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Feed (novel)
Encyclopedia
Feed a dystopia
n novel
of the cyberpunk
genre
by M. T. (Matthew Tobin) Anderson
, is a dark satire
about corporate power, consumerism
, information technology
, and data mining
in society. The novel depicts how every human's life completely revolves around advertising, as well as the knowledge and will that the Feed not only provides them with information on demand, but manipulates their decision-making.
The story depicts a future in which the Internet
has evolved into the "Feednet": a computer network
to which the brains of American citizens are directly connected by means of an implanted computer chip called a "Feed", which about 73 percent of Americans have set in their brain, usually at birth as it minimizes complications. Privacy
has become a thing of the past; corporations are free to monitor and manipulate citizens' thoughts. Feeds frequently interrupt normal thought processes in order to direct the user's attention to messaged advertising
. The government may even subpoena
one's memories for legal purposes. The corporations and conglomerates
responsible for the feed participate in data mining
by monitoring the purchases and interests of those with the feed in order to use this information to fit individuals into consumer profiles. Their human value and worth within the system is determined by the consistencies (or lack thereof) in their consumer habits. Those connected to the Feednet can "M-Chat" one another (a form of evolved Instant Messaging
) on closed channels, effectively creating a form of telepathy
. In addition, the Feed chip is implanted at such an early age that it actually takes over the running of many brain functions as the child matures. As a result, certain sites on the Feednet have psychological effects on users, causing them to go "in Mal"; in other words, they can deliberately cause their feed chips to malfunction, causing physical and mental sensations similar to the effects of some intoxicating drugs.
The natural environment has also undergone extensive damage; atmospheric conditions no longer allow the natural formation of clouds, the trademarked
"Clouds™" implying artificial replications. Most bodies of water have long since become inhospitable; the oceans have become so acidic that whales are sheathed in plastic coverings (and hunted for sport). Sexual reproduction is no longer possible. As a result, all women undergo in-vitro fertilization and have their children custom tailored to their liking.
The corporations responsible for the Feed have an immense power in the future America. They run the school system, which is now known as School™. Throughout the book, they appear to hold the true power in America, leaving the president virtually helpless as the Global Alliance, a coalition of other countries, threatens to go to war with them.
their feeds (internet receivers that are implanted in a person's brain and can give any information wanted simply by thinking about it), causing them to shout anti-feed slogans uncontrollably before going unconscious. They wake up in a hospital, unable to use their feeds. Since they have nothing else to do, Violet and Titus begin to talk. They begin a relationship. After several days, their feeds are brought back online and they go back to Earth.
One day, Violet reveals her plan of resisting the feed to Titus. She plans to show interest in such a wide and random assortment of products that her feed will not properly be able to predict her interests or develop a consumer profile around her. Titus has nightmares of riots, pollution
, and oppression
before being woken up by Violet, who shared a similar dream. Though Titus does not know it, Violet realizes that someone, most likely the Coalition of Pity, has been accessing her personal information. She calls FeedTech customer service, but is presented with an artificial intelligence
named Nina that is of no help.
Soon after, the Coca-Cola
Company holds a promotion
where free Coke is awarded to people who talk about it positively to their friends a lot. Titus, Violet and their friends get together, planning to rip off the company by talking about how Coke is good for several hours. Because of an insightful comment Violet makes about Coke's carbonation
, the other girls make fun of her. Angry at the remarks of the others, Violet tells Titus to take her away. Titus does so, grudgingly. On the way home, they fight in the car. Violet tells Titus that her feed is severely malfunctioning, and she may well die. They reconcile, and go to Titus' house. Because Violet expresses interest in experiencing many things before she dies, Titus and Violet go to the ocean. Various parts of Violet's body are shutting down periodically at this point.
At School™, Titus is somewhat disturbed to learn that Calista got a large artificial lesion on her neck. Link finds it sexy, but Titus and Violet both are disgusted by it. Titus invites Violet to a party.
