In “Exhalation,” Chiang seems to be asking the reader to consider the idea that our perspective limits our understanding of the world. The narrator is a machine, a robot that resembles a human (Chiang). The machine is self-aware and can think and feel like a human. However, the machine knows that it is not human. It is aware that it was created by humans and is only a copy of a real human. The machine is also aware of the fact that humans are mortal and that it is not. The machine knows that it will outlive all of the humans it knows and loves (Parker 136). This knowledge creates a great deal of existential angst for the device. The machine wonders what the purpose of its life is if it will outlive all of the humans. It wonders if it has a soul and will ever really know what it means to be human.
In “The Great Silence,” Chiang seems to be asking the reader to consider the idea that communication is essential to understanding the world. The narrator is a deaf woman because she was born deaf and has never heard the sound of a human voice (McConnell 80). The woman is also mute and cannot speak because she was born without a vocal cord. The woman has never been able to communicate with other humans and has always been an outsider. The woman knows that she will never really know what it means to be human. She will never know what it is like to hear a human voice or to speak with other humans. This knowledge creates a great deal of existential angst for the woman. The woman wonders what her life’s purpose is if she will never really know what it means to be human. She wonders if she has a soul and will ever really know what it means to be human.
Chiang wants the reader to consider the nature of existence and the Human condition. He asks questions about what it means to be alive and human. He also asks questions about the purpose of life and the meaning of existence. In both stories, the narrators try to understand humans and their place in the universe. These stories seem to be exploring the same existential question: what does it mean to be human? Is being human simply a matter of having a human body? Or is there more to it than that? Chiang seems to be suggesting that there is more to being human than just having a human body. To be truly human, one must have a soul.
The relationship between the narrator and the reader contributes to these ideas in a few ways. First, the reader can see the world through the eyes of the narrator. This allows the reader to understand the narrator’s perspective and empathize with the narrator’s situation Since the narrators are both outsiders. They are both characters who are not part of the human world. This gives them a unique perspective on what it means to be human. Second, the narrators are both self-aware. They are both aware of the fact that they are not human. This self-awareness gives them a deep understanding of what it means to be human. Finally, the narrators can communicate their thoughts and feelings to the reader. This allows the reader to understand the existential questions the narrators are exploring.
Works Cited
Chiang, Ted. Exhalation. Pan Macmillan, 2019.
McConnell, Anne. “Listening to Terrestrial Voices in Ted Chiang’s “The Great Silence. ” Literature 2.2, 2022: 77-89.
Parker, Jo Alyson. “Exhalation: Stories, written by Ted Chiang.” KronoScope 20.1,2020: 135-138.