Marcus Yallow As A Role Model In Little Brother By Cory Doctorow

In Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, Marcus Yallow finds himself in a difficult situation when he realizes he has become a leader of the dissatisfied people of San Francisco. He tried to deny that he was the leader of anything, but, whether he liked it or not, he was respected due to his courage, high moral, ingenuity, and his ability to undermine government operations in his city. Citizens whom Marcus had never met, but who believed in what he was fighting for, listened to what he had to say and did what he asked. Although Marcus may not have been aware of it at first, he was a role model and an influential individual in the movement to save the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Promptly after he was released from his prison on Treasure

Island, Marcus began thinking about ways he could circumvent the government security measures that had popped up since the bridge was bombed. His first plan was to distribute discs of ParanoidXbox to as many people as he could, traveling around the city, and that is when he first started to gain attention. It began when he “got a lot of email from people who heard in chat rooms and message boards that I [Marcus] could help them troubleshoot their Xnet configurations and connections”(Doctorow 96). From there, he created a blog containing instructions on how to make arphid cloners intended to destroy the system set up by the Department of Homeland Security to find terrorists by tracking civilian movement. He began to receive hundreds of emails a day from other Xnetters who looked to him for guidance, or just people who wanted to give him support and say they believed in what he was doing. He became a role model for others who also lost friends in the explosion and admired his courage to fight when most people wouldn’t for fear of going to jail.
People also looked to Marcus because he was ingenuitive, always ready to counter the DHS in anyway he could.

He also looked out for the people who worked with him, posting on his blog whenever he received new information concerning the safety of his followers. After hundreds of unarmed citizens were gassed in Dolores park, he made a website telling the true story and included several pictures to prove it, and was then informed that every picture had a “unique ‘noise signature’ that can be used to later connect a picture with a camera”(Doctorow 204). After using the tool himself, he showed other how to remove this “noise signature” and saved hundreds of people from punishment. He also posted to his blog describing undercover cops on the streets and vans that traveled around the city using wifi finders to locate houses containing “Xnet nodes.” Nobody wants an idiot for a leader, and Marcus continued to show that he was being cautious and was paying attention to the events around him. He also knew when to stop before things went downhill, and eventually posted a message informing people of his personal plan to stop jamming, stating “it’s because I’m smart enough to know that I’m better free than in prison”(Doctorow 244). He was smart enough to counter the DHS and bring the city to a stand still, and also smart enough to know when to back off, making him a role model for those who wanted to make a

difference.
Another trait that made Marcus a good role model was his ability to lead people and organize events. Even before the attack on the bridge, Marcus was the leader of his Alternate Reality Gaming team, organizing them and giving instructions so they could succeed. He realized that to spend their time most effectively, someone needed to take charge to prevent arguing. Later, he and Jolu set up a “ring of trust” system once they realized the DHS was on Xnet trying to find out exactly who was using it. He gathered people he knew he could trust and convinced them to join this new secure group, as he was also a superb orator. He came up with the plan to hold a digital press conference allowing reporters to get the Xnetters’ side of the story. The “VampMob” was one of his better ideas that worked very well for what he intended, and everyone enjoyed it until the DHS decided to use gas to subdue them again. Marcus did not think he was the leader of anything, but in fact he was a leader in everything he did.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Marcus was dedicated, encouraged people, never give up, and stayed optimistic, all crucial characteristics of a leader and good role model.

People do not fight battles they believe they can not win. Marcus knew this and continually tried to keep the masses from giving up by saying inspirational things such as “We are smarter than them. Let’s be smart. Let’s figure out how to jam them, no matter how many goons they put in the streets of our city” (Doctorow 244). At the end of Little Brother, even though Marcus was taken back to Treasure Island where he knew he would be tortured, he simply laughed as they threw him on the floor. He knew he had beaten and embarrassed them. He was also committed to his cause, walking around the city to distribute hundreds of ParanoidXbox discs, participating in the jamming instead of letting others take all the risk, and staying up late reading emails and advising the people who fought for him. He did all of this even after he had been to Treasure Island, which made even more people admire and respect

him.
Marcus knew reporters thought he was the leader of this revolt against oppression, but he did not realize exactly how much people looked up to him until he met two kids jamming on the streets. Once he had proven that he was the infamous “M1k3y,” both Xnetters went into a state of total awe, much like a fan would do if they met their favorite actor. The first thing one of them said was “oh, dude, we are so not worthy”(Doctorow 326) and then “dude, it is such an honor to meet you. You’re like our all-time hero”(Doctorow 327). They had never meet Marcus, but they knew what he had done and were willing to do anything he asked them to. Strangers invited him into their home, offered him food, clothing, the chance to bathe, and a bed to rest in. This showed just how much people supported him and were willing to risk for him, because he was brave, intelligent, and optimistic.
Marcus disliked the fact that most people viewed him as a role model and a leader in the revolution following the bombing of the Bay Bridge, even though he was exactly that. Strangers all over the city followed his lead in trying to take down the DHS and preserve freedom. He was respected because of his intelligence, courage, moral, and leadership qualities. Dissatisfied citizens needed someone to rally under, and he did not let them down. He became a role model and hero of all those people who wanted to fight back and make a difference in the world they lived in.