Holly McLaughlin

Critical Reading

Blog Post

November 24, 2015

In Super Sad True Love Story we see a very altered perception towards language and communication.  We see language being perceived as an unimportant aspect of culture.  Characters within the story look down on the use of linguistics and the appreciation of literature.  Structuralism is a method of analysis, which looks at systems within a text, linguistics, signs, oppositions, and the study of narrative.  It is also important to note that Structuralism derives both historically and logically from Formalism. 

“Introduction: The Implied Order Structuralism” by: Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan states, “Culture, like language, is a system characterized by an internal order of interconnected parts that obey certain rules of operation” (53).  We see this in Super Sad True Love Story through the emphasis on language and the importance of it within the society.  Without language or the äppärät, which assists those who are incapable of communicating on their own, the society begins to fall apart.  There are certain rules that people within the society follow, once these roles are diminished through the rapture the society begins to crumble.  “Knowledge and perception always occur through the mediation of language.  We would not be able to know anything if we were not able to order the world linguistically in certain ways” (54).  This quote is also very relevant in describing Super Sad True Love Story because without their äppärät, people cannot function; their everyday lives become unable to continue because they rely solely on these devices because they cannot order the world linguistically on their own.    

Within the culture of Super Sad True Love Story, a system of parts lies language, which is also a system of interconnected parts that obey certain rules of operation.  The characters obey, don’t obey, or are outside of these rules within the system of language.  Within this narrative lies a hierarchy of language.  We see this through those who feel that they can’t communicate without their äppärät, as these people seem to “obey” the societal norms.  The äppärät seems to be the only acceptable method of communication in Shteyngart’s dystopian world.  People care about the äppärät and the abstract relationships it makes possible more than the concrete relationships they are capable of forming independently. We also have people who feel comfortable communicating without the äppärät, forming their own thoughts and ideas, and enjoying things like literature and art which seem to have been left in the past by many.  These people can be considered as not following or “obeying” societal norms.  When the äppärät temporarily stops functioning Lenny realizes its importance in their lives, to the extent that its rupture causes a feeling of disconnection. In his diary, Lenny writes: “I can’t connect in any meaningful way to anyone” (270). Their utter dependence on the äppärät diminishes these individuals ability to understand and make sense of their world on their own.  Additionally, the absence of the preliminary information the äppärät provided made forming and maintaining meaningful relationships problematic. This dependence on the äppärät caused them to lose their ability to understand emotions and connect emotionally with people, a skill that is essential in maintaining meaningful relationships within the actual world.