Zane Grey ’27, Anelise Rodriguez ’27, and Aiden Romano’27
The Disconnect in Embracing Technology:
An Analysis of Alexander Weinstein’s Children of the New World
“In my close reading assignment, students pick a passage from one of the stories we’ve read together and unpack the words and phrases within it in order to discover more about the passage and the text as a whole. Students are encouraged to look for literary elements and to notice interesting word choices. We discuss how the purpose of close reading is to suspend personal judgment and examine a piece of text in order to uncover as much information as we can from it. In that way, close reading takes us deeper into part of a text, below its surface to the structures of language, syntax and imagery, and then out again to its connections to the text’s messages and themes.” —Professor Emily Sausen
Close Reading: Alexander Weinstein’s “Openness” by Zane Grey
“So I spent our first months sharing little of myself. Katie showed me the memories of her best friends and family while I showed her the mundane details of substitute teaching and my favorite bands. I knew Katie could feel the contours of my hidden memories, like stones beneath a bedsheet, but for a while she let me keep the private pain of my unlocked layers” (Weinstein 186-187).
Alexander Weinstein’s short story “Openness,” from his collection of similarly themed short stories Children of the New World, shows a world in many ways similar to ours, but with our proclivity towards invasive social media taken to the extreme. In the world of “Openness,” people’s lives have been commandeered by a new and all-encompassing form of social media, referred to by them as “layers” (Weinstein 184). Within these layers, varying depths of a person’s memories, emotions, and thoughts can be telepathically shared, with people exposing more of themselves as a means to grow closer to one another.
Within this backdrop, Weinstein focuses on a romance between a man named Andy and his girlfriend Katie as they battle with their connection with this new technology and its presence within their relationship, something that both brings them closer together while also working to estrange them. Through this narrative, Weinstein portrays themes of the risks and benefits of total emotional vulnerability within a relationship and the strain caused by superficial interactions through the use of social media.
In this quote, Weinstein illustrates an early interaction between Andy and Katie, where both begin to unlock deeper layers within each other. This is the beginning of a struggle between both characters over “Total Openness,” or the idea of sharing all of one’s layers with a partner, which ultimately becomes a major factor in their separation. Andy states that he knows that, “Katie could feel the contours of [his] hidden memories” (Weinstein 187). This implies that, through the system of layers, Katie has a certain knowledge of the fact that Andy is keeping things from her, a point of tension given that Andy feels that he has only exposed her to the “mundane details” of his life (187). This knowledge, paired with the prospect of total openness as a goal in a relationship, presents the dilemma of whether or not they are ready, or want to, take this step. This is an especially difficult choice for Andy, as the memories within his deepest layers are not even accessed by him, and total openness would mean exposing himself to his own repressed childhood trauma. Katie can feel this trauma and it is described by Andy as, “like stones beneath a bedsheet,” showing Andy’s need to relate this dystopian dilemma to something more human through Weinstein’s use of simile, as Andy is forced to describe the nameless concept of physically feeling the emotions of another by relating to a tactile experience (187). Although never stated directly, this act of grasping to understand the concept of layers adds to the general feeling of dread throughout “Openness.” Through the bleakness of Andy’s life, his disillusionment with his choice of career, and the lack of genuine connection between people, this choice to show Andy struggling to conceive of his memories being manipulated in such a way shows a hidden layer of distress in the world of “Openness,” the feeling that humanity is facing something that they cannot truly understand.
Katie takes note of the fact that she is not being shown all of Andy and lets him “keep the private pain of [his] unlocked layers,” while the tension between them only builds (187). Weinstein’s writing in this paragraph is further used to draw attention to this unspoken conflict through his use of alliteration in the phrase “private pain” (187). This phrasing enriches the already poetic nature of Andy’s deepest expression of feeling seen in any part of the text and specifically draws attention to the two words. “Private” and “pain” are denoted as especially significant because of Andy’s sense of detachment from emotion, especially in regard to the memories he suppressed deep into his layers.