At the party, Quendy shows up with small artificial lesions over most of her body, in an attempt to do better than Calista. Opinion is divided on it, but Violet finds it extremely disturbing. Titus takes her away to the attic, and talks about how he and his friends used to play games here as kids. He describes the feeling of walking through an empty house, knowing everyone is aware of your every move, without knowing where they are. Violet interprets this is an analogy for the fall of America, and feels better, though Titus is unaware of the significance of what he has said. They join in a game of Spin the Bottle
. Marty gets Violet, but before he can kiss her, Violet bursts out a tirade, possibly initiated by her deteriorating feed, and collapses when she is finished, forcing her to be taken to the hospital.
At the hospital, Titus is shown a place where he can monitor Violet's feed efficiency, which would be at 98% for a normal person. Hers is at 52.9%, but goes up to 87.3% after she is treated. When Titus is allowed to see her, they have an awkward conversation, before Titus leaves. In the aftermath of the malfunction, Violet loses memories of the year before she got the feed installed. To avoid losing more memories, she makes large records of things she can remember, and sends them to Titus. Overwhelmed, Titus does not watch them, and deletes them at the end of the day. Violet's body parts shut down more and more often. Because they cannot afford to pay themselves, she and her father petition
FeedTech for free repairs.
Violet sends Titus a list of things she wants to do. The first few items represent things she would like to do with Titus, including dancing, going to the mountains, and visiting Fort Wayne. After that, her list becomes more fantastical, describing an ideal life in which she does not have the feed and is actually from Fort Wayne. She wants to grow old and have grandchildren with Titus, retire by a lake, and have a dog named Paine
. The second to last item may be an attack on Titus. In it, Violet says that she wants to not remember what will actually happen, which includes Titus standing by her bed, waiting until he has been there long enough to be a good person. Titus does listen to the whole thing, but not at once.
While she is recovering, Violet calls Titus while he is in mal with his friends and becomes angry with Titus because he is unaware of the environmental disaster that happened that morning in Mexico
. Though the details are never given, some sort of toxic waste seems to have engulfed a number of villages there, and the Global Alliance is prepared to go to war with the United States. Titus, still intoxicated, decides to drive to her house. He falls asleep shortly after arriving due to the after effects of the mal. While he sleeps, Violet gives him further bad news in the form of a memory of that morning.
Violet's leg froze up as she was going downstairs, and she fell. At this time, Nina, the artificial intelligence from FeedTech responded to the request for free repairs Violet and her father made earlier. FeedTech decided not to help Violet because of her strange customer profile — something brought about by resisting the feed. Nina offered to go shopping with Violet to help her form a viable consumer profile, but Violet told her to fuck off.
That weekend, Violet comes to Titus' house to ask him to go to the mountains. He is reluctant at first, but ultimately agrees. Violet's father does not want her to see Titus anymore, so she is avoiding him. They stay at a cheap hotel. That evening, Violet tries to have sex with Titus, but Titus refuses, telling her that he keeps imagining her already dead. They criticize each other's lifestyles, and break up. On the way home, Violet's arm stops working and Titus considers apologizing, but does not. As Violet gets out of the car back home, her leg fails, and she falls. Titus drives away, leaving her father to take care of her.
The next day, Violet apologizes to Titus via feed, but Titus does not answer. The summer without Violet goes badly for Titus. He and Quendy start dating, and he goes on a trip to Io
with Link and Marty. However, the new fashionable lesions people wear start spreading to the point of making people nearly skinless. Marty gets a "speech tattoo
" that forces him to say "Nike" in every sentence. For unknown reasons, the bees across America become extremely aggressive and attack people. Finally, a glitch in the feed then causes people to freeze in place, somewhat like Violet. Titus thinks of her for the first time in a while.
Near summer's end, Titus' father returns from a corporate getaway
. He shows memories of the whaling expedition to his family, but cuts them short when he begins staring at a female co-worker's chest and feels aroused. As Titus' parents fight, Titus receives a message from Violet's father saying that Violet wanted Titus to know when it was "all over," and that this time has come.
