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media type="file" key="Sheep go to Heaven.mp3" Summary of the novel //Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?// by Phillip K. Dick

DADOES? follows two main characters and their interactions and perceptions of androids (human robots). The first character is Rick Deckard, who is a bounty hunter hired to kill androids; the second character is John Isadore, who is a ‘special’ (a person with a low IQ score) who houses and hides three androids. In the beginning of the novel, Rick has a very strong opinion of the androids—that they are dangerous and need to be retired (killed) as soon as possible. After Rick’s co-worker, Dave, gets wounded from one of the andys, Harry Bryant (Rick’s boss) puts him in charge of the retirement of a new group of andys that have come from Mars (where the majority of people have migrated), including the one who injured his Dave. Before going after the androids, Rick first must administer the Voigt-Kampff test (used to detect if a person is human or android) at the Rosen Association and evaluate the validity of the test. His first subject is Rachael Rosen, who nearly passes the test, but Rick realizes a moment before he leaves that Rachael is an android. Rick realizes that the andys will blend in better than he thought, and reports back to his boss to begin the retirement of the andys. Rick retires the first andy (Polokov) without much problem, but the second andy (Luba Luft) calls a police agency run by an andy to arrest him. Rick faces near death, but unites with another fellow bounty hunter, Phil Resch, and retires Inspector Garland (the lead android cop) with the help of Phil. While Rick and Phil both believe that Phil may be an android, his test comes out negative and Rick realizes that the boundary between the two is a very fine line. Rick also confides in Phil that he is unable to kill Luba because he wants to have sex with her; Phil explains that Rick is developing feelings for the androids and that after he sleeps with one and then kills her, he can disregard those feelings easier. Phil kills Luba, and both of them go home after a long day’s work. Rick calls Rachael back and asks her to go to a hotel room, where they have sex. Rachael points out that he will never be able to kill another android again because he now has the connection with her. Rick tries to kill her, and realizing he can’t, he lets her go. However, when Rick gets back home, Harry calls and says that he wants Rick to continue working and retire the last three andys, who appear to be together in an apartment building. While Rick was busy retiring the other andys from the group, John met Pris, an andy, and made friends with her (although she is kind of rude to him). John takes care of Pris, and eventually Pris’ two friends Irmgard and Roy, the leader of the group. The three decide that staying with John would be best to conceal their identities and blend in with society. They nominate John as their caretaker and warder of any possible bounty hunters that may come. Because John is a special, he is enthusiastic about protecting his new, and only, friends, and harbors the remaining three andys. Right before Rick arrives at the apartment building, John gets upset with the andys because they killed his spider and they made fun of Mercer (he’s basically the ‘god’ of the society), saying he was not real. The three andys hear the alarm go off (meaning a bounty hunter is at the apartment building) and send John, who is still upset, to get rid of the bounty hunter. John leaves the apartment building and goes outside to release the spider he believes Mercer has healed. Rick approaches John and questions him, discovering that the three andys are inside. After killing Pris, Rick runs upstairs and pretending to be John, tricks Roy and Irmgard into letting him in the room, and then kills them. Rick returns home for a brief period and finds that Rachael has killed his new goat that he bought. Upset, he leaves and goes up north, to be alone. After a lot of self-reflection, Rick decides to go home, but not before finding a toad. Rick hurries home to show his wife, Iran, who immediately points out that it is in fact electronic. The novel ends with Rick going to sleep while Iran calls an agency so that she can have all the necessities to take care of the toad because Rick is “devoted to it.”