Love. As a child, we never dwell on the meaning of love, rather it is just assumed. As a teenager, we often resist the idea of love, to prove that we are independent of others. It is often portrayed that only as an adult do we let ourselves love, because we accept life is easier when we have others to help us keep going.
In the beginning of Neuromancer, Gibson reflects Case’s instantaneous love for Linda Lee as if “she’d been singled out for him, one face out of the dozens” (Gibson 8). Despite what appeared to be a “love-struck” Case early on in the novel, Case exhibits no lasting negative impact after witnessing the murder of Linda Lee. In the real world, one often enters into a mourning period to grieve over the death of a loved one. The mourning period allows an individual to fathom their loss in order to progress in life. However, Case never surrenders himself to feeling grief because he is “ ‘Numb…he’d been numb a long time, years” (Gibson 152).
At a time where the majority of people experience darkness, Case is determined to successfully complete his mission. Case “shouts, voice high with hysteria…I gotta get the enzyme, name of the enzyme, the enzyme, man…” (Gibson 198). It is at this point in the novel that Gibson reveals an emotional Case. “ ‘Wintermute,’ Case screamed, ‘don’t do this to me!’ Tears broke from his lashes, rebounding off the faceplate in wobbling crystal droplets (Gibson 198). The first time Case expresses sadness is not when he loses a loved one, as some might expect, but when he panics about unsuccessfully retrieving the enzyme.
Why does Gibson create a character that does not experience emotion during a time of death but rather does so when the basis of his success is in danger? I think Gibson is enlightening his audience about the consequences of this futuristic world. In a world consumed by technology and manipulation, people’s morals and motivations are skewed. Gibson indicates that despite the moment in time where we feel people would hurt the most, every man is simply out for his own success. In other words, Gibson implies that in this futuristic world, the desire for complete success often inhibits one’s human emotions.
Interesting ideas, Amanda, and just one of many posts today looking at the possible connections between emotions and technology / the future. But given what we know about Case, is his character all that different from another we could imagine? In other words, is it really being in the future that is making the difference or is it just the type of person that Case appears to be?
It would be also worth looking at Case’s realization’s about Linda’s murder in chapter 10, as it reveals that he has been affected more by her death than even he has perhaps thought.
Typical human emotions are something we generally cannot shut off. However, in Gibson’s futuristic world, Case seems to only show his emotions in work crises. Amanda states that the characters put their success first and are typically emotionally disturbed when they cannot fully achieve that success. When Molly hurts her leg and becomes unconscious, Case screams and jacks out. He does this not because he truly concerned with her well-being, but to figure out what their next move will be to finally complete their mission. He does not scream because he is emotional, rather he screams out of fear of failure at his job.
Although I stand with your position on Case being apathetic towards love, I do not completely agree with the statement that a technological world constructs this sense of detachment and self-interest. Humanity has always preserved immoral qualities, but we tend to be covert about them. When we get to the nitty-gritty of societal standards, we are all hedonistic, some more than others. Though some may argue about their self-righteousness, everyone has been selfish in one point of one’s life; novels just tend to create caricatures of these emotions.