Lathe of Heaven Essay

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characters from all the readings has to be Michael from Microserfs. "This morning, just after 11:00, Michael locked himself in his office and he won't come out." (Coupland 1) Through lack of interactions and his "flat diet," ("Todd and I got concerned about Michael's not eating, so we drove to the 24-hour Safeway in Bellevue. We went shopping for "flat" foods to slip underneath Michael's door." (Coupland 1)) Michael easily became the most dynamic and progressive personalities within the story. Because he operated at such a bizarre starting point, his change towards the end really creates an impression on the reader and the other characters in the story. At first he operates only in the set parameters of his world, barely talking to people, focusing on work, but it is in his own world that the reader witnesses Michael's slow, but gradual progression towards truly forming connection through BarCode and therefore experiencing personal and emotional growth as a result of it.

At first he is all mind, refusing to acknowledge other aspects of himself that have nothing to do with technology. He lacks social skills, even looks odd, giving off the impression of an eccentric through his odd attire and even stranger haircut, but the one thing that makes him change and acknowledge the other parts of himself is his online connection to "BarCode." Although "BarCode" is indeed a woman, and is named Amy, Michael didn't know that when he first began conversing with her online. He had no idea of her gender, her age or any other personal aspects. Some may say this online connection was vague and less than normal, but they connected and towards the end, began dating.

Michael didn't have to know what Amy looked like or know if she was a girl to truly care for her, because their shared and similar personality traits made him enjoy her company and continue to cultivate a connection all throughout the book, with its climatic culmination beginning in the Saturday section of the book. "Michael and BarCode…are now engaged. Amy and Michael have been having a…lovefest…at the Residence Inn Suites…" (Coupland 221) So even though Michael first refused any contact with anyone unless necessary, Amy awakened a need for him to be with someone. A need he acknowledged as loneliness, when he confessed to Dan later in the book of his desire to be more than what he originally was, to which he then acted upon, through his love of Amy.

Michael's obsession with work and coding was not enough to fulfill him. At first he was content existing behind the computer screen. But then his connection with BarCode sparked an emotional and personal evolution through which he grew to love and connect to Amy. It was first seen with the online sessions with "BarCode" and culminated with the stomping into the office, hands clapping, stating as never before, "Let's make them sing." (Coupland), showing he has changed, he has removed some of the more negative aspects of himself and he has grown as a person and individual.

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Question 3.

Microserfs has got to be the best representation of technology in a book in recent time. The characters are programmers. The most memorable moments are through programming and email (Dan, Michael, Amy, and Abe). The plot moves along and generates suspense from the financial and personal difficulties brought on by the characters being programmers and attempting to design a program in Silicon Valley called Oop! (Michael's own invention and reason for creation of his startup company), and lastly the end states of the characters (like Michael loving Amy and Abe coming to the fold), all are consequence of online interaction and communication. Technology is the epicenter of the lives and the plot of the story. Because of this, it really helped one understand the impact of not just technological innovations but the way they influence society, jobs, and alter forms of communication.

People didn't just talk on the phone anymore, they emailed, and they chatted. People didn't type up letters for work, they generated complex, numerical code. And even though Coupland did a great job showing how technology has permeated the modern world, he also showed how deeply it can affect it.

For instance, Coupland's Michael would have never left his house had it not been for programming. This was his gift. He was good at it. Not only did programming earn him a living, it even gave him the confidence to start his own company and convince his friends to join him. It was the sole reason he was able to get to meet someone like BarCode, who he later finds out is Amy, and begins a normal life outside of technology, by dating her and thus growing and maturing as an adult. Microserfs made it clear how technology could deliver to those that would otherwise be social pariahs (Michael), salvation, career, and even love. The evolution of Michael was a perfect way for Coupland to add complexity to the theme of technology without sacrificing his message as well as show how much of a negative influence technology can be on a person's mind and physical state.

When attempting to understand technology and what it represents, it's important to acknowledge both the negative and positive sides. Microsoft was the first company the characters worked in and although they found purpose and earned a good living programing, they also had no lives outside of work and lost touch with reality at different points in the story, especially in the beginning. Examples of this are Dan's contemplation over his deceased brother, and their overall desire to please Bill with Michael locking himself in his office for getting flamed by Bill. These were some of the low points in the novel that show how technology can sometimes undermine a person's mental state and increase isolation, fear, and even escapism when a person focuses too much on the multiple aspects of computer technology. Overall, Microserfs was a great novel and it showed exactly how life can and does revolve around computer technology......

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