Cyberpunk Through Someone Else’s Eyes

William Gibson’s cyberpunk adventures were some of my favorite readings this semester. To me, his stories were fun and accessible while showing the gritty reality of the human condition. Other students saw Gibson’s high-tech stories, like “Johnny Mnemonic” differently. For some, Gibson’s high-tech scenario was too far outside their comfort zone to be enjoyable. For others, Gibson showed technology as a symptom or cause of moral decay. Still others, saw the adaptability of the human in a changing world. All these viewpoints are valid. The beauty of speculative fiction, in my opinion, is the incredible range of reactions students can have to the same story.

Cynthia Cleveland discusses feeling left behind by the high-tech elements of “Johnny Mnemonic.” To her, Gibson’s story “seemed to be so focused on giving the narrative a futuristic feel, that it left the reader—at least, this one—behind in a state of confusion.” I can see how a reader can initially have a hard time reconciling Gibson’s future with their reality, whereas someone with more experience reading futuristic fiction has had time to develop their ability to accept a certain amount of confusion that may or may not be clarified by the end of the story. Reading Dr. White’s annotated version of the story helps the reader with some the confusing parts, but taking the time to learn interferes with the reader’s enjoyment of the flow of the prose, which further contributes to turning reading into a chore. Some genres of literature have a learning curve that must be overcome.

Another opinion of “Johnny Mnemonic” and high-tech narratives examines the story from a moralistic perspective. Laura Wilson’s “Diametrically in Sync: Sliding Morals in High Tech and Low Tech” claims that Gibson’s story “fits the scale of high tech and low humanity.” She cites weaponized augmentations used by Molly and the assassin as evidence of a “very violent society with a ‘kill or be killed’ attitude.” I agree with Wilson that—at least in the texts of this course—technology seems to have a dehumanizing effect, but in Gibson’s case I would argue that he has simply put a cyberpunk skin over a fairly conventional organized crime narrative and the aspects of violence and criminality are inherited from the underlying genre and not directly related to the technology of the story. Then again, maybe Gibson chose the crime genre because it highlights the human potential for violence.

A more hopeful interpretation of “Johnny Mnemonic” is that Johnny represents the human ability to adapt and overcome adversity. In “Whether High or Low: Humans will Adapt” Timothy Morrow explores the idea that “in a Dystopian world with little job security or opportunities,” Johnny uses technology to become competitive in a challenging economy. People enjoy stories about relatable criminals who triumph over much worse criminals. It is an appealing plot and Gibson seems to make his living putting his cyberpunk spin on popular scenarios. This tendency makes Gibson’s stories more accessible than more ambitiously abstract authors, but it also keeps his stories from being considered literary science fiction.

It has been extremely enjoyable to read what other students think of Gibson’s stories. The variety of reactions in student essays provides a valuable lesson in the subjective nature of reading and writing. Some of the stories I find easiest to read are difficult for others. Plots that blow my mind, bore somebody else. Knowing that makes a second and third reading more interesting as I try to see the story from a new perspective.