Chapter 4 got me interested in Neuromancer. In this chapter Molly and Case work together to penetrate the Sense/Net in Atlanta to steal a flatline construct. Molly keeps her cover discrete by dressing as a gum-chomping tourist wearing oversized sunglasses, pink raincoat, and mesh top. Case also assists Molly in the heist by connecting with her mind. Case is linked to Molly through a broadcast network created by the Panther Moders. Thus, Case can experience the world from inside Molly’s body without leaving cyberspace. Molly eventually steals the construct, but injures her leg.
(Side note: Who injures Molly’s leg? How does Molly injure her leg? Molly stated, “Little problem with the natives. Think one of them broke my leg” (63). So who are the natives?)
Molly is a fascinating character because she represents the shrewd hacker who is a tough-girl. She is independent and fearless. I also found it interesting that she led the heist on foot, while Case experienced the heist through her mind. She seems tougher than Case, but it makes me wonder if she will survive another heist if she puts herself in vulnerable situations (such as almost not making it out of Sense/Net with her broken leg).
Another interesting device in this chapter was the Hosaka. Hmmm Hosaka seems like Qwiki! The Hosaka tells you what it knows vocally, and the answer is given in multimedia form. For example, Case enters his topic, “Panther Moderns” (57), and the Hosaka “accessed its array of libraries, journals, and news services” (57) to tell Case about the Panther Moderns. In one instance the Hosaka explains the Panther Modern through an image of a boy who represented the Panther Modern (“dark eyes, epicanthic folds…an angry dusting of acne across pale narrow cheeks” (57). In another instance, it explains what Dr. Virginia Rambali has to say about Panther Moderns. Sounds like a modernized qwiki to me.
I'm curious about Molly's survival too. She uses meds to deal with the excruciating pain of breaking her leg, drugs so effective that she manages to continue with the mission walking on the broken bones. It seems like people take on more risks and consequences because they know they can treat problems with modern medicine. It's almost like they forget they're bound to their "meat," or physical bodies, which are vulnerable and fragile.
ReplyDeleteI made a reference to Molly's personality in my post too, suggesting that her technological enhancements (the wolverine blades, the time-keeping/seeing-in-the-dark glasses) reflect the kind of personality she projects. To further Goli's point, I think that Gibson is using this example of Molly and the pocket endorphins to suggest that in his Neuromancer world, there is a greater disconnect between physical body and mental ambition or experience. Molly and others are willing to take more risks to their physical bodies because they can be fixed right up by machines and technological advancements.
ReplyDeleteSide note: I thought the Panther Moderns were people or teenagers that are rebellious and extremely innovative in creating/spreading technological trends. Did I read that part wrong? Needless to say, this book is a little confusing.
I don't think Molly puts herself in vulnerable situations so much as she simply accepts them as part of the job description. Nobody wants to get their leg broken or be put in a life-threatening situation, but Molly was smart enough to make her way out of it even -with- a broken leg. If anything, I think that Molly's survival in Sense/Net suggests that she's tough enough to handle anything short of completely overwhelming odds.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that when there is a technological "fix" to everything, people don't take into account the consequences of their actions. I feel that Gibson's portrayal of this notion is a little extreme though. Even though the technological enhancements to their bodies are seemingly endless, I feel like in reality, people would still take care of their body parts and prefer real eyes as opposed to mechanical ones.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the book, it was interesting to see that Molly did survive even after putting herself through vulnerable positions. I think that Molly's toughness only cracked when she hurt her leg, but she still turned out to be a tough survivor turns.
ReplyDeleteI agree with David that people don't think about the consequences of their actions when they know there is a simple fix to solve their problem. I don't think that Gibson takes it too far, though. People today are already modifying themselves in crazy unnecessary ways in response to less than life-threatening situations, and I know they would jump at the chance to get at some of Gibson's innovations.
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