Titus goes to Violet's house where Violet is coma
tose and bedridden. Her father tells Titus stories of her decline intended to make Titus feel bad. He blames Titus, but Titus denies responsibility. In response, her father shows him memories of parts of her body and brain shutting down, the pain she experienced, and the reality of her current state of incontinence
. He then tells Titus to be with the eloi
. Titus asks what that means, but Mr. Durn refuses to answer, telling him to look it up instead. They fight, and Titus goes home. In unbearable guilt and grief, he sits on his floor naked. When his feed serves him a banner ad for jeans, Titus orders pair after pair until he has no money left at all.
Sometime later, Titus goes to visit Violet again. He does not speak to her father, but instead tells her "stories" — little one-sentence bits of news and trivia that were all he was able to find in the vastness of the information available over his feed. Finally, he tells her the story of their relationship in the form of a movie trailer. The book ends on a despondent note with Violet dying and Titus obeying the commands of a commercial for the blue jean warehouse that ends with double-meaning
phrase "Everything Must Go."
The narrator and protagonist. Titus is the teenage son of an upper middle class family. Though glimmers of curiosity and creativity can be seen from time to time throughout the story, Titus, for the most part, is content with his consumerist lifestyle. He is described as being unintelligent throughout the book.
Violet Durn:
Violet remains Titus' girlfriend for most of the book. She was raised by her eccentric father, and was homeschooled. She possesses views at odds with what Titus has known all his life. She is significantly less well off than Titus, which often leads her to criticize Titus and his friends.
Marty:
One of Titus' friends. Marty is described as being good at any game. He is loud and obnoxious at times.
Lincoln "Link" Arwaker:
Another friend of Titus. Link, it is revealed, is actually a clone of Abraham Lincoln
. He is depicted as being very tall and physically unsightly. He is also said to be much wealthier than Titus, and lives in a gated community
. Calista and Quendy compete for his attention throughout the book.
Calista:
Calista is outspoken and opinionated. She has an ability to manipulate others with a combination of looks and talk. She is often the one to start one of the fights she and the other characters have with Violet.
Loga:
Before the time of the story, Loga and Titus had a romance going. Though they have since parted as a couple, they are still friends. Loga is the only one of Titus' circle of friends who is not hacked at the Rumble Spot.
Quendy:
Titus describes Quendy as a "broken little economy model of Calista." She spends much of the story in a bout of one-upmanship with Calista over Link. When Link chooses Calista over her, she begins to make advances on Titus, and they end up going out. In the final scene, when Titus visits Violet to tell her "stories," he says he was on his way to meet Quendy for a date.
Titus's Dad (Steve):
A powerful banker. Steve and Titus seem to have a normal father-son relationship, with both ups and downs. Near the end of the story, it is suggested that Steve may be having an affair.
Titus's Mom:
Titus mother works in the fashion industry. She often seems frazzled.
Titus's Kid Brother:
His real name is never given, and he is referred to exclusively as "Smell Factor" throughout the story. On page 77 it is alluded that he is six years old: "Smell Factor had one of those birds now...so I could tell they were meg yesterday. Stuff always starts with people who are cool and in college, then works down, until when the six-year-olds get it, it's like, who cares?" Though his age is never given, he appears very immature for most of the story. Because of his feed, he often has no idea of what is going on around him and will shout out random phrases with no relevance to the situation. This implies that the problems the feeds cause will get worse with every generation.
Violet's Dad:
A professor in a world that has devalued learning. He teaches programming languages in a historical context. He speaks almost exclusively with an absurdly formal vocabulary, which is alien to Titus. Though he does not have a feed, he uses a "Feedpack," an early, primitive version of the Feed which seems to have similar properties, which is not implanted in his brain but rather a large box carried in a pack.
through Titus. Titus's perspective plays a significant role in implicitly explaining the conditions of society—he speaks in the contemporary vernacular, and expresses apathy towards the political events occurring around him, and detests learning anything more in school than he has to. This is contrasted by Violet's apparent concern of current events and curiosity of history and other cultures. It also allows the reader to see how the Feed affects Titus's thoughts, in a parody of the modern media and commercial marketing to teens of today. Profanity is used freely, even by older characters like Steve or the President.
