Ready Player One

Like Anorak’s Almanac within the story, Ready Player One is a love-letter to all things 1980s, and cultural references permeate the novel. Even the title is an allusion to the 80s video game Black Tiger.  Almost every chapter contains lists of TV shows or songs, in-depth discussions of movies, or characters having arguments over trivia. Settings within the OASIS either mimic actual 80s locations or imagined locations conceived within 80s popular culture. Wade’s knowledge of the time period is encyclopedic, and he aspires to Halliday’s level of obsession with the decade; by extension, Cline demonstrates his own vast knowledge of 80s pop culture. 

The OASIS provides a place where wishes can come true, so that even a poor young man can eventually become an archetypal hero. Wade yearns for many things in his life, and through his experiences hunting for Halliday’s egg, he obtains all of them—money, success, fame, friendship, and love. In the end, as Anorak’s powers are transferred to his avatar, Wade not only achieves his own dreams inside the OASIS, he also becomes capable of effectively granting wishes to others through his character’s new omnipotence.