Jennifer Government Max Barry\'s Jennifer

Jennifer Government

Max Barry's Jennifer Government is a novel based in a dystopian alternative to reality where the world is controlled by the United States and government is run by for-profit corporations. It is a political satire much along the lines of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four but instead of being critical of too much government, as Orwell is, Maxwell seems critical of too little public government.

The story begins shortly after the United States has conquered the entire Western Hemisphere, the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Japan, Iceland, South Korea, Oceania, Thailand, Myanmar and Australia. In this state, taxation is abolished and the government has become privatized and thus unable to create new laws or hold elections. In fact, its job is limited to preventing crime. Instead, the world is largely run by competing coalitions of corporations and their police forces, either the Police or the NRA. In the story John Nike hires Hack Nike to kill teenagers for marketing purposes. The plan goes awry and Jennifer Government, a government agent known for her barcode tattoo under her eye, is hired to investigate the incidence. However, Jennifer once has a relationship and a daughter with John Nike and thus has a personal vendetta against him.

In her actions and beliefs Jennifer Government represents the concept of politics as a bureaucracy. Jennifer government is the quintessential bureaucrat. She works for the government and has the important job that effects many people. However, exemplifying the problem of a bureaucracy orientated government, Jennifer Government's work is guided not by the concept of upholding the system, but by what is best for her. Thus, the result is that the system ultimately does not work, as is further demonstrated in the book by the fact the government has no real power besides trying to prevent crimes (which it even fails to do).