Annotation of Snow Crash

The novel Snow Crash depicts a society that is, in ways, similar to our current state of civilization and culture. Hiro is a computer hacker who is introduced in the first chapter of the novel fulfilling his role as “the deliverator.” “The Deliverator has been working this job for six months, a rich and lengthy tenure by his standards, and has never delivered a pizza in more than twenty-one minutes” (3). Uncle Enzo fulfills a high position in the Mafia, which has now become a dominant component of society with their picture on billboards and involvement in Cosa Nostra franchises. The deliverator works for Cosa Nostra, the pizza delivery service committed to delivering pizza in less than “30 minutes or you can have it free, shoot the driver, take his car, file a class-action suit” (3). When Hiro fails to deliver a pizza in the allotted time, Y.T., a Kourier, comes into the scene to save the day and manages to get the pizza delivered on time. A Kourier is one that delivers items and travels around on a skateboard attaching to passing vehicles (harpooning) to gain momentum. Y.T. becomes Hiro’s partner and provides him with “Intel” throughout the novel.

Another component of this novel is the Metaverse where “Hiro spends a lot of time” (22). The Metaverse is a type of alternate reality where people can create an avatar to walk around and talk with other avatars. In the Metaverse, Hiro witnesses his friend, Da5id, become exposed to a virus and his computer crashes. This event leads to a series of scenes throughout the novel where Hiro is trying to develop more information about the virus and its implications for society. While in the Metaverse, Hiro is asked to “try some Snow Crash” which he determines is the virus. The Librarian in Hiro’s Metaverse office supplies the reader with an abundance of information related to the history of viruses and connection with Sumerian myths. We later find out that L. Bob Rife, creator of Rife Bible College and owner of Reverand Waynes Pearly Gates, uses religion as a means to spread a virus that causes people to speak in tongues that are incomprehensible (Sumerian/Babel). He manages to spread the virus with his primary goal being the development of infocalypse in which people will be unable to communicate. His intentions being to perpetuate his own power and make money off of religion. At the end of the novel, his scheme is destroyed as Uncle Enzo, Great Lee’s Hong Kong (a security franchise), Hiro and Y.T. uncover his plot and enforce action.

The elements of this novel that I found interesting include the setting, Stephenson’s metaphorical use, and Y.T.’s character. At first, I assumed that the setting of this novel was futuristic and different from our present society. However, after analyzing some of the concepts and having our class discussion, I recognized that Stephenson uses defamiliarization to make common things seem different from reality. For example, after Stephenson introduces the unique Deliverator, I was certain that the setting of the novel was incomparable to present society. However, the reader is then brought back to reality as the author describes good old America in the lines “This is America. People do whatever the fuck they feel like doing, you got a problem with that? Because they have a right to. And because they have guns and no one can fucking stop them” (2). This quote refocuses the reader’s attention and presents a description of America similar to the present. America is a dominant world power and the citizens of its country fulfill their freedoms as this quote implies.

Another characteristic of the setting presented in Snow Crash illustrates the organization of Burbclaves within society. In one scene, during Y.T.’s pizza delivery mission, she enters the Burbclave called “White Columns. Very southern, traditional, one of the Apartheid Burbclaves. Big ornate sign above the main gate: WHITE PEOPLE ONLY. NON-CAUCASIANS MUST BE PROCESSED” (30). Originally, I did not relate these communities to our present gated-communities; however, this novel takes the concept to a higher complexity. While I can safely say that some communities are primarily white or of another ethnicity, there is no evident declaration making these communities settle this way and if there was it would be declared discrimination and lawfully reprimanded. On the contrary, Snow Crash society does not hide its racial discrimination and it seems to be an acceptable practice.

The setting created in Snow Crash can be labeled as futuristic, but not too far away from where technology is today. I believe the setting to be futuristic because of the accessibility of information. For example, the Mafia is able to obtain substantial information…”They are scanning the many bar codes mounted on her chest. They are finding out who she is. The Mafia now knows everything about Y.T.-where she lives, what she does, her eye color, credit record, ancestry, and blood type” (32). Presently, technology has not reached the point to be able to obtain such elaborate information about an individual from barcodes. Later in the novel, the reader is introduced to Lagos’s technical abilities…”If you turn toward him with your eyes open, the laser shoots out, penetrates your iris, tenderest of sphincters, and scans your retina. The results are shot back to CIC, which has a database of several tens of millions of scanned retinas. Within a few seconds…the owner finds out who you are” (116). This advanced ability also supports my thoughts that Snow Crash is presenting a futuristic society, which may not be too far beyond our grasp.

Also, in the Snow Crash society, many services are franchised (security, utilization of highways, religion). While these services are different from those franchised today, our present society is turning away from privately-owned businesses (“mom & pop” stores) to the franchises that already have developed an interested client population and reputation. As the author states, “The franchise and the virus work on the same principle: what thrives in one place will thrive in another. You just have to find a sufficiently virulent business plan, condense it into a three-ring binder-its DNA-Xerox it, and embed it in the fertile lining of a well-traveled highway” (178). This concept of franchising is very similar to franchising in our business world. Having worked for the corporate office of a franchised company, I have seen first hand how sales are compared to determine where another franchise should be opened and they are especially placed on frequently traveled roads in visible areas.

The metaphors used throughout this novel immediately drew my attention. Stephenson’s metaphors created a clear image in my mind of what he was attempting to describe. As we discussed in class, Stephenson uses these metaphors to describe objects that are futuristic by describing them in terms of an object that we are already aware of. For example, Stephenson describes the Deliverator’s suit as feeling “like gritty jello, protects like a stack of telephone books” (1). In this quote, Stephenson uses the telephone books, an item that we are familiar with, to describe how durable the suit is. At another point in the novel, as Y.T. is shot with the loogie gun, Stephenson describes the loogie as “miles and miles of eensy but strong fibers, like spaghetti…She backs away and the adhesive separates from the fibers, stretching out into long, infinitely thin strands, like hot mozzarella” (44). In these lines, Stephenson compares the loogie material to two items that we’re familiar with: spaghetti and mozzarella. These descriptions provide a clear visual of what the loogie gun is shooting at Y.T. and we can understand how difficult it is to move with this type of substance wrapped around you.

Stephenson also used interesting metaphors to describe the Rat Thing. “The body is Rottweiler-sized segmented into overlapping hard plates like those of a rhinoceros. The legs are long, curled way up to deliver power, like a cheetah’s. Right now, the tail is coiled and piled around on top of the Rat Thing’s body like a rope that has fallen out of a tree…The whole thing just looks terribly wrong, like footage of an airplane that has had its tail blown off, trying to maneuver for a landing” (88). Stephenson’s means to describe the Rat Thing creates an image using the appearance of animals that we are familiar with. The analogy with the airplane is also unique indicating that the Rat Thing appears completely disabled.

The last element of this novel that I found interesting was Y.T.’s character. I especially enjoyed her sarcastic humor and demanding/ “don’t mess with me” personality. She even negotiates with the MetaCops when they are arresting her (46). I liked the scene where Y.T. approached the Young Mafia before meeting with Enzo. She sets a great first impression by saying “Young, fast, and female. Where the fuck’s Enzo?” (153). This character definitely knows how to get her point across. A few lines later, as the “YoMa” attempts to degrade her by describing his elite position with Uncle Enzo, she completely humiliates him by asking “Then why are you standing outside?” (154). Throughout the novel, Y.T.’s character develops further along the description that I have described here. I found myself