Question: What is a cyborg? Discuss different instances and examples of cybernetic technologies in this novel? What attitude do the characters take toward cyborg identities? What is the narrative perspective toward cybernetics?
A cyborg is a character that possesses characteristics and capabilities that would not be considered as being human. One thing that is important to note is the fact that cyborg have a superior capability compared to an average man. One of the key things that makes a cyborg to have more capability that a normal human being is the fact that they have special features that do not exist naturally within a normal person. In the novel entitled Neuromancer, Gibson creates a character named Henry Dorsett Case. In the beginning Case is a normal human being but after his boss Armitage destroys his brain with a chemical called mycotoxin, his brain is empowered using a computer chip. This means that the thinking Case’s thinking capability improves in comparison to a normal human being. In this case, the character Case develops from being a normal human being to being a cyborg. Case’s transformation is an ideal example of the cybernetic technologies that are brought out in the novel by Gibson. It is clear from the novel that the Case’s ability to hack computer accounts increases after he is transformed into a cyborg.
It is evident from the novel that the characters constituting Gibson’s Neuromancer novel tend to view cyborg as having a better capability than a normal human being. However, most of these characters believe that human beings still have the capacity to control cyborgs because they have the means and the technical knowhow to do it. For instance, after Case’s boss Armitage puts a computer chip in Case’s brain, he still leaves some trappings of poison in his brown so that in case the character Case goes against his instructions, he would be able to harm him and reduce his powers.
It is apparent that the narrative perspective towards cybernetics is that it is a form of technological advancement that can induce changes in society that man on his own cannot be in a position to undertake using his own natural mind. However, the venturing into cybernetics can also be harmful to society. The consequence of cybernetics to society depends of how it is controlled and managed.
