Evolution Of The Character Mae In “The Circle” By Dave Eggers (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject DD MM YYYY Evolution of Mae in “The Circle” Dave Eggers' "The Circle" features Mae Holland as the main character who is fresh out of college and finds her dream job. She lands this job through her friend. Annie, and in a sequence of events, becomes one of the faces in the company owing to her innovative ideas. Immediately she finds this job; she thinks that this is the opportunity she has been waiting for her whole life. Notably, she feels thrilled with the one online identity and the fact that her social life and actions were stored in a single global system. In the course of the book, Eggers dehumanizes Mae transforming her into a something more like a robot as she loses value in her privacy. On one sunny day in June, Mae finds a new job in one of the most prominent companies called the Circle. During the first week, she finds it hectic at the workplace and decides to visit her parents during the weekend. The three drive out to San Vincenzo for a meal. On her second week, Mae gets some scolding after she fails to attend a late morning meal arranged by a colleague: “There had been a brunch, that much was certain. And clearly, she had not been there” (Eggers). Similarly, she meets Francis Garaventa who she finds lovely although he humiliates her. As the company launches a new dating app, Francis places her as a public test subject. She values her privacy making her feel embarrassed and decides she would never want to interact with Francis again her entire life. Hardly has Mae spent two weeks in the company when her father falls sick. Indeed, she cares for her parents and loves them so much that she decides to see her father immediately. A great feeling of sadness fills her after she reads messages from the mother who informs her that the father had experienced a seizure and he needed her presence. Mae heads for Longfield, California to take care of the parents. During this period, she meets with her ex-boyfriend, Mercer Medeiros, but the rest of the weekend was spent without any unique occurrence. Soon after, the father encounters an embarrassing accident after he tries to get up off of the couch. Even though this worsens the condition, the mother insists that she should report back to work. A new turn of events come into play after she visits the company clinic and learns that her parents are part of the company’s medical plan. Therefore, she does not need to worry about her father as he would get the treatment he deserved. Mae is a hardworking girl, and she would fit in any company, but the Circle preferred if she lived up to their expectations. Not long after she finds a job in the campus, her supervisor applauds her for the excellent work she does but complains that she was not as active as everyone expected. Afterward, she meets with two company ambassadors, Josiah and Denise, who are harsher and give her a stern lecture about how it was vital to becoming more present on campus. They explain, “But then there's your absence at most of the weekend and evening events, all of which are of course optional” (Eggers). Consequently, she engages more effort and works tirelessly to maintain her online presence. At this point, the only thing that interests Mae in the Circle is working hard in a way that is appealing to her bosses. Mae begins to change after loneliness consumes her and opts for anything or anyone that would keep her busy when she was not working. At this point, Eggers tries to give Mae some sexuality although it turns out to be shallow and sex-focused, rather than the more important aspect of emotional linkages between characters. She soon contacts Francis asking him to visit her in the dorm room. Sometime later, Mae regrets this decision as it only ends up in a sexual encounter. Francis records this act and makes it clear that he is not ready to delete the video. Again, Mae runs into Kalden who convinces her to follow him through several underground tunnels of the firm. He takes her through the company’s storage servers and finally to a bat cave which later proves to be a hideaway where things between the two get steamy: “And then, in the shadows, away from Stewart, something in Kalden changed, and his hands became more sure of themselves” (Eggers). Mae had an option in both cases, and she decides to do it anyway. The company intends to secure the trust of one of the most talented employees by luring her with their core ideals. On one afternoon, Eamon Bailey, one of the pillars in the company, summons Mae to his office where he begins narrating about the company’s goals and objectives. Comparatively, Bailey manages to convince her of the perversity of secrecy and privacy. By the end of the week, the two appear on the Circle's stage making an interesting presentation about how Mae's actions turn into a teachable public moment. Towards the end of this activity, Bailey makes it clear that Mae would become transparent immediately and occupies a new place in the company as a "transparent" Circler. While there is an environment of excitement following the developments, Mae does not understand what the Circlers mean by "completion." While there is excitement for Mae becomes integral to the company and the public, there are insights that the company does not have good plans for her. ...