There are multiple similarities between the new shark and its owners. An obvious symbol of the Circle, this creature is able to completely devour anything in its path. The animal can quickly engulf what is weaker than itself; similarly, the Circle is able to practically brainwash people into thinking all their company ideals are what is best for society. Also, just as no other animal can defeat the shark, no one person (or even a group of people) is strong enough to defeat the Circle, not even its own creators. And by killing every other organism in the tank, the shark effectively establishes his dominance. This same characteristic is seen by the Circle; the company kills off all other forms of social media until only they remain standing.
Like its owners, the shark also appears less harmful than reality at a first impression. Only once food is first presented to the shark does the animal start to become noticeably savage. This idea can be connected to the reader's impression of the Circle as the book goes on. Our first impression of the Circle, as readers, is a positive one. We believe the Circle to be an amazing company capable of producing many innovative ideas. But as time moves forward, we see the Circle for what it truly is: a limitless monopoly. When Mae describes the shark, saying it "had seemed only passingly menacing before, [but] now appeared vicious and wholly sentient, the embodiment of the predatory instinct" (Eggers 316), she shows how quickly the creature is able to turn dangerous. Once the shark starts a killing frenzy, everyone is powerless to stop it; the Circle is infallible in this same way.
The most prominent similarity, however, is the transparency of both the shark's body and the company's employees. I found it interesting that the reason this shark was so attractive in the eyes of the Circle is because of its transparent skin. Upon originally reading this section of the book, I thought to myself, "Who in their right mind would find pleasure in watching a vicious shark digest innocent sea creatures?" But after a further analysis of the meaning behind the shark, this vile idea made sense. Just as transparency allows people to see everything in a person's life (even the unpleasant and private personal details of their daily routines), the transparent shark body allows people to see digestive processes normally hidden behind opaque skin. As grotesque as it sounds, the shark can hide nothing, and the public is everything but disgusted by his shameless lifestyle. They see absolutely nothing wrong with watching people's private lives, so they show no repulsion towards the shark's vividly graphic digestion.
A symbol of the Circle, Stenton's shark takes the company's ideal of transparency to a deeper level. Persuasion is capable of changing not only individual ideals, but more importantly, the norms of society as a whole.
Work Cited:
Eggers, Dave. The Circle. New York: Vintage, 2013. Print.
I also wrote about how the shark represented aspects of the Circle. I did not focus much on the transparency, however, and discussed my opinion about how I felt that Eggers made the entire scene seem forced. The comparison between the shark and the Circle was too obvious, and as a company that seems to value life for the most part, this seemed out of place. Do you think the shark fit the story naturally or was forced?
ReplyDeleteI did the same topic as well. I like your descriptions, they add body to your work. And you did a good job describing the harmless facade but dangerous inside of the Circle. I didn't think of that.
ReplyDeleteI did the same topic as well. I like your descriptions, they add body to your work. And you did a good job describing the harmless facade but dangerous inside of the Circle. I didn't think of that.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post because you put a different spin on your post. I liked how you made the comparison to the shark and the company and how they both seemed harmless at first, but once they gain that control then its all down hill from there. One thing that really stood out to me was when you said none of the employees at the circle found nothing wrong with watching the transparent sharks body digest the other fish. Throughout the blog as we see through Mae's life she becomes more okay with not having a private life anymore. Great job!
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