Archetypes, Semiotics, and other fragmented cultural references

First off, I must point out that I really enjoyed reading the sample from Snow Crash. Before I begin a small analysis, I'll do something for the benefit of everyone. This is the link where I found the free full text version.

http://reddit.com/info/8ui1/comments

Snow Crash follows many of the same archetypal constructs pointed out by the Wikipedia entry. Hiro the story's protagonist is indeed a version of anti-hero. A struggling "freelance Hacker" he is indeed the epitome of a cyberpunk hero.

There are several things that intrigued me when I read this. The first being several constant cultural references in a lot of dystopian portrayals of the American futurescape. Namely, superfluous automation. The Deliverator was merely a hyped pizza delivery man. It struck me as rather funny that so much technology, psychology, and overall analyzing went into the process of delivering a pizza. It's my opinion that this is a direct parody of all automation. I wonder if in the 1970's anyone was entertaining the thought of a self-flush toilet.

On a more serious side, another symbol seems to be a severe decline in central leadership. It was pointed out in Snow Crash that the government had lost the majority of its power. Such an argument always seems to coincide with innovation. I find it rather surprising (and perhaps I am missing a key element in the public psyche at this time) that most of the views of the technological future in the 1950's tended to be Utopian in nature. After all we were in the midst of the cold war. Perhaps it is because the last thing the US needed at that time was something to illustrate a loss of central power. I digress my point is, I don't think that the dystopic future archetype was always present, and I wonder what brought it into being.

There is a less serious topic on which I will chose to conclude. I remember a long time ago I watched a movie called Equilibrium. It told the story of a fascist American future where we relied on computers for everything and all human emotion was forbidden and kept in control via government sponsored (and legally required) medication.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238380/


Anyhow, the protagonist in that movie (whose name escapes me) also uses a Samurai sword just like Hiro. Is there something about the future that relates to the use of this sword. I own several of them and even seeing them in use in science fiction (for anyone who has played the Matrix Path of Neo video game....there are entire levels dedicated to samurai sword use.) I would have never thought of them as a symbol of the future. Ironically I think of them more as a symbol of the past. However, that perception has changed somewhat.


As much as I'd like to go into further detail about some more things. I can see I'm approaching my word limit and so I must conclude for now.

Oh, and if you have the chance check out Hackers too....
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113243/