Essay – IHNM
Using a text you have studied discuss how it encourages readers to reject or accept ideas.
Plan:
B1: Accept that humans are frail beings
Unreliable narrator (shows that people are frail not only physical but mental as well)
B2: Reject that humans are inherently good
Characterization of humans as desperate and broken individuals who betray or harm each
other to survive. AM was created for war – humanity’s inherent violence and destructive
tendencies, suffering is a direct consequence of human ambition, and the ambition was
cruel.
B3: Reject that humans can control technology
Originally AM was a military computer till it overthrew humanity, humans are placed at the
mercy of AM
Through the analysis of a text the reader must decide which ideas of the text to reject or
accept. The short story ‘I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream’ (IHNM) written by Harlan
Ellison in 1967, navigates the reader through an apocalyptic world dominated by the master
computer AM. AM, product of war, has killed off humanity, leaving only 5 survivors and
tortures them endlessly. The reader is encouraged to accept the idea that humans are frail
beings using the unreliable narrator, Ted, showing not only physical but mental fragility also.
However, the reader is also prompted to reject the idea that humans are inherently good or
that they can control technology. This is shown though the characterization of the survivors
and the construction of AM, the master computer.
Ted is an unreliable narrator in IHNM which shows the vulnerability of humans both mentally
and physically, through his paranoia and physical state throughout the text. AM’s constant
torture highlights the weakness of the human body as the audience notices, Ted’s body no
longer functions as it used to, starvation has weakened Ted so much that it clouds his mind.
“I had not heard… We walked…. I was hungry”. It shows the lack of control Ted has over his
own body, being unable to focus on anything other than the desperate desire for food. The
fragmented sentence structure shows how the physical state has an impact on mental
clarity, restating the idea of human fragility and reinforcing the idea of Ted being an
unreliable narrator. Throughout the story ted attempts to convince reader of his sanity, but
instead he ends up showing signs of paranoia and broken mental state due to prolonged
torture. He believes that his companions have a profound hate for him as he is the youngest
and allegedly the least affected by AM. When he flees in a dehumanizing manner of a
“cockroach” from the thing that was “moving inexorably after (Ted)”, he hears the other
survivors laugh hysterically. Considering, there is no concrete evidence that they do hate him
it makes it seem as though the physical torment has affected his psyche. His self-proclaimed
superiority and fitness also contribute to the idea that Ted has a broken mental state. By
stating that “I was the only one still sane and whole. Really! AM had not tampered with my
mind. Not at all!” it makes the statements seem less believable, again circling back to the
idea that Ted is unstable. His physical and mental breakdowns show that no matter how
strong or resilient a person is, the human body and mind are fragile and are bound to break.
Prompting readers to reject the idea that ‘humans are inherently good’ is done through the
characterization of the people and the backstory of AM. Each of the survivors are not
characterized as brave, noble or selfless; instead, they are shown as desperate and broken
by their suffering, prone to betray or harm each other if it benefits them. Benny cannibalises
Gorrister when deprived of canned goods to satisfy his hunger, not even stopping to think
about Gorrister and acting on animal instinct. Ellen is beaten by Gorrister when she
becomes emotional over Benny, being slapped and kicked in her side. Additionally, no help
offered to Benny once he made the choice to attempt and escape, with Ted stating that
“None of us wanted to be near him, when whatever was going to happen, happened”.
Illustrating the idea, they would rather avoid danger than help a friend. Each of these
characters embody a selfish, consuming and hateful nature, directly forcing the audience to
reject the idea of humans having a good nature. AM was originally made to a supercomputer in the war, serving people for their own cruel and destructive plans. Showing the
inherent violent tendencies and power-seeking hunger in humans, which ultimately reject the
proposed ‘good’ that people have. AM therefore inherited human characteristics; thus,
humans are responsible for the suffering that they are subjected to as it reflects the nature of
humanity. AM is hateful, selfish, power seeking and sadistic, equally showing human
qualities of those in war. “Go to hell… But then you’re there aren’t you”, the sadistic remark
said by AM to Ted showcase the almost human behaviour of the AI, further supporting the
notion of humans not having a good nature. Through the portrayal of humans as pathetic
and selfish, along with AM being made for war and adopting human characteristics all lead
the reader to the conclusion that human’s aren’t inherently good.
Another idea that is directly challenged by IHNM is that humans can control technology. AM,
being created by people to serve them in war, has overthrown humanity. This apocalyptic
end of humanity, with only 5 people remaining, emphasising humanities inability to control
technology and that unchecked technological power can lead to disastrous events. AM,
created by humanity to serve them in the war, gains sentience and evolves beyond human
control. This shows the illusion of human control and power as even though the AI was built
by people, they ultimately could not prevent it from overthrowing the world. In addition, Ted
describes AM’s “innate loathing that all machines had always held for the weak, soft
creatures who had built them, he had sought revenge”, illustrating that once technology
surpasses human control, and it will, the machines will act on their own desires and most of
the time turn malicious. The people are at the mercy of the AI as it can bring upon any form
of torture, alter their bodies and minds in any way it pleases, with humans beings powerless
to stop it. Humans are stripped away from their autonomy as they are altered by AM, Benny
has been fully altered from a ‘handsome man’ to resemble “little more than semi human,
semi simian”. His dehumanization reflects his complete loss of identity, as there is nothing
that is left of the original Benny, not his character not his body, demonstrating the amount of
control AI has over people and their powerlessness to stop it. Similarly, Ted undergoes the
most extreme transformation of all, is transformed from being allegedly the “least affected by
AM” to having an amorphous being describing himself as “I am a great soft jelly thing ….
With no mouth… white holes filled by fog where my eyes used to be”. Ted, along with the
other people are at the complete mercy of AM, being unable to do anything without AM
permitting it first, showing the sheer lack of control that humans have over technology.
Hence, through the characterization of the survivors, backstory of AM and Ted’s unreliable
narration of IHNM all compels the reader to reject the ideas that humans can control
technology and that humans are inherently good while accepting that people are frail beings
both mind and body. Ted’s unreliable narration is shown through his paranoia and alleged
claims to be the sanest along with his physical deformities, proving that even the most
resilient and strong persons will eventually break in the face of persistent torment. The
survivors constantly betraying each other and refusing to help in fear of danger lead the
audience to believe that there is no innate good in humans, therefore rejecting the idea that
humans are innately good. Furthermore, with the AI overthrowing humanity, them powerless
to its dominance directly show people’s inability to fully control technology. Overall, the
reader accepts human fragility and rejects the idea that they can control technology or have
a good nature as proven by the text IHNM.