Electric Sheep

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Recommended: The importance of symbolism

Lindsey StClair
5/14/2014
English 1B
Essay 2
Symbols and Theme of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Empathy is the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions: the ability to share someone else's feelings. Can something besides a human have empathy? Empathy is the main theme of Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep, and is the question of the whole novel. Each character in the novel has to figure out what it means to be empathetic and whether or not that allows someone to be seen as a human being. Animals and empathy play hand in hand when they test people to see if they are human they use animals in their test to see if there is a reaction. The animals in the story that have great meaning of empathy are the sheep, the owl and the goat. Animals are a great part of society in and out of the book, without animals a lot would be lost. They represent wealth, companionship, hope, and most importantly a living life. Any phase of loneliness can teach people to use their imagination, figure out their values, and feel empathy for others.
The story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep takes place in year 2021. After World War Terminus, the government pushed for people to relocate to other plants due to the radioactive dust that is all in the air. Rick Deckard is the protagonist in this novel; he is a bounty hunter, who is married to Iran, and who owns an electric sheep. He lives on earth but is always in fear of catching a disease from the dust in the air and getting deported to another planet. Since WWT has happened people were strongly advised to move to another plant because the dust was killing all the people and animals. Rick is always extra careful and always has on an Ajax model Mountibank Le...

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...had the goat a few short days he showed great empathy for the goat. He was so heartbroken after his wife gad told him what happened, he took off. ““I’ll be alright,” he said, and thought and I'm going to die. Both those are true, too. He closed the car door, flicked a signal with his hand to Iran, and then swept up into the night sky” (227).
After all the challenges Rick faced through this story in the end everything came down to empathy. His feelings toward the androids, the feelings about animals, the feelings of others, and even the feeling towards himself. Any human being no matter who they are has empathy of some sort. What Philip K. Dick was trying to posses in this story is a world without empathy is like Earth in this story, damaged, contaminated, worthless, contagious, and sad. Be true to whom you are, have empathy for others, and reach for your goals.

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