In addition, the story's narrative is often interrupted with the text of commercials for consumer products, Feedcasts, and news snippets. This, among other things in the narrative, eventually allude to America being fired upon with nuclear weapons by the Global Alliance for its industrial crimes. This element adds texture to the book, as well as being a reminder of the nature of Titus' commercial-riddled life.
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
of the cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
by M. T. (Matthew Tobin) Anderson
Matthew Tobin Anderson
Matthew Tobin Anderson, known as M. T. Anderson, is an American author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.-Biography:...
, is a dark satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
about corporate power, consumerism
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
, information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, and data mining
Data mining
Data mining , a relatively young and interdisciplinary field of computer science is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and database systems...
in society. The novel depicts how every human's life completely revolves around advertising, as well as the knowledge and will that the Feed not only provides them with information on demand, but manipulates their decision-making.
The story depicts a future in which the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
has evolved into the "Feednet": a computer network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
to which the brains of American citizens are directly connected by means of an implanted computer chip called a "Feed", which about 73 percent of Americans have set in their brain, usually at birth as it minimizes complications. Privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
has become a thing of the past; corporations are free to monitor and manipulate citizens' thoughts. Feeds frequently interrupt normal thought processes in order to direct the user's attention to messaged advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
. The government may even subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
one's memories for legal purposes. The corporations and conglomerates
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
responsible for the feed participate in data mining
Data mining
Data mining , a relatively young and interdisciplinary field of computer science is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and database systems...
by monitoring the purchases and interests of those with the feed in order to use this information to fit individuals into consumer profiles. Their human value and worth within the system is determined by the consistencies (or lack thereof) in their consumer habits. Those connected to the Feednet can "M-Chat" one another (a form of evolved Instant Messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
) on closed channels, effectively creating a form of telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
. In addition, the Feed chip is implanted at such an early age that it actually takes over the running of many brain functions as the child matures. As a result, certain sites on the Feednet have psychological effects on users, causing them to go "in Mal"; in other words, they can deliberately cause their feed chips to malfunction, causing physical and mental sensations similar to the effects of some intoxicating drugs.
The natural environment has also undergone extensive damage; atmospheric conditions no longer allow the natural formation of clouds, the trademarked
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
"Clouds™" implying artificial replications. Most bodies of water have long since become inhospitable; the oceans have become so acidic that whales are sheathed in plastic coverings (and hunted for sport). Sexual reproduction is no longer possible. As a result, all women undergo in-vitro fertilization and have their children custom tailored to their liking.
The corporations responsible for the Feed have an immense power in the future America. They run the school system, which is now known as School™. Throughout the book, they appear to hold the true power in America, leaving the president virtually helpless as the Global Alliance, a coalition of other countries, threatens to go to war with them.
Plot
While spending Spring Break on the moon, Titus and his friends meet Violet Durn, a strange young woman whom they invite to party with them. While at a club called the Rumble Spot, a man from an anti-feed organization hacksHacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
their feeds (internet receivers that are implanted in a person's brain and can give any information wanted simply by thinking about it), causing them to shout anti-feed slogans uncontrollably before going unconscious. They wake up in a hospital, unable to use their feeds. Since they have nothing else to do, Violet and Titus begin to talk. They begin a relationship. After several days, their feeds are brought back online and they go back to Earth.
One day, Violet reveals her plan of resisting the feed to Titus. She plans to show interest in such a wide and random assortment of products that her feed will not properly be able to predict her interests or develop a consumer profile around her. Titus has nightmares of riots, pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, and oppression
Oppression
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, and...
before being woken up by Violet, who shared a similar dream. Though Titus does not know it, Violet realizes that someone, most likely the Coalition of Pity, has been accessing her personal information. She calls FeedTech customer service, but is presented with an artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
named Nina that is of no help.
