Themes

Some major themes prevalent throughout the novel...


 * 1: **Too much technological advancement can be harmful.**

First of all, the world for the characters in this book is certainly desolate in relation to ours. With the dust storm, the android war, the lack of life, the forced abandonment of Earth, and the need for mood organs, it is clear that humans in the novel have done something horribly wrong. The truly terrifying element of this book is that the reader is able to realize rather quickly that our current society is not much different than theirs. The only real difference is technology--the concept of androids, mood organs, laser guns, etc. It has been said many times that technology will be the death of us, and we currently are advancing extremely rapidly in the areas of science and engineering. Soon, we will be at the technological level of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and Philip K. Dick is trying to warn us that if we keep advancing at this pace--creating machines for every single thing--we will come to a horrible, painful end. (No pressure.)


 * 2: **Life is an undefinable term.**

There are multiple struggles within this book. There is man vs. machine (Deckman and the rest of the bounty hunters vs. the fleeing androids) as well as man vs. self (Deckman constantly struggling with the concept of androids and their existence). At the beginning of the novel, the reader is on Deckman's side purely because he's a human, and the androids are depicted in a negative light. However, as the book progresses, the humanlike qualities of the androids begin to sway the reader, and Deckman's superficial, unheroic motivation to kill them contributes even more. Even Deckman, an android-killer, struggles trying to figure out what they are and whether they should be treated like humans. It is never cleared up by the end of the book how the reader should view them. This lack of resolution helps the reader to understand that there is no black and white meaning for life--it simply cannot be defined. There is no line, and one must figure out for themselves what they believe the term "life" is and what our purpose is.


 * 3: **It's All Perspective**

If one is only fed the human side like we were at the beginning of the book, it is easy to understand why the androids should be killed, and it is easy to believe they are merely destructive machines who are threatening innocent humans. However, after the androids are introduced and Dick begins to characterize them more, the issue becomes a little foggier. Suddenly, it's harder to be on the human side, and it's easier to understand why the androids would kill humans--to defend themselves. By only introducing the androids' side toward the middle of the book, Dick helps the reader to realize that after hearing the androids' perspective, opinions can be completely changed.