“Several dozen of the microscopic explosives known as cookie-cutters detonated in his bloodstream.”
As I read that line, I kept asking myself “Is this the end to Bud’s pathetic life? Is he really dead?” Initially despising Bud in the novel didn’t pay off. I wasn’t satisfied with the sentence. How come his sentence was so extreme? Perhaps, it may be a lack of understanding on my end of the Confucian system of justice, which the Ashantis claim to use. Certainly, things would have been different for Bud if he had belonged to a phyle. Bud explained his reasoning for not feeling a sense of belonging to any phyle. It just never worked out for him even when he tried to join one. Does that mean if you don’t belong to a group you have no rights? It certainly seemed so, as the constable outrightly denied Bud any rights when Bud asked if he had any. Surely, there is something strangely wrong with a system that does not grant rights to an individual, who does not belong to a group.
Bud’s children, Nell and Harv, seem to be the typical young kids living in poverty. Their mom works long hours and is not paid as much. They lack the proper care and love of parents. The storyline on the children’s end is quite underdeveloped right now even though we can see the children enjoy exploring new concepts and technology. I’m quite fascinated by the furturistic tools used. I like how the author ends up explaining the terminology and the technology after mentioning it. At first the reader might feel taken aback, but soon finds himself/herself in place as the author explains it in the next few lines or even pages. I do curiosuly wonder about the future of Bud’s children. Will they live a life similar to their father or will things be brighter for them? Looking forward to these answers.
I’m not sure I understand what disappointed you about that sentence. Was it too graphic? Not graphic enough?
Your observations about individuality and phyles in this future world are well worth exploring in more detail. Keep thinking about this.
You’ll definitely learn more about Nell and Harv as the novel progresses.
Surely, the sentence was indeed graphic, but I wasn’t expecting an end like that to Bud’s life. Perhaps, I wasn’t not even expecting an end. We were just introduced to this character and as soon as the storyline got interesting there was a shift from him to his children. Indeed, a dramatic shift from a chaotic and violent life to a focus more on innocence utilizing technology. I love it. I think it is interesting how the author gains our attention and directs it. We are shown how the advancements intechonology can be used in negative and positive ways.
in technology*