Soon after, the Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
Company holds a promotion
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
where free Coke is awarded to people who talk about it positively to their friends a lot. Titus, Violet and their friends get together, planning to rip off the company by talking about how Coke is good for several hours. Because of an insightful comment Violet makes about Coke's carbonation
Carbonation
Carbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water. The process usually involves carbon dioxide under high pressure. When the pressure is reduced, the carbon dioxide is released from the solution as small bubbles, which cause the solution to "fizz." This effect is seen in carbonated...
, the other girls make fun of her. Angry at the remarks of the others, Violet tells Titus to take her away. Titus does so, grudgingly. On the way home, they fight in the car. Violet tells Titus that her feed is severely malfunctioning, and she may well die. They reconcile, and go to Titus' house. Because Violet expresses interest in experiencing many things before she dies, Titus and Violet go to the ocean. Various parts of Violet's body are shutting down periodically at this point.
At School™, Titus is somewhat disturbed to learn that Calista got a large artificial lesion on her neck. Link finds it sexy, but Titus and Violet both are disgusted by it. Titus invites Violet to a party.
At the party, Quendy shows up with small artificial lesions over most of her body, in an attempt to do better than Calista. Opinion is divided on it, but Violet finds it extremely disturbing. Titus takes her away to the attic, and talks about how he and his friends used to play games here as kids. He describes the feeling of walking through an empty house, knowing everyone is aware of your every move, without knowing where they are. Violet interprets this is an analogy for the fall of America, and feels better, though Titus is unaware of the significance of what he has said. They join in a game of Spin the Bottle
Spin the bottle
Spin the Bottle is a party game in which several players sit/stand/kneel in a circle. One player spins a bottle and must kiss the person to whom the bottle points, who then spins the bottle in turn...
. Marty gets Violet, but before he can kiss her, Violet bursts out a tirade, possibly initiated by her deteriorating feed, and collapses when she is finished, forcing her to be taken to the hospital.
At the hospital, Titus is shown a place where he can monitor Violet's feed efficiency, which would be at 98% for a normal person. Hers is at 52.9%, but goes up to 87.3% after she is treated. When Titus is allowed to see her, they have an awkward conversation, before Titus leaves. In the aftermath of the malfunction, Violet loses memories of the year before she got the feed installed. To avoid losing more memories, she makes large records of things she can remember, and sends them to Titus. Overwhelmed, Titus does not watch them, and deletes them at the end of the day. Violet's body parts shut down more and more often. Because they cannot afford to pay themselves, she and her father petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
FeedTech for free repairs.
Violet sends Titus a list of things she wants to do. The first few items represent things she would like to do with Titus, including dancing, going to the mountains, and visiting Fort Wayne. After that, her list becomes more fantastical, describing an ideal life in which she does not have the feed and is actually from Fort Wayne. She wants to grow old and have grandchildren with Titus, retire by a lake, and have a dog named Paine
Thomas Paine
Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
. The second to last item may be an attack on Titus. In it, Violet says that she wants to not remember what will actually happen, which includes Titus standing by her bed, waiting until he has been there long enough to be a good person. Titus does listen to the whole thing, but not at once.
While she is recovering, Violet calls Titus while he is in mal with his friends and becomes angry with Titus because he is unaware of the environmental disaster that happened that morning in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Though the details are never given, some sort of toxic waste seems to have engulfed a number of villages there, and the Global Alliance is prepared to go to war with the United States. Titus, still intoxicated, decides to drive to her house. He falls asleep shortly after arriving due to the after effects of the mal. While he sleeps, Violet gives him further bad news in the form of a memory of that morning.
Violet's leg froze up as she was going downstairs, and she fell. At this time, Nina, the artificial intelligence from FeedTech responded to the request for free repairs Violet and her father made earlier. FeedTech decided not to help Violet because of her strange customer profile — something brought about by resisting the feed. Nina offered to go shopping with Violet to help her form a viable consumer profile, but Violet told her to fuck off.
