Kunzig – Androids

In the Deckard and Isidore – The Humane Humans section of the essay, Michael Heilemann states that Isidore "is the only human in Do Androids who shows any interest or emotion towards his fellow humans" (9). But there are multiple scenes in the novel that disprove this statement.
From the beginning of the book, in the first chapter, we see humans expressing feelings to each other. Rick Deckard and his wife Iran are arguing from the moment they woke up that morning. "'You're worse,' his wife said, her eyes still shut. 'You're a murderer hired by the cops'" (Dick 1), Iran tells Rick, obviously trying to anger him. Rick's "irritability had risen, now; it had become outright hostility" (Dick 1). These emotions may not be positive ones, but all the same they are emotions; the argument proves that they both still care enough to fight, and that Iran does not have a "lack of emotions towards other people" (Heilemann 6).
There are many other instances throughout the novel that show that humans still care for each other, still have feelings towards each other, still have empathy. But I found the most obvious, important one to be at the end of the book, in the 21st chapter. Rick has flown off on his own to the wasteland that is Oregon, and has been gone for a day, without telling anyone. When he phones his secretary, she immediately says "'Oh, and  Mr. Deckard; your wife phoned. She wants to know if you're all right. Are you all right?'" (Dick 133). This quote alone is evidence of two people who care about Rick Deckard, who show interest towards him: his wife and his secretary. They both want to know if he is okay. And throughout the conversation, Deckard's secretary insists that he "'call [his] wife right away, Mr. Deckard, because she's terribly, terribly worried. I could tell. You're both in dreadful shape" (Dick 133). She wants him to call his wife, because she could tell how worried she was, and it matters, she feels for her. If this isn't empathy, I don't know what is.
But just in case I have one more empathy scene. When Rick finally gets back home with the toad, and Iran discovers it is fake, she notices his disappointment. "'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 137); she is obviously feeling empathy for her husband, and doesn't need the empathy box for that.
These last two quotes disprove Heilemann's statement that a "lack of empathy in-between mankind is well exemplified by Rick and Iran" (5).

Works Cited

Dick, Philip. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Doubleplay, 1968. Print.

Heilemann, Michael. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Blade Runner. PDF