Riewer--Androids

Philip K Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? focuses mainly on the theme of possessing empathy, or having the ability to show empathy. Rick Deckerd is a trained bounty hunter, whose job focuses solely on "retiring" androids from Earth. This job requires Deckerd to at least be able to manage his empathy in the proper way, as it can become difficult for some to see androids as simply something that can be retired. Michael Heileman presents an interesting analysis of Dick's novel with many interesting and valid points. However, there are a few areas with which I have to disagree based on my interpretation of the novel as well as its film adaptation.

Heileman points out in his article that androids, specifically the Nexus-6 Replicants produced by the Rosen Corporation, are incapable of experiencing empathy, or "emotionally decrepit." He explains in his analysis that "Androids are in other words treated like a piece of property no better than the slaves once brought up from Africa to serve the same purpose in the white man's lands" (Heilemann 10). This of course is not entirely untrue. They are indeed treated like slaves, and in some cases are required to perform sexual intercourse with their masters. However, several of these androids exhibit qualities which show that they do in fact express emotions. While these androids were produced for use as slaves on colonies off of Earth, several of them were able to escape back to earth, killing their masters or hurting others in the process. This desire to free themselves of this inherent slavery and escape back to earth juxtaposes with Heilemann's assertion that all of these creatures are emotionally decrepit.

Another instance which juxtaposes with Heilemann's assertion has to do with the animals in the book. After World War Terminus, almost all animals on earth became extinct or very, very endangered and humans began producing electric animals in order to replace the real thing. These electric animals must be cared for in the same way that any real animal would have to be cared for, or else they will become ill and must be taken care of at a veterinarian or else become too ill and die. This fact alone contradicts what Heilemann claims as fact, saying that the androids are only on earth to serve a purpose for the man in charge of it. However, because these animals in fact do produce emotion, even if it is in terms of someone else (the animal's owner), it is far too presumptuous for Heilemann to make this claim without a shadow of a doubt.

Heilemann offers a rich and interesting of both Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. However, as with all analysis, there are some points to be disputed in Heilemann's assertions.