The Theme Of Reality In Ernest Cline's 'Ready Player One'

If the world was in exactly the same condition now as it is in the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, then it is no wonder how the world became so OASIS obsessed. The problem with this society and way of life for the people is the fact that their life conditions are beyond unlivable to the normal standards before their year 2044. The majority of people are experiencing widespread poverty, malnutrition, and social deprivation in the real world. This all results in their convulsive need to throw themselves into a virtual reality known as the OASIS. Despite the fact that mentally living in a false reality is only a distraction from their problems and it is only serving to further their slowing degrading living conditions, they use it as

It could first be argued that abandoning their reality for the virtual one is actually a blessing for these people. For instance, the main character of this novel, Wade, feels freedom form his previous restrictions and an escape from the pain of his reality. Wade, being a boy only have grown up into a society with the OASIS understands that it “was much more than a game or an entertainment platform. It had been an integral part of our lives for as far back as we could remember. [They’d] been born into an ugly world, and the OASIS was [their] one happy refuge” (Cline 34). This statement characterizes the OASIS as their escape and safe place to exist instead of having to otherwise activity acknowledge and deal with the pain of their actual lives. People in our own society when faced with difficult circumstances already naturally try to leave their unhappiness and struggles in favor of whatever will make them feel better. According to Monica Kim’s Article “The Good and the Bad of Escaping to a Virtual Reality”, she states that “it is possible that instead of simply escaping reality by focusing on a TV show, for example, people may choose to replace an unhappy reality with a better, virtual one.” This shows that this concept of mental escape is not a foreign one and is actually being found more and more often.

The main character, Wade, determines early in his life that he did not want to be inflicted with the pain of his reality self-destructing, so he saw a better option with the OASIS. When Wade contemplates the reality of his situation in relation to the OASIS he states that “maybe it isn’t a good idea to tell a newly arrived human being that he’s been born into a world of chaos, pain, and poverty just in time to watch everything fall to pieces. . . Luckily, I had access to the OASIS, which was like having an escape hatch into a better reality. The OASIS kept me sane” (Cline 18). When he was introduced to the world he had to grow up in, he was instantly horrified and was provided with an escape by his family since it was already ingrained in them to leave their reality. More often than not, people who have been in a certain situation over a long period of time become accustomed to what they have and do not feel the need to change readily. Even in the real world, people view escaping to another reality as having a “somewhat negative meaning in our society and perhaps in all societies. . . Nevertheless, all people do it” and is said to even be a “natural mechanisms” that the mind utilizes to keep itself