How we cite our quotes: (Book.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
ALL THAT HAPPENS MUST BE KNOWN. (1.8.70)
This brainchild from Eamon Bailey meets with warm approval when he announces it to the 10,000 Circle employees who work at the company's main campus in San Vincenzo. Like him, all of them feel entitled to lay claim to whatever knowledge is—or could possibly be made to be—within their reach.
Quote #2
"We will become all-seeing, all-knowing." (1.8.87)
So says Eamon Bailey, who has no doubt that the Circle's technologies will eventually be able to satisfy every iota of curiosity that any human being could ever have.
Quote #3
Marion helped her pull the kayak across the sand and rocks and into the tiny waves. She clicked on Mae's life preserver. "And remember, don't bother any of the houseboat people. Their living rooms are at your eye level, so no snooping." (1.10.8)
Throughout The Circle, Dave Eggers spends a lot of time exploring the relationship between curiosity and greed. At base, the novel asks us to consider this question: if the only way to satisfy our curiosity is by taking something away from someone else (things like privacy, dignity, or the right to choose seclusion), aren't we robbing that person to satisfy our own greed?
Quote #4
Mae continued on, away from shore. She set a goal to make it to a red buoy she spotted, near the bend of a peninsula, deep in the bay. Getting to it would take thirty minutes or so, and en route, she would pass a few dozen anchored barges and sailboats. Many had been made into homes of one kind or another, and she knew not to look into the windows, but she couldn't help it; there were mysteries aboard. (1.10.14)
Mae Holland isn't the only one who justifies her actions by claiming that she "couldn't help" giving in to her curiosity and desire for knowledge. Her mentor, Eamon Bailey, uses the same excuse when he admits to planting hidden cameras throughout his mother's home.
Quote #5
She thought about moving, but saw no point. There seemed to be no reason to go anywhere. Being here, in the middle of the bay, nothing to do or see, was plenty. She stayed there, drifting slowly, for the better part of an hour. Occasionally she would smell that dog-and-tuna smell again, and turn to find another curious seal, and they would watch each other, and she would wonder if the seal knew, as she did, how good this was, how lucky they were to have this all to themselves. (1.10.19)
There are a handful of crucial moments throughout The Circle when Mae Holland is reminded that enjoying something privately can be a rare and wonderful experience. Circlers like Eamon Bailey and Josiah and Denise would call these feelings selfish, but what does The Circle itself suggest?
Quote #6
"That's very understandable. To spend time with your parents, believe me, I think that is very, very cool. I just want to emphasize the community aspect of this job. We see this workplace as a community, and every person who works here is part of that community. And to make it all work it requires a certain level of participation. It's like, if we were a kindergarten class, and one girl has a party, and only half the class shows up, how does the birthday girl feel?" (1.28.34)
As Mae Holland settles in to her new life at the Circle, she soon finds that her fellow Circlers are greedy for her attention and time. Whenever someone feels as though Mae isn't doing enough to participate and be community-minded, she gets a passive-aggressive talking to.
Quote #7
Dan sighed loudly. "You do know that we like to hear from people, right? That Circlers' opinions are valued?"
"Of course."
"And that the Circle is predicated, to a large extent, on the input and participation of people like yourself?" (1.28.40-42)
This tiny remark that Dan makes to Mae Holland may not seem earth-shattering, but it strikes to the heart of one of the cautionary messages that Dave Eggers is sending in The Circle. As Dan's off-the-cuff comment makes clear, one of the reasons why the Circle is so greedy for its users' time is that their input keeps the company running. Without user participation, the Circle would fade away like any other obscure technology.
Quote #8
Josiah rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, this is a tangent, but my problem with paper is that all communication dies with it. It holds no possibility of continuity. You look at your paper brochure, and that's where it ends. It ends with you. Like you're the only one who matters. But think if you'd been documenting. If you'd been using a tool that would help to confirm the identity of whatever birds you saw, then anyone can benefit—naturalists, students, historians, the Coast Guard. Everyone can know, then, what birds were on the bay on that day." (1.28.153)
Circlers like Josiah and Eamon Bailey do their best to convince Mae Holland that she's being, like, totally selfish when she tries to enjoy a bit of privacy—but how convincing are their arguments? Is Mae really being greedy with her time and her knowledge if she refuses to document everything online?
Quote #9
Josiah leaned forward. "How do you think other Circlers feel, knowing that you're so close to them physically, that you're ostensibly part of a community here, but you don't want them to know your hobbies and interests. How do you think they feel?"
"I don't know. I don't think they'd feel anything."
"But they do!" Josiah said. "The point is that you're not engaged with the people around you!" (1.28.69-71)
This is another of the many scenes in The Circle where we see that the Circlers are greedy for one another's attention and time. Why exactly is it Mae Holland's responsibility to satisfy the emotional needs of her colleagues?
Quote #10
Mae knew she shouldn't press him, but her mouth got ahead of her. "But you can't be saying that everyone should know everything."
Bailey's eyes widened, as if pleased she'd led him to an idea he coveted. "Of course not. But I am saying that everyone should have a right to know everything, and should have the tools to know anything." (1.44.105-106)
In The Circle, Ty Gospodinov characterizes Eamon Bailey's ideology as "infocommunism"—a term that might suggest that Bailey is the opposite of greedy since he wants to make sure that everyone shares what he or she has. All the same, Bailey is one of the novel's most demanding and covetous figures. If his employees aren't willing to give everything they have to the Circle, then they aren't giving enough.