Change depends a lot on the eye of the beholder: if you liked the old way, then change is a terrible thing; but if the old way was only okay, then change can be pretty good. No matter how characters feel about it in Rainbows End, change is going to happen.
Take Robert for example: his body changes (from old to young-seeming), his mind changes (from poetic and mathematical), and he has to face a totally changed world. Well, not totally new: despite all the new technology (and all the social change that comes from that), there are many things about the world of 2025 that might seem familiar to us, like scheming spies and family tension.
Questions About Change
- Robert probably faces the most change; how does he deal with it? Who else has to deal with change and how do they do it? Is there a best way to deal with change?
- Are there any physical things that don't change—or that only change a little bit? For instance, how different are future cars? What about the Gus' ping-pong table? The Geisel Library? The steam tunnels? Does it matter if some things don't change?
- Are there changes in this book that seem like changes going on in our world? Are these good or bad changes? Put another way: are there changes in this book that you want to see or avoid in the real world?
- How do different communities react to change? Do all the spies react the same way? Do all the oldsters?
Chew on This
In Rainbows End, change is part of life that can't be dismissed or planned for or resisted.
All change comes from technology in Rainbows End.