Landscape with Invisible Hand

Adam’s worsening condition marks the rising action. The threat of a lawsuit returns as the vuvv officially sue him for his and Chloe’s failed relationship. Not only has he lost the income from the show, but now his family is facing an expensive lawsuit that they won’t be able to afford. However, Adam receives the good news that he’s a finalist in the art contest, which, if he won, could solve some of the family’s problems. He hopes to use the prize money and subsequent art sales to pay for the Merrick’s Disease treatment, to cover the expense of the lawsuit, and to have enough money to support his family for a time. The author intentionally creates suspense by putting Adam into circumstances that could have opposing results. The novel doesn’t disclose many of the finer details, such as the amount of the prize money the art competition winner would receive, whether the currency would be vuvv or human dollars, and whether the winner must be at the gala to claim the award. Adam’s willingness to risk his life even though he might not win or might not need to attend reveals his intense desperation.

The author continues to build the primary theme of Capitalism and the Wealth Gap throughout these chapters. Nattie experiences a loss when she sells her stuffed animals for money. At age 12, she leaves behind her childhood to help financially support her family. Adam recognizes this loss but knows that the family needs the money to survive, so he sympathizes with her but doesn’t stop her. Because of the failed human economy, the Costello home is now worth less than what the family owes on the loan; Mrs. Costello estimates that if they sell it, they’ll lose $80,000-100,000. Their situation is now similar to that of the Marshes, who had to sell their house for $1. Mrs. Costello demonstrates naivete in assuming that the economy will improve on its own, and her assumption mirrors reality: Many supporters of capitalism argue that the free market system inherently manages itself. Again, Adam’s lack of medical care contributes to the same theme in that neither he nor the hordes of people lined up at the floating clinic have access to medical care. Health care—both in the novel and in the real world—is tied directly to the wealth gap: Those with higher wages can afford better health care, and those with lower wages can’t. At this point in the novel, Adam is desperate to resolve his issues, and he thinks he can do so by attending the gala. He defies his mother and risks his life so that he can attempt to save his family from financial ruin. His comment about making his mark on Earth and the final line in Chapter 26—“The aliens have come for us, and we’re ready to go” (123)—suggest that Adam is confident he’ll win. Mr. Reilly has offered Adam significant praise and has instilled in him the idea that truth wins. In addition, his mother’s perpetual optimism has influenced Adam, and he retains hopeful despite his dire circumstances. Each of these factors helps inspire the hope that Adam will succeed.

Whereas most of the human characters dislike the vuvv and the consequences of their invasion, Hunter and his friends strive to become like the vuvv. The author dehumanizes Hunter and his friends and depicts their behavior as absurd: “They are down on the ground, crab-walking like vuvv but paused midstride. They have frozen in place like cockroaches when the kitchen light snaps on. None of them have any hair whatsoever” (119). Hunter symbolizes people who support capitalism without benefiting from it. His behavior represents the real-world opinion that people can succeed if they work hard and adjust their behavior to resemble that of people who benefit from capitalism. Adam finds Hunter’s behavior disturbing because he doesn’t respect it. He thinks it’s absurd that Hunter is trying to become a vuvv; however, Adam’s disgust is slightly hypocritical given that he wants to find success among the vuvv by winning the art contest. Both Hunter’s behavior and Adam’s hypocrisy demonstrate the desperation that often occurs as a result of living in poverty.