Many people have wondered what would happen if there is another World War. How will it end? Would anyone even be left? Phillip K. Dick, the author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, most likely explored these questions while engendering his grasping tale. Throughout the first half of this novel, Mr. Dick has been able to expand my thoughts and help me to have a more open mind in connection with such an elaborate plot. He has been able to devise a story so diverse in characters and plot that not even the most vivid reader can anticipate what is to come. While reading, I became aware of how important it is to have a high status in this post-apocalyptic society. Something as simple as not owning a pet “had a way of gradually demoralizing [a person]” …show more content…
When the empathy is perceived by some, problems arise. For instance, when John Isidore uses the Empathy Box, a machine that connects the user to Wilbur Mercer, the founder of Mercerism, he speaks of how this linkage can be physically dangerous but "he knew he would take the risk"(Dick 1). This indicates how followers of Mercerism in this society place their personal safety after being empathetic. Meanwhile, there is another view of empathy displayed in this novel. In this post-modern world, while trying to weed out escaped androids from the humans who inhabit the planet, a system of identification was found because "empathy... existed only within the human community"(Dick 30). Empathy is shown as one quality unique to humans that are unlike all other species or creations. I believe a theme that reoccurs throughout this novel is that humans should share their ability to empathize with each other as well as other creatures which is similar to what many of today's religions teach such as Christianity and