Empathy is present in both the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and in the film Blade Runner based on this novel. Phillip K. Dick’s story is used to reveal a dystopian society in which humans and replicants cohabitate and these androids are detected by The Voight-Kampff test. However, it turns out that androids are capable of developing empathy as well as humans and that not all of them are the same, just like not all the people are the same. Humans possess empathy, but there is also a possibility of androids to acquire it. This point is described both in the novel and film and it refers to the fact that empathy makes people human although androids can learn to feel it as well.
The importance of empathy is shown throughout the book and throughout the film using different techniques. The film can point out to the relevance of empathy more vividly because of the use of musical score composed by Vangelis and because of the lighting techniques as well as great acting and a good choice of shots which vary from close-ups and low angles to aerial shots and high angles depending on the mood which is supposed to be set. Humans are capable of empathy, but it is a feeling and a personal trait which needs to be learned and fostered in an adequate environment. People learn about feelings as well and it is the same with androids because it turns out that they are capable of having feelings also. Rick, Rachael, Roy and Pris have feelings for one another and it can be seen through their actions. Moreover, it remains a mystery in the film whether Rick is a replicant as well or not. It remains a mystery on purpose because the director wanted to point out to the fact that empathy is not necessarily reserved for human beings.
Human beings created the androids to use their physical potential as laborers. “Empathy evidently existed only within the human community, whereas intelligence to some degree could be found throughout every phylum and order including arachnia.” (12). The difference between the novel and the film can be seen in the possessions of animals. In the novel, the possession of animals indicates that people can develop feelings towards other beings. However, since Rick’s sheep is artificial he feels contempt for it knowing that it cannot care for him ever unlike real animals. Nevertheless, he still takes care of it and has feelings for the sheep. He is supposed to kill the androids who are no longer needed for work and he is greatly surprised to fall in love with Rachael and to see that the feeling is mutual. Rachael joins him on his quest although she also wants to take care of her own friends as well. Rachael kills Rick’s goat in order to hurt his feelings because he kills some of the androids she knew. Rick does not have a mechanical sheep in the film and he shows his empathy in different ways. Moreover, there is the story of Luba Luft who creates beautiful music and should not be killed in spite of being an android. Phil Resch is determined to terminate Luba’s life while Deckard does not want to do that and feels empathy for her. Both Rachael and Luba are capable of feeling empathy, unlike Phil, and this is what bothers Deckard.
The story about Pris and Roy indicates that the two of them have feelings as well. Their sad fate of living for only four years is emphasized with the fact that they are aware of it. The scene where Sebastian meets Pris for the first time is interesting because the audience can see Pris walking throughout the city which is decaying. The accompanying music is representing her femininity and the notion of excitement which is attached to her. Her make-up is futuristic and the lightning is making the city seem gloomy. She is seen in a wide shot and in a medium shot, approaching while the camera is still. The first time her face is seen, it is from a low angle in order to emphasize her beauty and her power. She has a look of determination on her face which suggests that she has a plan on her mind. There is also a point-of-view shot and the street is seen through her eyes. Everything is cartoon-like and does not seem to be real although it is. The scenography is adjusted to create the feeling of emotional and physical void. The aerial shot suggests that the town is deserted and that the people and androids who remain there do not have a bright future ahead.
The lighting demonstrates that there are rays of hope somewhere in the city after all and it is seen in the story as well which begins to revolve around love. The empathy is also seen in the case of Sebastian, who offers Pris to take her home because he thinks that she is helpless. He sees Pris covered with garbage in the street corner, and once she notices Sebastian, she pretends to be afraid and lost. Sebastian shows empathy towards her and invites her although it is evident that she has a hidden agenda.
Rick falls in love with Rachael although he is on a mission of killing or destroying all of the specimens of her kind. However, she is a Nexus 6 model and is capable of feeling more empathy in comparison with the earlier models. Rick does not have feelings towards inanimate objects and he considers androids to be inanimate as well which is why he kills them so easily. Moreover, it is certain that keeping them alive would be dangerous for the humans. The life of the androids is considered to be false and a hunter like Rick Deckard has no feelings or any kind of empathy when executing them. He is supposed to be merciless, which he is, because the androids are aggressive to defend their existence. However, he softens upon meeting Rachael, a woman who changes her life. She is not even aware of the fact that she is an android because of the sophistication of her production. Rick develops feelings towards Rachael because of the fact that she was created with the intention to be a human being in many ways. Rick has to use the test to check whether Rachael is human or not and even she is surprised to find out that she is an android since she has implanted memories.
