Reply To: Redshirt Book Club – Snow Crash
Mainly I feel that the idea in these first few chapters is to explore and comment on rampant capitalism, and the sort of future it could create if left unchecked. The idea that every facet of society in the world of Snow Crash is controlled by corporations is frankly not that alien a concept (this may border a little too closely on political discussion so I’ll leave that one alone for now).
This capitalist aspect is what breeds the extreme importance of things like prompt pizza delivery*. In a world where money controls everything, the only thing that matters is who’s buying what you’re selling. If it means that Uncle Enzo is the richest and most powerful man in the world, he will do whatever takes to keep his customer base and his appearances. I feel that the mafia aspect arises from the idea that even in the worst economic times, the population always needs their vice, and that the seedy types will always be there to provide (and usually thrive!).
*Diversion: I feel that to a certain extent this book is not only one of the more relevant cyberpunk novels, but also, oddly, rather self-parodizing. It blows the dystopian ideas common to the genre way out of proportion in order to make its points. I think that the pizza delivery model can be easily expanded/applied in general. What I’m getting at here is that I don’t think this is a novel to be taken incredibly seriously… I mean, really: the main character is named Hiro Protagonist. Try to have a bit of fun with it!
As in the real world, the Metaverse also shows the strains of capitalist pressure. The simple idea that one can surpass others in ‘wealth’ and status by building their own life and possessions from the ground up (here, by programming them) is the main tenant of, to be cliche, “The American Dream”, in its purest form. However, we also see the consumerist mores poke through in the form of Brandy** et al. They are just the right amount of status indication / vanity, for just the right amount of extra cost… plus, everyone’s wearing them, can’t be cool without one! Think major mall fashion franchises, popular for the 16-24 crowd. You know the ones.
**Funny that they named the character “Brandy”, seeing as the brand is generally the most ‘socially-important’ thing about any given consumer product. Intentional?
This is still one of my favorites, but as for the slowness / awkwardness of the beginning, I really can’t disagree. I feel that the point is really to give one a good idea of the sort of society this takes place in. It’s a bit easier to understand characterization and motivation if you really have a good picture of what it takes to get by in this world.
From my experience, yes, the action and intrigue do pick up.
Edit: Oof, what a post. Sorry for the wall of text, hope it’s tolerable.