hand, Alan becomes overjoyed when he gets the opportunity to achieve his dream of a promising career in Saudi Arabia, he states, “Some days he could encompass the world. Some days he climbed over the foothills of indifference to see the landscape of his life and future for what it was: mappable, traversable, achievable”(A Hologram For The King 16). After Alan finds out that he will embark on this experience he has a whole new outlook on life. He feels on top of the world because he can finally gain positive recognition for his work, and his dialect articulates how he bases the significance of his life on this