Delirium

Animals are a prominent motif in the novel as Lena becomes gradually aware of the deceptive world around her. On Lena’s evaluation day, cows are released into the facility as a protest against the cure; they are painted with words calling the cure death. Lena immediately recognizes that the use of cows is significant, for as she describes, “The cows are dressed up as us, the people being evaluated. Like we’re all a bunch of herd animals” (37). Later, Lena witnesses the death of her neighbor’s dog at the hands of cruel regulators, and this becomes a key moment in her awakening because it is the first time she clearly draws a line between the regulators and herself: between her old, sheltered beliefs and her new refusal to be complacent in the face of violence. It becomes a moment of “us versus them” where Lena starts to view herself as an ideological outsider. The death of the neighbor’s dog is juxtaposed almost immediately with the scene of the raid, in which dogs are used to attack partygoers at the illegal gathering. Lena’s injury from a brutal dog bite shows how dogs are both unfortunate victims and enforcement tools of the oppressive government. In continuation of the animal-themed storytelling, Alex later reveals that the first time he saw Lena, she reminded him of a bird: free, awake, and full of life. Birds thus become a symbol for escape and autonomy as they are not bound by walls or rules and can freely fly above all restrictions. Like a bird, Lena ultimately escapes into the Wilds at the end of the novel, and once again Alex is the one to witness her flight.

Moreover, the government teaches its citizens that passion and emotion are base animal instincts to be eradicated in the name of elevated human reason. According to The Book of Shhh, “Human beings, in their natural state, are unpredictable, erratic, and unhappy. It is only when their animal instincts are controlled that they can be responsible, dependable, and content” (215). Later, Lena realizes the truth: Citizens’ mindless adherence to society’s rules is truly animalistic. She sees imposing the cure as a way to lead people to spiritual slaughter, the same way that livestock are slaughtered for food. The citizens of this alternate America are not in control of their own destiny. They are instead told how to behave, how to live, and how to feel. The cure effectively lobotomizes them into submission by removing any passion or will for defiance. Animals in general, then, also symbolize a loss of autonomy.