“We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” (Anderson p.1)
By reading this opening sentence, my mind automatically went on guessing mode, wondering what this book was really going to be about. The first thing I noticed was the astonishing fact that these kids are taking a vacation on the moon. I mean how awesome is that? Right now I am dying to go to California, Hawaii, or Alaska and these kids are on the fuckin' moon! To make it even worse, the narrator doesn't even give a shit! This made me assume that this book probably takes place hundreds of years into the future, where going to the moon is a normal touristic trip that is taken for granted by everyone, or maybe just this kid.
From this first sentence I also notice that the narrator has to be a teenager around my age because of the way it says, “the moon turned out to completely suck.” This made me feel comfortable, in that I know that the narrator would be speaking through the eyes and mind of a person my age. Possibly a smart tactic used by M.T. Anderson to allow the young adult readers to get into the mind of the narrator more easily. Which brings me to a third point, that the book is probably going to be in the first person. As if I am thinking what Titus is thinking. Hmmm…..
Once I got past the first sentence, I noticed how much deeper I got into the mind of Titus. I was Titus, but I didn’t want to be. Why would anyone want to be this always bored, careless, emotionless, dry, and “feed-addicted” character. I mean come on, he’s spoiled and a little rich boy who doesn’t care about anything. His friends and him are like robots, they hunger for the feed.
While on the moon, Titus meets Violet. Which I found to be weird because they are complete opposites. Perhaps, Violet will affect the way Titus will develop throughout the rest of the book? I don't know. Guess we will have to see.
“Are you having a good time?”
“The moon isn’t really working out.”
“Next time, maybe you should try Mars.”
“Yeah, I’ve been to Mars,…………..It was dumb.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m serious.”
“Omigod,……. Mars is a whole planet.”
“And it’s dumb!”
“Dumb?”
(She was starting to piss me off) (p. 37)
Im going to cut the quote from the book there and make a quick interruption. How can you be pissed off by a person for feeling amazed. I mean how ignorant and spoiled are you? You are lucky enough to go to the Moon and Mars!!! Another reason why I hate how Anderson in a way forces the reader to be Titus. Throughout the book, we are feeling, seeing, and thinking what Titus is feeling, seeing, and thinking, but why? Why Titus?
While I was reading, I noticed that the phrase “holy shit” constantly appears in Titus’s mouth. Literally that is his answer to everything. I think he swears a lot because maybe he just doesn’t know what else to say. He uses “holy shit” as an escape from engaging into a deep conversation. Perhaps he is scared that he won’t have any words to say or add in to the conversation or that perhaps its just too much work and he’s used to being lazy in his conversations. A great example of one of the many times he uses this phrase is when Titus is talking to Violet about the hacker incident on the moon, she is telling him how her feed is damaged and legit, his only response to everything was “holy shit.”
“Holy shit.”
(…Violet says something…)
“Holy shit.”
(…Violet says something else…)
“Holy shit.”
“Calm, the rose will bloom ere long.” (p. 90-91)
Three times in one conversation. Shaking my head, if Titus were my bf and he answered “holy shit” three times while I'm talking about my “feed” being broken, I would have hit him. Honestly though, its like his brain doesn’t function properly, as if he's a mic and he needs the feed to talk for him. Its dumb! It just comes to show that because he has had the feed for a long time, he hasn’t been forced to think so much, hasn’t had to deal with difficult situations, and therefore does not know how to answer or respond appropriately in those situations.
So, why Titus? You would think Violet would be a perfect narrator for this story. I mean I feel like I could relate more to her than I can with Titus. Actually, I think we would all relate better to Violet, right? Usually the main character is the nice one, the one who goes on an adventure to do something different and new; and that is Violet. She has a plan, a mission, and her perspective on the feed seems more appropriate to represent the readers. So why did Anderson choose Titus?? He is thoughtless and he isn’t really the reader’s favorite character. Titus is actually the complete opposite.
Maybe Anderson is trying to get us thinking. I mean if he chose Titus it was for a reason. We don’t want to be like Titus, but the reality of the situation is that perhaps we are. We say we aren’t, but our actions speak otherwise. Think about it, how much time do we spend on our phones, listening to music, watching our favorite shows, shopping online, or looking for the latest trends? When we go out, even if its in the same area, do we take time to be grateful for that. When we grab a quick lunch with a friend, do we engage in real conversations or automatically check our friends snapchat story to kill time?
I mean, seriously, it wasn’t until today when I was walking on campus outside on my way to class and I noticed one thing everyone around me, including myself, had in common, we all had headphones on. It was surprising and it really got me thinking. I mean we say how much we want to get connected and meet new people, but individually, we silent ourselves and encircle ourselves in a bubble. We could wish we were like Violet, because she is trying to be different, she is trying to disconnect herself from this trap, but honestly, none of us are really trying. So, as much as we hate it, we are all actually exactly like Titus. Its the sad truth. Anderson chose Titus because he wanted us to realize what we are becoming. He wanted to depict a character that would demonstrate who we will be if we don’t make a change now. This is just a story, Titus is a fictional character, but Anderson was right about this. We are becoming our own version of Titus. Its up to us now; first, we must acknowledge that there is a problem and then we will be able to change and look for the solution.
Unplug the headphones. Put down the phone. Look around you and become the “Violets” of society.
Resist the feed.
~Leslie :)
WORKS CITED:
Anderson, M.T. Feed. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2002. Print.
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