Weinstein places this debate over whether or not “total openness” is a positive concept in a relationship within the context of this dystopian, social media-based world, to heighten the stakes of this problem. In “Openness,” Weinstein elevates the idea of one’s identity being something that is seen by others through curated images and memories. This exists as a relevant point of conflict in the contemporary world and is used as a lens through which Weinstein chooses to satirize our society. When Weinstein’s lens is removed, many of his points remain a genuine factor in today’s society, which faces its own struggles with social media to an extent not incomparable with “Openness.”
“Openness” exists as a warning to the seemingly inevitable advent of a world where social media and human interaction become inseparable.
Close Reading Alexander Weinstein, by Anelise Rodriguez
“That’s what love is: seeing all the horrible stuff and still loving each other… Some days I think that there’s no way to share the totality of yourself and still be loved, that secrets are the glue that holds relationships together” (Weinstein 194-195).
Children of the New World, written by Alexander Weinstein, is a collection of short science fiction stories that depicts an alternative society that is completely dominated by and built around technology. A romance story within the collection, “Openness” follows the main protagonists, Andy and Katie, a couple whose relationship is faced with tragedy. Andy and Katie live in a society in which everyone communicates through a form of social media called “layers” (187). A layer is essentially a collection of memories that the user has acquired throughout their lives that can either be shared publicly or kept private, in which they are called “hidden layers.”
In this part of the story, Katie has brought up the idea of she and Andy giving each other “total openness”, meaning that they would both have unlimited access to all of each other’s layers, including the “hidden ones” (Weinstein 193). Though he is hesitant, having become closer with Katie and trusting her, Andy agrees. However, shortly after taking this step, their relationship takes a turn for the worse, ending in the two of them becoming “strangers” again and no longer being able to access each other’s memories (Weinstein 198). In other words, they break the relationship off.
It is evident that Katie is resentful of the layers and finds great appreciation through verbally interacting with others and embracing the natural world, as opposed to her industrialized and technology-based lifestyle, so the desire to have unlimited access to her partner’s layers comes as a surprise. It is also important to note that the part of the story in which Katie and Andy’s relationship is the strongest was during the trip to visit Katie’s father. Andy describes the first time seeing Katie disconnected as a “chasm opening between the two of [them]” (187). Considering that a chasm by definition is some kind of separation, it is particularly interesting to describe the moment this way. Andy’s choice of words illustrates the intensity of his experience, seeing Katie become an entirely new and unrecognizable person outside of her layers. It is during this trip that Andy feels a genuine connection between him and Katie for the first time.
There is an element of situational irony in this part of the story, as the characters think the relationship would benefit from sharing each other’s privacy unconditionally. For instance, when giving each other “total openness” for the first time, Andy describes it as them “offering [each other their] most painful wounds” and that it was “a testament that there was no corner of the soul so ugly to remain shared” (193). Using the word “testament”, makes it clear that they see this moment as a way to prove their loyalty to each other. Despite this, the trust is completely lost after this moment.
Furthermore, Andy uses the metaphor of secrets acting as the “glue that holds relationships together” when trying to identify why that might have been. From a social standpoint, keeping secrets from a partner is viewed very negatively, yet it seems to be rather positive in this case. However, Andy greatly confuses the difference between privacy and “secrets”; privacy being the thoughts, feelings and experiences that a person has and secrets being something that are intentionally hidden. What the two of them fail to realize is that privacy is key to building trust in a relationship. Moreover, Katie and Andy have no reason to be aware of the intimate details of their past relationships, especially if it is irrelevant to them now. As Andy says, it is very likely that his relationship with Katie would have lasted if it weren’t for “total openness.” Regardless, having never been in a genuine romantic relationship before, the breakup is more emotionally devastating, as he has no understanding of what caused the disconnection. As a result of their advanced technology, Andy and Katie lack the understanding of how to navigate such misconceptions in a relationship and overcome them. The relationship falls apart due to a lack of verbal communication and trust, not visibly revealing each other’s “darkest layers.”
