DIGITAL EXISTENCE AND HUMAN ESSENCE: THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON RELATIONSHIPS AND IDENTITY IN GISH JEN’S THE RESISTERS

Abstract

The dystopian exploration of how advanced technology reshapes identity, relationships, and societal values, in Gish Jen’s The Resisters, is provided in this paper. Set in AutoAmerica, a near-future world governed by the pervasive AI system Aunt Nettie, the novel depicts a society where human agency is diminished, and lives are controlled by surveillance and dependence on automation. This paper applies post humanist theory to analyse the intersection between humans, technology, and the nonhuman, highlighting how these interactions redefine individual and collective identity. Through the experiences of a mixed-race family surviving the tensions between the privileged “Netted” elite and the marginalized “Surplus,” the traditional humanist ideals that view identity and autonomy as exclusively human, are critiqued. Instead, it is highlighted how human existence is increasingly entangled with nonhuman entities, raising questions about agency, ethics, and the essence of humanity in a technology dominated world. The Resisters' overall message of hope lies in technological rejecters and supporters' potential to resist and regain agency and humanism. This study focuses on the themes of digital existence and human essence in the novel, emphasizing the human essence in the post-humanist era. Jen's work is a lesson and a testimony to the fact that the human spirit will always rise to the occasion and fight no matter the advancement in systems.