Rick Deckard Character Analysis

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Character Analysis of Rick Deckard

Rick Deckard is the protagonist of Philip K.Dick´s novel ”Do Androids Dream of Electric sheep” which was published in 1968. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic future where Rick Deckard is working as a bounty hunter and his job is to retire (=kill) androids or ”andys” as they also are called. The earth has been destroyed by World War Terminus and all animals species has died because of radiation. Humans have left earth for a new colony on Mars and androids are built to be humans slaves on Mars but they often escape back to earth where they must be killed because the have no empathy towards living things such as humans and animals. Rick Deckard´s job is to retire six Nexus-6 androids, which is the most advanced type who is very alike us human, in only 24 hours.

Rick Deckard is at the beginning of the novel very selfish and only thinks about himself most of the time, he is self-involved you can say. He has an electric sheep and he sees it as a demoralizing chore to take care of the sheep. His wife´s depression does not affect him, he sees her as someone who is supporting and taking care of him instead of seeing Iran as his wife. For example in the book one conversation is showing the relationship between the two:

” `Dial 888´,Rick said as the set warmed. `The desire to watch TV, no matter what´s on it´.
`I don´t feel like dialing anything at all now´,Iran said.
`Then dial 3´, he said.
`I can´t dial a setting that stimulates my cerebral