Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson
"Johnny Mnemonic" is a short story by William Gibson centered around a character named Johnny, who is a mnemonic courier. He possesses the unique ability to store secure information in his brain, although he cannot access it consciously. The narrative unfolds with Johnny facing threats from a client named Ralfi Face, who ultimately seeks to eliminate him due to the sensitive nature of the information he carries – which is revealed to be stolen from the yakuza. The story explores themes of technology and its applications, suggesting that the effective use of technology can be more critical than its inherent superiority.
As Johnny navigates this perilous situation, he is aided by a character named Molly, who steps in to protect him. The plot thickens when they encounter the Lo-Teks, a group that has chosen to abandon advanced technology in favor of simpler means, highlighting a contrast in societal values regarding technological dependence. In a climactic confrontation, cultural elements come into play, as Molly confronts the yakuza assassin in a ritualistic manner that symbolizes the clash between tradition and modernity. Over time, Johnny reflects on his past and seeks to reclaim his identity from the layers of information he has stored, ultimately leading to a poignant resolution regarding memory and self. The story is notable for its rich exploration of cybernetic themes and the implications of living in a technology-saturated society.
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Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1981 (collected in Burning Chrome, 1986)
Type of work: Short story
The Work
Johnny Mnemonic is an idiot savant: He stores other people’s secure information in his brain, though he cannot consciously access that information himself. Ralfi Face, a client, wants him dead. To fight back, Johnny goes low-tech by creating an old-fashioned gun. The story’s central theme is that superior technology does not defeat one’s enemy; what is needed is the best use of the technology one chooses.
Ralfi catches Johnny offguard despite the gun, but razorgirl Molly intervenes on Johnny’s behalf. Ralfi explains that the information in Johnny turned out to be stolen from the yakuza, who do not want anyone else to obtain it through squids, a program that cracks idiot savant security. When Ralfi is killed by a vat-grown yakuza assassin posing as a tourist, Molly takes Johnny to Nighttown and the Lo-Teks, a gang who have forsaken high technology for more primitive means. For blackmail purposes, they unlock the yakuza information through Jones, a drug-addicted dolphin with cybernetic enhancements. Molly then confronts the assassin on the Lo-Teks’ ritual Killing Floor: The two perform dancelike moves until the assassin falls to his death, as Molly “killed him with culture shock.”
A year passes as Johnny and Molly live with the Lo-Teks, working with Jones to draw old client information from Johnny’s head and use it for profit. Now realizing the emptiness of his past life, Johnny hopes to clear out all that information eventually and retain only his own memories. Though this story ends well for Johnny, his later death at the hands of another assassin is recounted by Molly in Neuromancer.
Bibliography
Cavallaro, Dani. Cyberpunk and Cyberculture: Science Fiction and the Work of William Gibson. New Brunswick, N.J.: Athlone Press, 2000.
Easterbrook, Neil. “The Arc of Our Destruction: Reversal and Erasure in Cyberpunk.” Science Fiction Studies 19, no. 3 (November, 1992): 378-394.
McCaffery, Larry, ed. Storming the Reality Studio: A Casebook of Cyberpunk and Postmodern Science Fiction. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1991.
Olsen, Lance. William Gibson. San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press, 1992.
Slusser, George, and Tom Shippey, eds. Fiction 2000: Cyberpunk and the Future of Narrative. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1992.
Tabbi, Joseph. Postmodern Sublime: Technology and American Writing from Mailer to Cyberpunk. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1995.