Roderick and Roderick at Random by John Sladek
"Roderick and Roderick at Random" is a narrative centered around a robot named Roderick, created during a time when artificial intelligence research is prohibited. The story follows the struggles of Dr. Lee Fong, Roderick's creator, as he seeks funding for his project after federal support is withdrawn under dubious circumstances. Roderick's journey is marked by threats from government entities and an industrialist intent on his destruction. Initially placed in various households, Roderick experiences a wide range of human interactions, from neglect to attempts at nurturing. His experiences in school reveal societal biases against him as he faces bullying and misunderstanding.
The sequel delves deeper into Roderick's life, exploring complex themes of identity and existence as he navigates a world hostile to his nature. He engages with diverse groups, from a religious cult to neo-Luddite activists, reflecting societal conflicts surrounding technology. The narrative culminates in a dramatic confrontation between his creators' interests and the legislation against artificial intelligence, ultimately forcing Roderick to confront his own identity and place in society. This story blends elements of science fiction with commentary on humanity and technology, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in the implications of AI in modern life.
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Subject Terms
Roderick and Roderick at Random
First published:Roderick: Or, The Education of a Young Machine (1980) and Roderick at Random: Or, Further Education of a Young Machine (1983)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Science fiction—artificial intelligence
Time of work: The late twentieth century
Locale: The United States
The Plot
Roderick is a robot manufactured at the University of Minnetonka at a time when research into artificial intelligence has been outlawed. The opening chapters depict the efforts of Dr. Lee Fong, the director of the project, to gain funding for his work from the university following withdrawal of his federal funding, which turns out to have been secret and illegal. Meanwhile, two forces threaten Roderick. The government-run Orinoco Institute and a loathsome industrialist named Kratt are both intent on destroying the robot and its creators.
To prevent destruction of the robot, the inventors first send Roderick to Hank and Inca Dinks, who ignore him and allow him to begin a lifelong fascination with television. He is then sent to an older couple, Ma and Pa Woods of Newer, Nebraska, who try to raise him more or less as a human child. Unfortunately, a wandering band of gypsies kidnaps Roderick from his front yard. They sell the robot to Kratt, who puts Roderick to work telling fortunes in a carnival. He is rescued from this situation, however, and returned to the Woodses.
Back home, Roderick enters public school. Despite his appearance, Roderick is treated as a strange and troublesome human child. His classmates bully him, and his teachers diagnose him as mentally unbalanced. He is expelled, but not before he accidentally gains access to the school’s computer and alters both his record and that of a particularly vile instructor. He is then sent to a Catholic school, where he engages a troubled priest in difficult discussions on the nature of being human. In the meantime, Pa Woods has been altering Roderick’s appearance to make him look more human.
The second volume begins with the discovery that one of Roderick’s creators has died and his brain is being kept alive in a tank at the Orinoco Institute. The institute has managed to either kill or ruin the careers of the other members of Project Roderick despite a failure to capture the robot himself. Meanwhile, an accident at a nuclear power plant has destroyed Newer. Roderick has traveled to the city, where he works as a dishwasher at a diner that caters exclusively to dogs.
At a dance hall, he repairs the electronic instruments of a group named the Auks. As a result, he meets Ida, a kindly prostitute, with whom he has his first mechano-sexual experience. He then encounters members of a religious cult, the Church of Christ Symmetrical. At a bar called the Tik Tok Club (an allusion to John Sladek’s 1983 novel Tik Tok), Roderick meets members of a neo-Luddite group called the Fractious Disengagementists. The leader of this group turns out to be Hank Dinks. Moreover, his former wife, Inca, has become a famous spokesperson for the movement to liberate machines from human oppression. After Hank arouses his followers at a rally, they form a mob and attack the publishing house where Inca is autographing copies of her latest book. Hank is killed accidentally in the uproar.
In the adventures that follow, Roderick winds up back at Minnetonka University as the mascot of one of its fraternities. On his way to a film one evening, he stumbles on a Luddite plot to attack the Auks. He foils the plot only to learn that it was a diversion and that the Luddites have burned down the crowded theater to which Rod-erick was headed. Fortunately, the film was so boring that everyone had already left.
Despondent, Roderick goes to a psychiatrist only to discover that the doctor is a robot created by a company owned by Kratt. As Roderick sits in his room at the fraternity house, four of Kratt’s agents break in and capture him. As they lead him out, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation appear and wrest Roderick from his captors. They inform Roderick that the government policy outlawing artificial intelligence has been reversed and invite Roderick to join them. The robot, appalled by his discovery of their extreme actions while attempting to destroy him, refuses and gives himself up to Kratt.