1 - I think that the author Philip K. Dick chose not to tell us whether or not Deckard was an android because it made is moral dilemma more interesting, in fact he is referred to as the mandroid. If Rick was a human he would have no doubts or hesitations about killing and android and he would have no option other than killing his partner Phil Resch who they later find out if and android. If Rick was an android, he wouldn't take the job of killing the androids and he would be living under the radar. Keeping his true nature a secret gives suspense to the story and gives the impression, to the reader, that Deckard could be empathetic and un-empathetic at the same time. "This man - or android - Rick Deckard comes to us from a phantom, hallucinatory, non-existent police agency allegedly operating out of the old departmental headquarters on Lombard.
2 - I think the author went into depth about the rarity of animals because it shows how fragile the future is. In 2021 Philip K. Dick described the future as dark, empty and destroyed; so badly that animals are for the rich. In fact owning a real animal is Deckard's motivation for killing the androids. He focused on the animals because in today's world it's something we over look, something that we wouldn't fight to the death for. But in his depiction of the future, he tells us that the world becomes so fragile that animals are worth killing for.
3 - I would say that Deckard tries to come across as strong and like nothing can shake his opinion. But deep down he faces some ethical dilemmas that tell us he is not as confident as he wants people to believe. Rick has a strong personality type he knows what he needs to do but he struggles mentally with what he knows is right. He is often swayed by his loyalty to his religion Mercerism and it often changes how he behaves, especially towards the end of the novel.
4 - I don't think that Philip is hopeful for the future. The story may take place in a post nuclear war setting, but the adjectives he using are very dark and powerful. Even though he wrote about robots, hover cars and electric animals, he found a way to make them a bad thing; the robots were fugitives and the electric animals were for the poor. "In a giant, empty, decaying building which had once housed thousands, a single TV set hawked its wares to an uninhabited room."
5 - John Isidore's character had the most impact on me. I liked John because he was what they called a "chickenhead", someone who was effected mentally by radiation. Because of his condition he was stuck on earth and wasn't considered a part of society, he was also an easy to take advantage of. Pris Stratton was an android that stayed with John and her would cook for her every night. I say that John Isidore had the most impact on me because, in a complicated world, he was simple and slowed the story down enough for me to take in what was happening.
6 - Because Philip K. Dick's writing style is very descriptive, I found that the second chapter was the most gripping. "This ownerless ruin had, before World War Terminus, been tended and maintained. In chapter two, Philip used his extensive descriptions, to tell us how the broken world came to be. What makes
Blade Runner a good book is it's mysterious intriguing back story of the war. It's in the second chapter where the history is explained and the story comes to life. I found myself most interested in the novel when reading chapter two.
7 - I don't think that the mood of the story changes throughout the novel. The mood is solemn and destructive at the same time. Deckard is a straight to the point kind of guy but he is relaxed when he speaks. The mood highlights it because there aren't that many people so it's often quiet . But at the same time it's destructive because it does take place after a nuclear war.
8 - It's from Rick Deckard's point of view, that we get both sides of the story. In the beginning he was all for killing the androids because he wanted to be able to afford a real animal. But as he works more with androids such as; Rachael Rosen and Phil Resch, he finds himself feeling more empathic towards the androids. As his morality starts to tear his mind, we reach a point in the story where Rick is both mentally human and android. Contrary to the beginning of the story, towards the end of the novel, he finds it much harder to "retire" an android.
9 - I believe that the author, chose to write about a promising future with a dark underlying story, because he sees what the future can be in terms of technology such as; androids, hover cars, and electric animals. But, the dark underlying story represents the weakness in human nature that our destructive nature could ruin what could be beautiful. He showed how as a people we are too destructive and if we continue on our path we could eventually wipe ourselves out.
10 - I wouldn't say that the point of view of the story influenced the way I felt about the novel. What really made an impact on me was the setting. Having a broken world being an aftermath of our destruction, but at the same time having technology that we dream to have someday. I thought it was a really good idea to have written the novel that way. .
