Bildungsroman Feed Analysis

In his bildungsroman Feed, M. T. Anderson presents a nightmare of the future in which the omnipresent feed, a brain implant providing access to the internet, has dominated human minds with an escape in a virtual reality where advertising, artifice, and pleasure-seeking abound. In this world of surplus and connection, there is an ironic and tragic scarcity in the prevalence of meaningful human relationships. This is seen in the life of protagonist Titus, an average teenager with a fixed esteem for and dependence upon the feed until he meets Violet, a mesmerizing girl with an unconventional upbringing that has led her to a position of dissidence with regard to the feed. Violet inspires Titus to question his worldview as the two transcend the …show more content…
When Violet’s feed malfunctions and her life is endangered, Titus realizes “The party is over.” (203). In context, the “party” is Titus’ previous state of ignorance defined by a focus on himself that bred denial, escapism, and consumerism. From this moment on, Titus is in a state of disillusionment with the world, its leaders, and the feed. Though conflicted in his relationship with Violet, she becomes his central focus. Titus begins to resent the feed for what it has done to Violet and its attempt to manipulate him. Concluding, M. T. Anderson’s Feed examines the passing of a magnetic girl’s life, the psychological evolution of a conditioned boy, and the development of their relationship as it affected them. Feed shows the small rebellions of these friends against momentous corporations seeking to exploit their desires and minds for money and power. Feed provides a look into the life of a normal teen named Titus who, upon falling for a unique teen named Violet, pivots in his entire worldview from ignorance to knowledge, from bliss to grief. Titus disconnects from the luminous lies of the feed and stares into somber