Courtney Hill

Dr. Arnold

INTL 3111

August 1, 2020

The Circle

Dave Eggers’ novel, The Circle, hits on some extremely topical ideas, especially

considering the book was released seven years ago. While other dystopian novels typically

showcase a society much different from the one we live in today, Dave Eggers’ depiction of

America in his book was very close to how society is today. It makes it more surreal,

understanding that a company like The Circle could very much exist in today’s world. Some

would argue that there are several companies on the way to the complete control of society like

The Circle has. While there are many metaphors in the novel that can be evaluated, one that

stuck out was the creatures Stenton brought back from the Marianas Trench. The creatures and

their interactions with each other reflect The Circle’s interactions with the world.

While the novel wasn’t “scary,” the premise terrified me because it is very likely that the

world could become a reflection of The Circle’s world. Companies like Apple, Amazon, and

Facebook have such influence on society today. If a person has an Apple product, it’s almost

impossible to not have other Apple products because they aren’t extremely compatible with other

company’s products. Apple ID is similar to TruYou; while you don’t need a social security

number, everything is connected through one account, from a credit card account to music. It

would be exceedingly simple for Apple to take it one step further and create something very

similar to TruYou. Our society revolves around social media, it is unusual now for someone not
to have a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. To create a society like in The Circle, it would be as

easy as one of the major social networking sites to team up with Apple or Amazon and connect

all the data. People live much of their lives online now, with phrases like, “Pictures or it didn’t

happen” fuel many people to document almost every aspect of their daily lives. These companies

can filter out anything they don’t want spread around if they so chose or add things to their news

feeds and many people would believe it. These companies haven’t yet been morphed into one

conglomerate but they still have a lot of control over society and the way people interact with

one another.

In the novel, The Circle has complete control over society, not just in America, but all

over the world, and they’ve effectively brainwashed the population into believing it’s natural and

safe to be documented and monitored every second of the day. The Circle has a complete

monopoly and has devoured everything in its wake, yet no one bats an eye. This parallel is seen

with the shark, octopus, and seahorses. At first, the octopus and seahorses and kept safe from the

shark, each studied and marveled at. Ultimately, Stenton’s decision to put them all in one tank to

resemble life on the ocean floor became disastrous as the shark ate both species. It was evident

that Stenton knew that was going to happen, but made no move to stop it and “look[ed] at the

shark with a mixture of fascination and pride, like a parent watching…” The shark represented

The Circle’s power over society while the other creatures represented the population. Stenton’s

nonchalance furthers the idea that The Circle’s (and the shark’s) behavior is completely natural

and no cause for alarm when in reality, the company has slowly taken control over everything.

Stenton’s attitude portrays the idea that the biggest fish is the most important, the most valuable

and this is translated back to The Circle’s dominance.

 The Circle, while a dystopian novel, shows how the world today is becoming, completely

wrapped up in social media and the internet, living your life online and forgetting how to make

human connections. Social media in general has completely infected society and taken control of

almost everyone’s lives. The only thing separating our world from The Circle’s is the privacy

laws that are still intact.