In Rainbows End, there are many ways to communicate—though these ways don't always work out. Communication is very tied to "technology." And we don't just mean, "people use technology to silent message each other."
We mean that books are a type of technology for communication, and word-of-mouth is a type of technology for communication. When some form of communication technology fails in Rainbows End, there's usually some other form to take its place: when people can't IM each other, they can sometimes just talk. But since there's a spy story and a family drama going on here, a lot of tension comes from the secrets people aren't communicating. However, as we see in the book, it's hard to keep secrets totally secret when there are so many forms of communication.
Questions About Language and Communication
- Is there a best (or better) form of communication in Rainbows End? Is talking better than sm'ing?
- When does communication break down? Is it because of technological failures or because of secrets and manipulations?
- Are there any characters who are particularly good at communicating? Are these the same characters who are good at "manipulating"? Is there a connection between communicating and manipulating?
- This story involves a German man, an Indian man (with a Portuguese last name, Vaz), and a Japanese woman manipulating a family of Chinese-Americans. So why doesn't language play a bigger role here? Or are there lots of language issues that are important (like Miri talking with her Chinese friend and Carlos Rivera getting JITT-stuck in Mandarin)?
Chew on This
True communication is impossible in Rainbows End.
Communication is all about passing information between people and information tends to find ways to get around censorship and embargo. In other words, communication can never be stopped, but will always come out.