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Book I, Part 4

Summary: Book I, Part 4

Annie’s upset that Mae didn’t tell her about her father’s MS diagnosis. She tells Mae she can get her father on the company plan, no problem. Mae is stunned when Annie gets it done within minutes. She calls her parents, who declare Mae their “savior.” Mae, feeling validated and happy for the first time, decides to celebrate by heading to a campus event. She scrolls through the options for the night, which include a goat roast, a costumed poetry slam, and a Sahara-themed event. She decides to go for a circus-themed event called the “Funky Arse Whole Circus.” At the party, she meets a young man named Kalden who saves her from a circus performer brandishing swords on his arms. They walk to a lemon grove where they flirt.

Mae tells Annie about her meeting with Kalden the next morning. Annie makes fun of Mae for being interested in an “old man” since Kalden has gray hair, even though he’s young. Mae searches for Kalden on the Circle directory, but nothing comes up. Annie becomes suspicious when she can’t find anything either and wonders if he’s an outside agent. Mae continues to ignore Francis, who begs her to accept his apology for the LuvLuv talk. Later, the company holds a special meeting to talk about how the Circle is being investigated by the Senate’s Antitrust Task Force, led by Senator Williamson. Mae is uninterested. Annie says they’ll be “trouble ahead” for the Senator, implying that the Circle will retaliate.

Dan calls Mae in to talk about her participation rank. He explains that those in the upper 2,000 PartiRank are called the “2K,” and that her rank is disappointingly low. Josiah and Denise from the HR department remind Mae that the company’s slogan is “PPT (Passion, Participation, Transparency).” They tell her it’s selfish to not participate in the company. They wonder whether Mae might have low self-worth. Mae feels ashamed and ends up spending nine hours Zinging (liking and commenting on posts) to get improve her rank. Exhausted, Mae crashes at the campus’s dorms. Francis comes by and invites her to his room. They try to have sex but Francis ejaculates prematurely. Mae is dazzled by the power she has over him. As they talk, Mae learns that Francis has no contact with any of his foster parents because the foster agency’s policies prevent it. Later, Mae finds out Francis filmed their sexual encounter and demands he delete the video. Francis says he can’t because it goes against Circle’s policy of transparency.

Analysis: Book I, Part 4

In this section of the book, Mae starts to investigate her newfound sense of power, both as a young woman who can hold sway over potential suitors and as a member of the Circle with the power to sway the public mind. Much of this section charts Mae’s progression to maturation, a key part of her coming-of-age story.

Mae’s ability to put her parents on the Circle’s insurance plan instantaneously inverts their relationship. Previously, Mae was their dependent; now her parents are Mae’s dependents on her insurance plan. Mae’s mother regrets this, saying it’s a product of a broken system, but at the same time feels grateful and congratulates Mae, saying she has now become an adult. Mae’s self-worth waxes and wanes based on how much she can do for others. One of the reasons she feels envious of Annie is because of what Annie can do for her, like get her a job at the Circle and pull some strings around the Circle to get Mae’s parents on the insurance plan. Now that Mae can do something for her parents, she feels a surge of pride and importance. This suggests a large part of Mae’s self-worth and identity are tied to having power.

Mae’s relationship with Francis and Kalden also highlights her need for, and attraction to, power. With Francis, Mae becomes empowered while hovering over him during a drunken bout of sex. Francis says blunt and offensive comments, is generally awkward, and prematurely ejaculates. Mae doesn’t find him attractive, except for this moment, when she can overcome him sexually. With Kalden, Mae is intrigued by his power, which is generated by his mysterious and playful nature. With Kalden, she’s put in a more subordinate role. Mae, like any young adult, is feeling out her ability to hold power over others, as well as be subjected to it. Both feel intoxicating to her.

Furthermore, the Circle’s calls for “Passion, Participation, and Transparency,” and everything should “be known” are starting to seep into Mae’s psyche. When Kalden disappears, she has a moment of panic when she can’t find any traces of him in the Circle directory. Mae believes that if she could just locate him, she’d feel calm. This harkens back to the episode with Annie when Annie spirals out of control when Mae doesn’t immediately respond to her messages. Mae has become accustomed to immediate access to knowledge and becomes unhinged without it. These episodes are like symptoms of withdrawal.

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