Fisher: Androids

                I chose to dispute the author’s opinion of Iran’s empathic feelings in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The author claims that Iran “exists in her own little world, a world consisting of her compassion for Wilbur Mercer, the Penfield organ, and first the sheep, the goat, then lastly the toad” (Heilemann 6). Although Iran does keep herself preoccupied with these material things, she displays a wider acknowledgement for the world around her. When Iran explains her mood schedule to Rick, telling him, “’My first reaction consisted of being grateful that we could afford a Penfield mood organ. But then I read how unhealthy it was, sensing the absence of life, not just in this building but everywhere, and not reacting - do you see?’” (Dick ch. 1). She first expresses her distaste for owning a mood organ, showing her lack of concern for her and Rick’s possessions, a sentiment echoed by her earlier dismissal of Rick’s complaint of not owning a real sheep. In this statement, she also shows her concern with her inability to feel shows her desire to be part of the outside world again. However, she understands that this world has essentially died off, which perhaps explains her devotion to Mercerism as it is the only way to properly contact other human beings. Since she displays such an acute awareness of her situation in life and the state of the environment she lives in, I would hardly say that she is incapable of true empathy.

                The author goes on to point out her disinterest in Rick as a person, stating “Iran’s attention is never properly directed towards Rick, as one might believe with them being married and all” (Heilemann 6). When Rick returns from his trip to the desert, Iran expresses concern for his well-being twice. First, when she discovers that the toad is electric and sees the disappointment that consumes Rick, she says, “’Maybe I shouldn't have told you - about it being electrical.’ She put her hand out, touched his arm; she felt guilty, seeing the effect it had on him, the change” (Dick ch. 21). Her main priority is not ownership of the toad or righteousness over proving her husband wrong, or even disappointment over the discovery that the toad is fake. Rather, her first inclination is to check on her husband’s emotional state. Next, after he laments his day’s activities to her, she comforts him by saying, “’I'm just damn glad to have you come back home where you ought to be.’ She kissed him and that seemed to please him; his face lit up, almost as much as before - before she had shown him that the toad was electric” (Dick ch. 21). Although she could have easily blamed Rick for the incident with the goat or ridiculed him for believing the toad was real, she disregards both animals and is only interested in having her husband there. Thus, we can see that perhaps they both act like a married couple after all.

The author also says that “Her compassion, representative for the rest of humanity, towards the animals seems to be rather fleeting. Although she seems at first crushed over the loss of the goat, her attention immediately moves onto the toad as soon as Rick walks in the door with it” (Heilemann 6). I think in this case it is important to point out that Iran was the one who realized that the toad Rick finds was electric. She does not place it on a pedestal as Rick does and sees past the façade that hope can sometimes bring. Therefore, I would not say that her compassion is fleeting, since she was obviously not so enraptured by the possibility of finding a live toad that she was willing delude herself into believing it was real.