“Openness,” A Close Reading by Aiden Romano
“The city overwhelmed me. Every day I’d walk by hundreds of strangers, compete for space in crowded coffee shops, and stand shoulder to shoulder on packed subway cars. I’d scan profiles, learning that the woman waiting for the N enjoyed thrash-hop, and the barista at my local coffee shop loved salted caramel … And then, one morning, there was Katie, sitting across from me on the N. She was lakegirl03, and her hair fell from under her knit cap. The only other info I could access was her hometown and that she was single. “Hi,” I winked, and when I realized she had her tunes on, I sent off an invite. She raised her eyes. “Hi,” she winked back. “You’re from Maine? I’m planning a trip there this summer. Any suggestions?” She leaned forward, and warmth spread across my chest from being allowed into her second layer. “I’m Katie,” she winked. “You should visit Bar Harbor, I grew up there.” She gave me access to an image of a lake house with tall silvery pines rising high above the shingled roof. “Wish I could help more, but this is my stop” (Weinstein 184-185).
This excerpt is from the beginning of “Openness,” a short story by Alexander Weinstein, and serves to establish the setting. Andy, the main character, introduces the reader to a world of layers and superficiality. People exist in the confines of public profiles that are built into their brains, accessing only what others want them to see. This section shows the reader how Andy meets and interacts with people using layers, and how he meets Katie.
Andy is impatient and crowded by his daily life in the city (Weinstein 184). The first few sentences of the passage are delivered with a monotony that creates a deeper loneliness and drifting feeling that follows him until he meets Katie. Andy explains, “I’d scan profiles, learning that the woman waiting for the N enjoyed thrash-hop, and the barista at my local coffee shop loved salted caramel” (Weinstein 184). Weinstein uses alliteration twice in this sentence, using the phrases “woman waiting” and “N enjoyed.” This makes for a dull tone that drifts but fails to tangle, creating a sluggishness that encapsulates the feeling of going about your day-to-day and filling out a routine. He also uses “enjoyed” and “loved” in the same sentence, which adds a dreary repetitiveness to the entire sequence. The profiles of the people in the coffee shop seem superficial because this is what Andy sees everyday.
These commonalities and repetitions are disrupted by Katie, who in contrast to the layers that Andy usually sees, offers a more organic approach to life. Andy states, “The only other info I could access was her hometown” (Weinstein 184). On the surface, this seems like a small amount of information to give through the layers. Although it’s more genuine and vulnerable than the examples given previously in the passage. The tone that the author has given to Andy shows that Katie’s profile is an inconsistency to him, as it has an element of surprise in it. Despite disliking the toxicity of the city, Weinstein slightly foreshadows that Andy is adjusted to the plastic world his layers offer. Andy relates, “She leaned forward, and warmth spread across my chest from being allowed into her second layer” (Weinstein 185). Weinstein uses metaphor to add to the overall imagery of the layers. Warmth reflects the feeling of being welcomed, and that the experience of being allowed to access a person’s second layer evokes an emotion. This gives the reader a better image of the technology that’s been developed in the setting of the story. Andy continues, “She gave me access to an image of a lake house with tall silvery pines rising high above the shingled roof” (Weinstein 185). Metaphor is used again in the imagery of Katie’s lake house. The “silvery pines” point towards the mechanized view that might exist through layers (Weinstein 199). It assumes a more metallic view of the world rather than the real, more green sensations that are there, the organic qualities. A real view of the lake house is something that only could be felt by being there.
People in Weinstein’s short story exist to be confined by superficiality and hidden behind their layers. This excerpt from “Openness” introduces the reader to layers and the concept of relationships beyond them. Weinstein shows a reader the idea of technology in a future of isolation and monotony. In conclusion, Weinstein uses literary devices to portray how the layers have created a more peripheral view of society.
Works Cited
Weinstein, Alexander. “Openness.” Children of the New World. Picador, 2016, pp. 183-199