Research Paper
Undergraduate
Response to Themes in Barry\'s Machine Man
Originally published in 2011, Max Barry’s futuristic science fiction novel “Machine Man” was first made available to readers as an online serial, before being updated and collected into a full-fledged book. Barry bucked publishing industry protocol and posted excerpts from his “Machine Man” to his personal website, imploring his regular readers to submit criticism and feedback in the hope of collectively shaping his creative vision. As one of the first literary works to be “crowdsourced” in terms of content, the version of “Machine Man” which emerged from this collaborative process is, much like its conflicted protagonist, an amalgamation of various constituent parts which comes together to form a harmonious whole. Barry’s thematic thrust with the novel – which tells the tale of Charles Neumann, a subordinate scientist working for a military research conglomerate known as Better Future – is humanity’s ceaseless pursuit of perfection, and the consequences awaiting those who refuse to accept the concept of limitation. The tale of Neumann is one of alienation among humanity, as the lowly lab worker struggles to relate to those around him during the book’s introductory passages. When the aloof Neumann reveals to the reader through first-person narration that “I am not a people person. Whenever I'm evaluated, I score very low on social metrics. My ex-boss said she had never seen anyone score a zero on Interpersonal Empathy before ... If anyone is having a party, I am not invited” (Barry 6), the confession serves as both character development and foreshadowing. After admitting that he is not a “people person,” Neumann undergoes a transformative process intended to turn those prophetic words into reality, as a gruesome injury forces him to systematically replace the parts of his person that make him like other people.