At the end of the novel the idea of cyberspace vs. reality was very important for both Case and Linda Lee. In chapters 20 and 21 Case enters cyberspace and gets to be with Linda Lee again. Although Linda is dead, it seems as if Linda believes that she is still a living human being. Is this because when Linda Lee was alive she too blurred the lines between cyberspace and reality and now sees no difference? \u00a0However, when Linda Lee and Case are talking, she says, \u201c \u2018where we live. It gets smaller, Case, smaller, closer you get to it.\u201d (pp. 242) Linda Lee is explaining the world that they are in as being small and closing in and it appears that Linda realizes that the world she is in, is not the \u201creal\u201d world. \u00a0Then we soon find out that Linda is artificial. However, once we do learn that Linda is not real, that made me wonder where she is in cyberspace? Is this some ambiguous\/ alternate place she goes to because she is dead? I wonder why Gibson decided to keep Linda Lee in the novel even after her death?<\/p>\n
Linda\u2019s small predicament in these last few chapters, in my opinion, illustrates that the lines between reality and cyberspace can be blurred and the characters may not know exactly where they are. This also seems to happen to Case throughout the novel. He is constantly in cyberspace, but flipping to see reality through the eyes of Molly. Both reality and cyberspace are important, but it seems that even Case can forget where he is. The fact that the novel ends with Case being in cyberspace may indicate that Case finds cyberspace to be more of a reality for him than the real world.\u00a0 Usually when Case was in reality he was looking through the eyes of Molly. However Molly is gone now and the last line of the book says, \u201cHe never saw Molly again.\u201d (pp. 271). Molly was the one person that kept Case in touch with reality. Does this mean that Case will be in cyberspace from now on?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At the end of the novel the idea of cyberspace vs. reality was very important for both Case and Linda Lee. In chapters 20 and 21 Case enters cyberspace and gets to be with Linda Lee again. Although Linda is dead, it seems as if Linda believes that she is still a living human being.<\/p>\n