Nothing matters to Robert as much as his poetry—which he can no longer make. If he's sad about not being able to make poetry, then he's going to make everyone else around him miserable too. (See: "The Ezra Pound Incident.")
He'll betray any person or cause to get what he wants. Ironically (or just plain sadly), Robert is one of the few people in Rainbows End who cares about his poetry. People still read in the future, but books have merged into the virtual sphere. That is, a really successful and beloved book probably has a whole group of fans that recreate that world online. In the future, books aren't just on the page anymore.
Questions About Literature and Writing
- Besides Robert, who else cares about literature or reading in this book? Do we see any other characters reading in this book?
- Do Robert's feelings about writing change much over the course of the book? How much do they change and why?
- Besides poetry, what other types of literature do we hear about or see in this book? Do people have different feelings or ideas about different types of literature?
- We never get to hear any of Robert's genius poetry. Why do you think that is? How do we know that it's genius?
- If fans made a virtual world based on Robert's poetry, what do you think that would look like?
Chew on This
At first, Robert misses the way that books and information have become more important in the future because he only focuses on his own interests: poetry and physical books.
Although Robert says that there are certain experiences that cannot be written about them, the book demonstrates that any experience can be written about.