Essay Questions

Why can we say that the action takes place in a dystopian future?

While the year is not clearly stated, it is clear that the novel takes place in a dystopian future. All the characters have an implant called ‘’feed’’ into their brains, allowing them to talk with one another. The future society also has the possibility to travel to other plants, to have self-driving cars and to have flying cars. Despite all the technological advancements, there are some drawbacks as well. The natural environment was affected to the point where no plants and animals could live. Oxygen began to be created in factories just like any other product and walking on beaches became impossible since the water became so polluted that people needed space suits near large bodies of water in order to not die. Also, because of the pollution, everybody on earth had skin lesions that towards the end of the novel affected humans so much that their skin began peeling off. All this details points towards a dystopian future where humanity is going steadily towards self-destruction.

What is a feed and why is it significant?

The term "feed’’ appears numerous times in the novel and it refers to an electrical implant inside everyone’s head. The feed allows everyone to talk with whom they want without using their words, the access any information they want at any time, to be shown ads non-stop and to watch various programs broadcasted on the feed. Because of the feed, people forgot how to talk with one another and became incapable of socializing without the help of it. The feed also controls a person’s basic functions and when a feed begins to malfunction, their lives are in danger as well.

How did the children in the novel get high?

The teenagers in the book often get high or "mal’’. Instead of using drugs like pills or injecting drugs, the teenagers download various viruses out of the internet and into their feeds. This makes them malfunction and hallucinate just like drugs make people in the real world hallucinate. The adults in the fictional world also get "mal’’ just like the teenagers, proving this to be a common practice.