Summary and Analysis: Chapter 12
Summary
As Resch and Deckard make their way to Luft, Resch continues to discuss the
possibility that he's an android. When they arrive, Resch asks Deckard if he’s
ever known of an android to own a pet. Deckard responds that he is only aware
of two instances in which androids have owned pets. In each case the android
has failed to keep the animal alive because of the lack of genuine nurturing
provided by the androids. Resch then inquires about whether or not his pet
squirrel would require such nurturing because he is only a rodent.
Resch and Deckard spot Luft and approach quietly. Luft reacts with surprise at seeing Deckard, whom she thought was arrested. Deckard introduces her to Resch and explains that both Officer Crams and Inspector Garland were androids, and that the police department that Luft called was an organizing agency for the illegal immigration of androids, an agency willing to go as far as hiring a human bounty hunter for their retirement missions. Luft then adamantly claims that Resch is actually an android. Resch restrains himself and says that he will deal with that issue at a later time.
The bounty hunters then head for Resch’s hovercar, holding Luft between them. As they near a museum gift kiosk, Luft asks the bounty hunters to buy her a print of the painting she was admiring when they caught her, Edvard Munch’s "Puberty." Because the kiosk doesn’t carry prints of this particular painting, Deckard decides to purchase a book of Munch’s collected works. Luft responds to this act of kindness by announcing that an android would be incapable of such an act. As they enter the elevator, Luft continues to proclaim how much she dislikes androids and consciously attempts to imitate humans, whom she considers to be superior life forms. She then baits Resch by inquiring as to whether or not he feels the same way. With this, Resch can no longer control his anger and goes for his laser tube. Deckard attempts to stop him, but Resch wins the struggle and fires at Luft in the elevator. The missed attempt to retire Luft causes her to scream violently, to which Deckard responds by firing his own laser at her with dead accuracy. Deckard then uses his laser to destroy the book that lay beside Luft’s corpse.
Resch begins to question why Deckard would needlessly destroy the book when Deckard interrupts to ask Resch whether or not he believes that androids have souls. The two bounty hunters discuss whether or not Resch is an android and why Garland would try to make Deckard believe this. Deckard considers this, then announces that the topic is moot because he plans to quit after this mission and leave it up to androids to do the bounty hunting. Resch argues against Deckard’s defeatist attitude and reminds Deckard that the androids are killers that must be stopped.
While waiting for the police to arrive at the museum to remove Luft’s corpse, Deckard goes to make a call. While alone, Deckard realizes the similarity between Luft and Resch. He reasons that Luft, although a talented singer, is a menace to society because she is as an android. This, Deckard concludes, is the same reason why Resch poses a threat to society. Although he is talented as a bounty hunter, Resch, if he is indeed an android, must still be retired because he is still capable of becoming a menace.
Deckard returns to Resch and announces that he will test him. As they make their way back to Resch’s hovercar, Resch hands over his laser...
(This entire section contains 1325 words.)
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tube to Deckard. This prompts a discussion of the ways in which Resch plans to end his life if he tests positive as an android.
After the test is over, Deckard returns Resch’s laser tube to him. Resch’s passing of the Voigt-Kampff test prompts Deckard and Resch to discuss the idea of empathy towards androids. Resch remarks that including androids within the empathic capabilities of humans would render humans useless in their defense against androids, and bounty hunters would be incapable of fulfilling their duties as bounty hunters. Deckard then surprises Resch by bringing out his testing equipment once more. This time, however, the test is for Deckard.
After applying the testing apparatus to himself, Deckard describes a scenario in which he is riding in an elevator with an android he’s just captured when someone else suddenly kills the android. Resch reads the calibrated response as quite low. Then Deckard includes the detail that the android is female. This time, Resch reports, the response has increased. Deckard declares that the response is high enough to register as empathic, which leads Deckard to the disturbing conclusion that he somehow feels empathy towards certain androids. Resch responds smugly that Deckard’s empathic reaction is due to the fact the Deckard was sexually attracted to some androids. Resch and Deckard continue to discuss this theory and the illegality of a human having sexual relations with an android. Resch then stuns Deckard with the advice that Deckard should first go to bed with an android and then retire her, rather than retire her and realize his sexual attraction afterwards. Deckard considers this an indication of how good a bounty hunter Resch is, and Deckard questions for whether or not he is any good as a bounty hunter himself.
Analysis
Chapter Twelve revisits the question of whether or not an android could be
capable of successfully owning an animal. It is maintained that authentic
animals require nurturing, as opposed to the minimal attention required to
maintain the health of ersatz animals. The ability to nurture requires the
caregiver to have empathy for the thing requiring care. This requirement
implies that androids, due to their inability to express empathy, are not
capable of successfully caring for real animals.
Another theme addressed in this chapter also involves empathy. When Deckard purchases a book for the android he is about to retire, the android responds to Deckard’s act of kindness by claiming that android would not be capable of such an act and expresses her dislike of androids in general. This occurrence brings to light the question of whether her instinct for survival has dictated the android’s abhorrence of her own classification as an android or whether she is simply being manipulative. Resch reacts violently to the android’s question of whether or not he too feels the same dislike for androids. This insinuation that Resch shares the android’s classification incites him and results in a violent reaction towards the thing that questions his authenticity. Resch continues to question his authenticity and explores the idea of suicide as an alternative to being classified as android.
Deckard is disgusted with the lack of empathy Resch employs in his approach to the retirement of androids. Deckard’s disgust leads him to question Resch’s authenticity. Deckard actually hopes that Resch will prove to be an android so that he doesn’t have to reconsider his ideology involving humans’ innate ability to express empathy. Resch agrees to take a test that will prove he is not an android. Deckard’s disgust indicates that he does not consider his own actions as a bounty hunter to be inconsistent with the concept of empathy as dictated by Mercerism because of the empathy he feels for the androids he is required to destroy. This supports the idea that an action is insignificant compared to the emotional reaction to the action in question.
Deckard explores his own level of empathy towards androids by administering a test to himself. He realizes that the inclusion of the android’s sex changes his reaction in the test. Resch suggests that Deckard is sexually attracted to female androids and that this explains Deckard’s increased empathic response when the sex of the android was included in the test question.