How we cite our quotes: (Book.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #7
So what had so mortified her during Gus's presentation? She couldn't put her finger on it. Was it only the surprise of it? Was it the pinpoint accuracy of the algorithms? Maybe. But then again, it wasn't entirely accurate, so was that the problem? Having a matrix of preferences presented as your essence, as the whole you? Maybe that was it. It was some kind of mirror, but it was incomplete, distorted. And if Francis wanted any or all of that information, why couldn't he just ask her? (1.17.7)
From what you can gather throughout The Circle, what qualities does Mae Holland seem to value in the men she chooses to be with? In other words, what exactly is she looking for in a romantic partner, and what does that suggest about her personality?
Quote #8
"Hi Mae," a face said as it floated, gorgeous and smiling, toward her. "I'm Dr. Villalobos."
Mae shook the doctor's hand, mouth agape. The woman was too glamorous for this, for this room, for Mae. She was no more than forty, with a black ponytail and luminous skin. Elegant reading glasses hung from her neck, briefly followed the line of her cream-colored jacket, and rested on her ample chest. She was wearing two-inch heels. (1.23.10-11)
The ultra-sexy lady doctor is a pretty outdated cliché, and so you may be surprised to see it crop up in The Circle. What might Dave Eggers be getting at here?
Quote #9
"What, were you filming us?" she joked.
"Maybe," he said, his tone making clear that he had.
"Wait. Seriously?"
Mae reached for the phone.
"Don't," he said. "It's mine." He shoved it into his pocket.
"It's yours? What we just did is yours?" (1.31.93-98)
If you spend any time on the internet, then you can probably think of at least two or three high-profile cases of young women (and sometimes men) who were filmed or photographed in sexual situations and then exposed online. By showing us that the culture at the Circle condones and enables this kind of behavior, Dave Eggers raises some serious questions about the company's "progressivism" when it comes to society's treatment of women, or really anyone in such a situation.