So far, as we’ve read the common theme in this novel has been empathy. We have had various discussions regarding empathy and how it can help to decipher what is human and what is android. One of the main points that are being questioned throughout this story is whether or not empathy is what makes us human. The author has consistently made the line unclear when it comes to androids and their empathy. In this last section of the book it is revealed that androids do not have the same empathy for life that the humans in this story do. That is shown with Pris, cutting off a spider’s legs essentially torturing it to John’s distress. This is also shown with Racheal Rosen, being taught to sleep with and gain the affection of men to prevent them from being able to hunt her kind effectively. This lack of basic empathy is also shown when she murders the goat rather brutally by throwing it off of a roof in vengeance. To me, these last chapters of the book finally draw a clear line between android and human. The androids finally display a pure lack of emotion in these instances.
Is empathy what makes us human after all? In the end, does Rick seem more “human” than the androids at last?
Rick definitely seems more empathetic and relatable towards the end of the novel than he did in the beginning. In the first chapters, Rick was extremely materialistic and ambitious and his only goal was to be able to afford a real animal. He refused to feel any emotion towards androids and would retire any number just to further himself. However, in the last chapters, Rick sleeps with Rachael which makes her feel more human to him. Meanwhile, Rachael throws Rick’s goat off of the roof in an attempt to get revenge on Rick. This displays a clear division between android and human because after sleeping together, Rick feels more empathy tow rads Rachael, yet she still feels nothing of the sort and attempts to get revenge by killing the thing he loves most in the world. Androids can mimic human empathy, but true empathy is what truly makes us human.
While I believe empathy is not what defines us as human, In the book, androids are separated from humans by their level of empathy towards animals. Now if we today were placed in a position where we had to figure out what separated us from androids I believe we would figure out a way by analyzing the androids. Throughout the story the question of Rick being an android came up multiple times. By the end of the story it is shown if Rick is an android or not because Rachel kills his goat and Rick is devastated.
I think that empathy is not a definitive way to determine what a human is. I think that in the end Rick did become more relatable. His ability to begin to care about androids showed that he grew and became more compassionate. I think some of the situations he found himself in, such as his relationship with Rachel, made him more sympathetic towards the reader.