40 pages • 1 hour read
Blake CrouchUpgrade
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Effects of Climate Change
The tension for much of the novel’s action centers on the dire climate challenges humanity must come to terms with. The novel imagines a world not too distant from our own in which the effects of climate change are undeniable. A few notable examples in the text include the scarcity of real fish and other foods, the devastation from unprecedented wildfires, the disappearance of Lake Mead, and, most dramatically, the permanently flooded Lower Manhattan. The latter example aligns with the belief that an unmitigated rise in sea level will eventually flood coastal areas, thereby turning now habitable areas into abandoned tracts of land entirely submerged in water. By locating these sites of devastation at recognizable American landmarks and using visually striking descriptions, Crouch paints a realistic picture of climate change that escalates the urgency of Logan’s mission.
Scientific and Technological Innovations of the Near Future
Crouch litters the text with casual references to scientific and technological innovations that do not seem farfetched. Miriam’s experiment to make crops hardier, a plan that backfires horribly, is a genetic modification. Her designs to upgrade the human genome are likewise scientifically innovative, if somewhat misguided. As for technological innovations, examples include the ubiquitous electric vehicles, super search engines, trains that travel at the speed of sound, and upgraded polygraphs. Many of the innovations in the novel do not stretch the limits of reason and require no suspension of disbelief. Instead, they seem to align with current trends in technological innovation. The descriptions of all these innovations are one way the novel adheres to the conventions of science fiction.
Government Surveillance
Throughout the novel, there are suggestive dystopian elements, and the ubiquity of government surveillance is one. Logan’s detention in the GPA “black site” comes as a result of the GPA surveilling him and commandeering his medical records. Another example is the off-the-record arrangement the GPA has with Feld, which allows the government to monitor his prospective business partners.
Furthermore, Logan makes continual reference to the search engine MYSTIC, which he both uses and tries to avoid: When he is on the run, Logan stays out of sight of standard CCTVs because he knows that MYSTIC will almost certainly scour these security cameras and discover his whereabouts. He also uses MYSTIC to track down the people with whom Kara has forged an association to enact her plan. Lastly, as Logan enters Kara’s headquarters, Edwin notifies him that the Department of Defense has arrived, indicating that it has been spying on the GPA to discover Logan’s and Kara’s locations. As with the many mentions of technological innovations, omnipresent surveillance is a hallmark of science fiction, and it also lends a layer of suspense to the plot.
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By Blake Crouch
