Comparing Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep 'And Blade Runner'

The story, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep written by Philip K. Dick and the movie Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott are two fantastic yet meaningful pieces of work. There are similarities and difference between both the movie and book but they do have one thing in common, theme. Violence is obvious in both works but what is the message behind all of these violent actions is the question. The theme developed in both the movie and book focuses on whether violence is really warranted. The androids in the stories seem more human than actual humans so is Rick’s killing of androids really good or is it just as equally harmful as murdering a human?

The book and movie share some similarities that help develop the theme of violence in the

story. The character’s personalities are the same which are important to develop the theme of the story. Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter trying to kill androids, has the same arrogant and stuck up personality he does in the books. The characters like John Isidore (J. F. Sebastian in the movie) and Rick Deckard have similar traits to the book and that holds importance to the developing plot. Rick is a violent man who is there to destroy the androids but John helps the androids and it shows two different interactions with the androids, one friendly and one violent. Seeing Rick kill androids at first doesn’t mean much but the more you meet them the more you understand about the androids and the more you feel guilty about the way things have to be. Rick’s character develops that same psychology as he kills Luba Luft in both the story and movie. In the book, it states, “I don’t get it; how can a talent like that be a liability to our society? But it wasn’t the talent, he told himself; it was herself(129).” He questions what she has done to hurt society and he realized the answer wasn’t what she did but who she is. Rick in the movie does the same thing when he kills Luba Luft but he can still hear a heartbeat as she is dying. The sound of a loud heartbeat blocks out the sound of the people as Rick looks at Luba Luft’s body and it shows how his character develops to the situation.
However, the differences in the movie and the book are major.

From character name changes to plot changes, Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep seem like two different stories but this also helps develop the theme of the story on violence. In fact, in the movie, most of the characters are violent except for J.F. Sebastian and Rachel. Even pure Luba Luft in the book resorted to action as well in the movie, but why? The movie tells us the consequences of violent actions through visual imagery while the book makes us imagine the violence. In the book, Dick states, “Phil Resch fired, and at the same instant Luba Luft, in a spasm of frantic hunted fear, twisted and spun away, dropping as she did so… She began to scream; she lay crouched against the wall of the elevator, screaming(127).” This quote from the text shows the gruesome consequences of violence. Even though Luba Luft was an android she still screamed and ran in fear, it develops the idea in the reader’s mind that androids aren’t just robots and makes us question if what Rick is doing is okay. Rick in the movie felt the same way the reader did when he killed Luba Luft. Her death was slow and dramatic and even Captain Bryant told Rick that he was, “A Goddamn - one - manslaughter.” This makes Rick uncomfortable and he goes back to his job. Though Luba Luft in the movie was different and a lot more violent than the book, it still tells the same message of violence that makes the audience question whether

this violence is warranted.
Now, if the book has the same message as the movie then why did Ridley Scott change it around?

The answer can be found on the screen. The movie itself looked and was very different from the book but the purpose of it is to show the violence that the book doesn’t cover. He made the androids bleed instead of showing circuits to push the message of them not being all that different from humans across. One quote told to Rick at the end was, “It’s too bad she won't live but then again who does,” which is another example of how Scott pushed the violence message across. No one lives forever, not even the androids so it weaves into this connection that the androids might be just a little bit more human than what we thought. The movie is very gruesome with breaking fingers, being shot, and having heads bashed in but the violence gives the audience a reaction. It makes the audience feel weary because the violence is so human-like and the androids show the same emotions as humans do but yet they aren’t considered people. They are constantly questioning the logistics of what is human and what is not. In a way, Scott did a fantastic job at pushing that message across through his

imagery.
The movie and book are different but the messages are the same. The story itself is a psychological action that makes the audience think about their consequences and the consequences of others. Not many people would consider the Stormtroopers in Star Wars but this movie makes you sit and wonder for the androids being murdered on screen or through text. Violence is not always the best choice and sometimes those we hurt are more like us then we think. It is up to us to realize whether we will focus only on the differences or if we will embrace the similarities with our foes.