Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is set in the aftermath of World War Terminus. The characters allude to the devastation of the war in their conversations, but their lived experiences reveal the extent to which the war isolated individuals and caused societal decay. The war devastated Earth’s environment; radioactive dust covers the planet, destroying plants and animals to the extent that many species have simply vanished. The animals that do remain are isolated from one another. They are kept in private collections and traded for vast sums, meaning that collectives such as herds or flocks of any animal species are an impossibly expensive prospect. Humans live in the same way. Humans like Isidore are affected by the radioactive dust and turned into social pariahs. Isidore is a special, meaning that his health is compromised due to the radioactive dust and he is forbidden from leaving the planet or fathering children. He lives in an empty apartment building in an abandoned suburb. His isolated existence takes place in the decayed ruins of the once-thriving society. He feels lonely, but his brain has decayed to the point where he cannot vocalize his loneliness. Instead, he simply spends his days feeling miserable, hopeless, and alienated, struggling to survive and experiencing human connection exclusively through his empathy box.

To the characters in the novel, decay is inevitable. The destruction of the planet prompted humanity to spread to off-world colonies, meaning that the species is more widespread than ever before. However, this distribution is not a happy one. For those on Earth, life feels like a missed opportunity. They are too old, too sick, or too poor to leave, or they feel bound to Earth by some professional or personal attachment. Regardless of the reasons they remain, they envy those who left. The novel does not show life in the colonies, but Roy Baty hints to Isidore that colonial existence may not be the paradise many on Earth assume it is. When Isidore mentions that he is forbidden from leaving Earth because he is a special, Roy assures him that he would not enjoy life in the colonies anyway. Roy is an android, ruthless and incapable of empathy. For him to console Isidore in such a fashion suggests that there is no artifice to his words; he has no reason or desire to coddle Isidore’s feelings. Instead, he is stating a fact: society has decayed to such an extent that neither the colonies nor Earth can offer any escape from the painful isolation of everyday life.

Deckard thinks about decay in the sense of entropy. Though he begins the novel assured of his own humanity, he gradually comes to view himself as isolated and trapped, just like the androids. His life is a loop, a repeated series of events and gestures that continues until his inevitable demise. The androids only live for four years before they break down, while all pets—both fake and real—are under constant threat of dying or breaking down. Deckard realizes that humans may live longer, but these longer lives are not necessarily more meaningful. Instead, he sees himself as trapped, like Resch’s pet squirrel. He takes his assignments and hunts androids to buy real or fake animals to please his unpleasable wife. Deckard lives in this loop, running in the wheel inside his cage with no opportunity to change or escape this drudgery. When he considers quitting his job, Iran reminds him that they need money. Deckard is like the squirrel, running in a wheel over and over again because he cannot conceive of any other form of existence. His life and his ambitions are decaying, slipping away with each passing day and leaving him more isolated and alone than ever before.