That weekend, Violet comes to Titus' house to ask him to go to the mountains. He is reluctant at first, but ultimately agrees. Violet's father does not want her to see Titus anymore, so she is avoiding him. They stay at a cheap hotel. That evening, Violet tries to have sex with Titus, but Titus refuses, telling her that he keeps imagining her already dead. They criticize each other's lifestyles, and break up. On the way home, Violet's arm stops working and Titus considers apologizing, but does not. As Violet gets out of the car back home, her leg fails, and she falls. Titus drives away, leaving her father to take care of her.
The next day, Violet apologizes to Titus via feed, but Titus does not answer. The summer without Violet goes badly for Titus. He and Quendy start dating, and he goes on a trip to Io
Io (moon)
Io ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter and, with a diameter of , the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character of Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus....
with Link and Marty. However, the new fashionable lesions people wear start spreading to the point of making people nearly skinless. Marty gets a "speech tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
" that forces him to say "Nike" in every sentence. For unknown reasons, the bees across America become extremely aggressive and attack people. Finally, a glitch in the feed then causes people to freeze in place, somewhat like Violet. Titus thinks of her for the first time in a while.
Near summer's end, Titus' father returns from a corporate getaway
Vacation
A vacation or holiday is a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations...
. He shows memories of the whaling expedition to his family, but cuts them short when he begins staring at a female co-worker's chest and feels aroused. As Titus' parents fight, Titus receives a message from Violet's father saying that Violet wanted Titus to know when it was "all over," and that this time has come.
Titus goes to Violet's house where Violet is coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose and bedridden. Her father tells Titus stories of her decline intended to make Titus feel bad. He blames Titus, but Titus denies responsibility. In response, her father shows him memories of parts of her body and brain shutting down, the pain she experienced, and the reality of her current state of incontinence
Urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence is any involuntary leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a profound impact on quality of life. Urinary incontinence almost always results from an underlying treatable medical condition but is under-reported to medical practitioners...
. He then tells Titus to be with the eloi
Eloi
The Eloi are one of the two post-human races in H. G. Wells' 1895 novel The Time Machine.-In The Time Machine:By the year 802,701 AD, humanity has evolved into two separate species: the Eloi and the Morlocks...
. Titus asks what that means, but Mr. Durn refuses to answer, telling him to look it up instead. They fight, and Titus goes home. In unbearable guilt and grief, he sits on his floor naked. When his feed serves him a banner ad for jeans, Titus orders pair after pair until he has no money left at all.
Sometime later, Titus goes to visit Violet again. He does not speak to her father, but instead tells her "stories" — little one-sentence bits of news and trivia that were all he was able to find in the vastness of the information available over his feed. Finally, he tells her the story of their relationship in the form of a movie trailer. The book ends on a despondent note with Violet dying and Titus obeying the commands of a commercial for the blue jean warehouse that ends with double-meaning
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
phrase "Everything Must Go."
Characters
Titus:The narrator and protagonist. Titus is the teenage son of an upper middle class family. Though glimmers of curiosity and creativity can be seen from time to time throughout the story, Titus, for the most part, is content with his consumerist lifestyle. He is described as being unintelligent throughout the book.
Violet Durn:
Violet remains Titus' girlfriend for most of the book. She was raised by her eccentric father, and was homeschooled. She possesses views at odds with what Titus has known all his life. She is significantly less well off than Titus, which often leads her to criticize Titus and his friends.
Marty:
One of Titus' friends. Marty is described as being good at any game. He is loud and obnoxious at times.
Lincoln "Link" Arwaker:
Another friend of Titus. Link, it is revealed, is actually a clone of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. He is depicted as being very tall and physically unsightly. He is also said to be much wealthier than Titus, and lives in a gated community
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
. Calista and Quendy compete for his attention throughout the book.
Calista:
Calista is outspoken and opinionated. She has an ability to manipulate others with a combination of looks and talk. She is often the one to start one of the fights she and the other characters have with Violet.
Loga:
Before the time of the story, Loga and Titus had a romance going. Though they have since parted as a couple, they are still friends. Loga is the only one of Titus' circle of friends who is not hacked at the Rumble Spot.
