Previous Next

Although Violet’s father makes only a few appearances in feed, his presence is powerful, and his decisions dramatically affect its storyline. He also contrasts dramatically with other characters, particularly parents. He goes through graduate school without a feed, for instance, and only agrees to let Violet have her own after realizing she will be at a disadvantage without one. And although he later laments having Violet’s feed installed too late and purchasing a lower-budget model, factors that contributed to her demise, his initial resistance to installing Violet’s feed, and his decision to home-school her ultimately influence her determination to resist the feed. His anger toward Titus, and his ability to make Titus see that he discarded Violet and has been living in ignorance as the world approaches its end, also help bring about Titus’s awakening. 

Unlike the other parents, who are either noticeably absent or, when present, noticeably disconnected from their children, Violet’s father appears emotionally connected with his daughter and truly concerned about her fate, and the world’s. Like Violet, he also exists as one of the novel’s only individuals: As a professor, he cares about preserving the world’s dead languages, reads, writes, and speaks articulately and with complexity so that his words and their meanings can’t be simplified.

Previous section Violet Durn Next section Titus's Father

Take a Study Break