The moment when Rachael and Rick meet for the first time is romantic, which is depicted with close-ups of their faces and with the sensual music. The lighting is dim and creates the atmosphere of mystery and the possible romance. The presence of the owl suggests the wisdom which is incorporated in Rachael who seems to be capable of intellectual greatness and who has an aristocratic posture. She is seductive but he seems to resist the temptation at first. Rachael even does well on the Voight-Kampff test and Deckard cannot believe how sophisticated she is considering that she is an android. She escapes once she finds out that she is artificial because she wants to stay alive.
The camera follows Deckard during the whole film and the world is seen from a point-of-view of numerous characters within the film. The bearer of the subjective perspective changes from one scene to another which makes the viewers feel as if they were present in the film. The protagonist, Deckard, is the person from whose perspective most of the film is conveyed and there is also the objective point-of-view conveyed with the aerial shots of the city and its post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The viewers are supposed to give their own personal meanings to the scenes they see. There is also a lack of color where it should be in order to create the post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The elements which are mostly used are contrast, rain, smoke as well as backlight which set the mood and give character to the city and to the protagonists. The city is too crowded and the atmosphere is futuristic because the people do not have personal space. They even resemble an ant colony judging by the appearance. The people do not know where they are going, but they are in a constant and cyclic motion and they lack color.
The signs which are neon are used all over the city in the streets to create the atmosphere of decay. Such signs cannot be ruined even in the apocalypse and they remain to represent the true nature of people. People are capable of feeling empathy and yet they destroy the humanity with capitalism and consumerism in which materialistic society represents the peak of the achievements of the human race. The neon signs are also used as lighting when not much light is needed. This kind of lighting accentuates the streets and the people who are supposed to be highlighted. The lighting is ambient and there is also backlight which is used in combination so that a certain character, object or a feeling can be accentuated.
The bold colors are also used in the room which Sebastian uses for toys where Deckard meets Pris and figures out that she is an android. The color of the light in this scene is pinkish and Pris has a pale complexion to suggest innocence of androids because they are created by humans. The eyes of the androids are affected by lights in different color so that they could have an unusual glow. There are also fluorescent objects carried by the people in the streets because this is a futuristic environment and this creates a source of lighting as well. The faces of the people are illuminated by the fluorescent colors which add to the notion of artificiality in a modern world. The felling of empathy is created with the use of soft lighting in the front and with a simultaneous stronger backlight. However, the aggression can be expressed with the strong lighting aimed at a close up of a person’s face because it makes them seem violent but also virtuous or righteous. There is feeling of watching a theatrical show while watching Blade Runner and that is accomplished with the use of lighting techniques and the music. Faces are lit from a low angle and are often seen from various angles to depict a certain mood. The light is warm most of the time while the backlight is harder and there is always smoke to create the futuristic atmosphere of decay.
The final scene of the film is very symbolic when Roy has his “tears in rain” speech and compares these tears with the memories which will be lost forever. He shows empathy when he saves Deckard from falling and he is constantly seen from a low angle so that his dominance can be emphasized. Roy seems to be very human especially because he is holding a white dove. He is full of life and capable of feeling empathy although he ruthlessly kills people. Moreover, he murders Tyrell to express his power towards a person who created him using artificial intelligence. The tragedy of the new models of androids is that they are too human-like which makes it harder for people to recognize them. The care for animals shows whether a person is human or a replicant and that is how Rachael is exposed. However, androids are aware of the fact that they are artificial or slaves, as Roy says, but Rachael finds out the truth the harder way.
As the story progresses, Rick’s emotions towards Rachael change in a positive way and he looks at androids in a different way especially after he sleeps with her. The theme of empathy is of crucial importance in both the novel and the film and it is revealed that androids are capable to develop empathy just like humans. Empathy can be acquired through the process of learning and both the novel and the film show that androids are capable or having human emotions even more than humans in some cases because they cherish life since it is so short and unpredictable.
Works Cited
Scott, Ridley, dir. Blade Runner. Warner Bross, 1982. Film.
Dick, Phillip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016. <http://www.larevuedesressources.org/IMG/pdf/dadoes.pdf>.