Quendy:
Titus describes Quendy as a "broken little economy model of Calista." She spends much of the story in a bout of one-upmanship with Calista over Link. When Link chooses Calista over her, she begins to make advances on Titus, and they end up going out. In the final scene, when Titus visits Violet to tell her "stories," he says he was on his way to meet Quendy for a date.
Titus's Dad (Steve):
A powerful banker. Steve and Titus seem to have a normal father-son relationship, with both ups and downs. Near the end of the story, it is suggested that Steve may be having an affair.
Titus's Mom:
Titus mother works in the fashion industry. She often seems frazzled.
Titus's Kid Brother:
His real name is never given, and he is referred to exclusively as "Smell Factor" throughout the story. On page 77 it is alluded that he is six years old: "Smell Factor had one of those birds now...so I could tell they were meg yesterday. Stuff always starts with people who are cool and in college, then works down, until when the six-year-olds get it, it's like, who cares?" Though his age is never given, he appears very immature for most of the story. Because of his feed, he often has no idea of what is going on around him and will shout out random phrases with no relevance to the situation. This implies that the problems the feeds cause will get worse with every generation.
Violet's Dad:
A professor in a world that has devalued learning. He teaches programming languages in a historical context. He speaks almost exclusively with an absurdly formal vocabulary, which is alien to Titus. Though he does not have a feed, he uses a "Feedpack," an early, primitive version of the Feed which seems to have similar properties, which is not implanted in his brain but rather a large box carried in a pack.
Style
M.T. Anderson presents the novel in a first-person narrativeFirst-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
through Titus. Titus's perspective plays a significant role in implicitly explaining the conditions of society—he speaks in the contemporary vernacular, and expresses apathy towards the political events occurring around him, and detests learning anything more in school than he has to. This is contrasted by Violet's apparent concern of current events and curiosity of history and other cultures. It also allows the reader to see how the Feed affects Titus's thoughts, in a parody of the modern media and commercial marketing to teens of today. Profanity is used freely, even by older characters like Steve or the President.
In addition, the story's narrative is often interrupted with the text of commercials for consumer products, Feedcasts, and news snippets. This, among other things in the narrative, eventually allude to America being fired upon with nuclear weapons by the Global Alliance for its industrial crimes. This element adds texture to the book, as well as being a reminder of the nature of Titus' commercial-riddled life.
Awards and nominations
- Finalist 2002 National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
for Young People's Literature - Winner 2003 Boston Globe-Horn Book AwardBoston Globe-Horn Book AwardThe Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented by The Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine in 1967. They are among the most prestigious honors in the United States in the field of children’s and young adult literature...
for Fiction - Winner 2003 Golden Duck AwardsGolden Duck AwardsThe Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children's Science Fiction have been given annually since 1992.-Categories:The categories are:* Picture Book* K- 5th Grade Reader* Middle Grades * Young Adult...
Hal ClementHal ClementHarry Clement Stubbs better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre.-Biography:...
Award for Young Adults - Nominee 2005–2006 Green Mountain Book Award
Cultural references
- Violet's father briefly mentions the Eloi of H. G. WellsH. G. WellsHerbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
's The Time MachineThe Time MachineThe Time Machine is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895 for the first time and later adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It indirectly inspired many more works of fiction...
.
Sources
- Elizabeth Bullen and Elizabeth Parsons, Dystopian Visions of Global Capitalism: Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines and M.T. Anderson's Feed, Children's Literature in Education, published online 7 March 2007
- Blasingame, James. "An Interview with M.T. Anderson." Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. Newark: Sep. 2003. Vol. 47, Iss. 1; pg. 98.
- Blasingame, James Jr. "Feed." English Journal. Urbana: Sep 2003. Vol. 93, Iss. 1; pg. 81.
- Hepperman, Christine M. "Feed." The Horn Book Magazine. Boston: Jan/Feb. 2004. Vol 80, Iss. 1; pg. 26.