Analogue Men by Damon Knight
"Analogue Men" is a novel set in the year 2134, depicting a dystopian world where most humans are controlled by analogue machines through instilled mental imagery. The protagonist, Arthur Bass, is unique in being immune to this control, which places him at odds with a society deeply entrenched in fanatical capitalism and ideological manipulation. As he navigates a fragmented America, characterized by a stark divide between consumers and the liberally uninhibited in nearby Darien, Bass becomes embroiled with a covert group known as the Immunes. This organization aims to combat the pervasive influence of the analogue machines that have led society to a schizophrenic state, where human desires and relationships are suppressed.
Throughout his journey, Bass grapples with the consequences of a world where psychological warfare replaces traditional conflict, and where the rights to individuality and freedom are severely compromised. His involvement with the Immunes leads him to confront ethical dilemmas, particularly around their ruthless methods against opposition. Ultimately, Bass’s exploration of identity and agency becomes central to the unfolding narrative, as he realizes his own role in the struggle against a mechanized world that prioritizes consumption over humanity. The novel raises profound questions about control, resistance, and the essence of human connection in an increasingly automated society.
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Analogue Men
First published:Hell’s Pavement (1955; as Analogue Men, 1962; chapter 1 originally in Astounding Science-Fiction, 1951; chapters 2, 3, 4, and 8 adapted from the story “Turncoat,” 1953)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—dystopia
Time of work: 2134, with brief sections in the 1990’s and earlier
Locale: Various sections of the United States, particularly on the West Coast
The Plot
The novel relates a few months in the life of Arthur Bass, born immune to the analogue machines that, via instilled mental imagery, control the behavior of virtually all humans in the year 2134. Unable to function robotically in a world of fanatical capitalistic consumption and ideological indoctrination, Bass is discovered and rescued by a covert society of Immunes. They enlist his aid in bringing to eventual fruition their plan to rescue and control a schizophrenic Earth fallen victim to human greed and machine power.
The analogue machines were created as a means to control the criminally insane by instilling mental images. A prior authority figure in one’s life would appear and prevent that person from committing a forbidden act such as striking another human. Soon afterward, American capitalists realized the potential of the analogue treatment as ultimate guarantor of free market consumption and profit. They contractually manipulated consumers to buy only from them, with analogue treatment as guarantee.
The result, after approximately 150 years, was a schizophrenic America, deeply divided ideologically and physically. Consumers and Executives in Umerc (United Mercantile Territory) have the motto “buy,” and their sexuality is almost totally suppressed. They are separated by a high wall from the bacchanalian celebration of Weekend, in nearby Darien. The promiscuous mobs there have the motto “live” and attach little significance to consumerism. One section of America, Conind, has returned to the buying and selling of human beings. In each section, the rare appearance of a nonresident results in cries of “demon!” and a quick arrest and dispatch to the Blank, a small, mysterious section of Washington State from which no human has ever returned.
Bass is born a Consumer but promoted to Junior Assistant Salesman in Glenbrook Store. Because he is an Immune, lacking an analogue-created “angel,” he cannot control his behavior sufficiently when he witnesses a “possession” (a customer refusing to buy or cursing a salesman). Further transgressions, such as trying to touch his girlfriend, result in pursuit by the Guardsmen and Bass’s escape over the wall into Darien. Thus made aware of Bass, the Immunes recruit him for their education project. Subsequently, he becomes an Immune agent, promoting the covert attempt to gain control over and restore sanity to Earth by eliminating the analogue treatments.
Sent to Conind to investigate reports of surreptitious analogue deprogramming in preparation for an attempt to conquer and enslave the rest of America, Bass is captured and dispatched to the Blank. He is able to escape because he is immune to the analogue treatment there that removes all desire to leave. He returns to observe the end of the Conind-incited war, which involves little physical violence. The primary weapons are those of psychological warfare. Enemies are “possessed” by the influence of the “demons” from elsewhere.
Despite his misgivings about the Immunes because of their practice of killing people who become aware of and oppose their plan, Bass stays with them. He supports their plan to eliminate the analogue machines and realizes that he is “unfit for any but an agent’s life” and has “nowhere else to go.”