When exploring the postmodern elements within Girlfriend in a Coma the overall message is the search for meaning in a meaningless world. In order to explore this effectively all concepts - and how they relate to and support this notion - must be explored.
Themes
Identity
Identity within the novel is key as it allows for the expression and opinion that identity is not solid and can be altered through various means. Particularly with Girlfriend in a Coma, Identity explores the loss of ones self and the failure of the characters (except Linus) to explore and question themselves as a whole. With the sense of a 'missing link' in their lives, many of the characters resort to alcohol or drugs as an attempt to nullify, or fill (if only temporary) the missing link. They have lost themselves as a result of the society they live in, and yearn for stability in their lives. With Richard taking roles as an extra in t.v productions he is adapting a temporary alternative identity that enables him to forget his own life, his own troubles and mask it with a false identity, ultimately portraying the desperation to fill the subconscious emptiness to a point where he simulates others as a 'cowards way out' of avoiding the reality of the situation.
Pam - after realising the shallow life of a supermodel, and being drawn in by the superficiality of such a role - with Hamilton, resort to drug abuse as an attempt to fill the subconscious void; it allows a temporary high where they can avoid facing reality and allows for a temporary solution. As a result it damages their identity further, to the point where they cannot live without it, pushing their bodies to the limit (Ch15, first ch. in part two). This is one example of just how lost and desperate they are in terms of identity. They feel the need to physically fill their bodies with substances when really it is a spiritual fulfillment they require, which they fail to realise. Pam and Hamilton both are desperate for a solution to fulfill the 'hole' in order to make them 'whole'.
Technology
Technology is a key element within the text. It is the cause of much of the anxiety as was relevant during the time period the text was constructed. Written in the 1990s it is understandable to ascertain the anxieties the people of the current time were going through and, through the text Coupland has captured this perfectly. Many of the other themes interlink and lead back to the source of technology, instigating that technology is the source for many of the uncertainties throughout the novel. For instance, Technology is blamed - especially by Karen - for the loss of identity and meaning. Being in a Coma, unlike the others she has not adapted with it, giving the reader an alternative, an outside view of how technology is breaking society. It has overrun the meaning in all their lives with the exception of Karen. She is almost and alien to this technological world whilst her friends are immersed daily within its digitized realms, therefore overtaking much of their ability to be human almost. The use of technology to such a degree as implied in the novel presents the fear that society will eventually become overrun by technology (I do appreciate the irony of using technology to write about technology) diminishing humanity and this is exactly what Karen symbolises. She sees what her friends does not and through their work with constant technology (special effects etc...) they are losing their humanity. They would rather sit on the computer and talk through a digital means than go and actually see and spend time with each other in the flesh, implying that society is becoming too digitized and therefore losing meaning that was present before technology was introduced (to such an extent anyway) and therefore strips away their identity and resulting in an empty life full of nothing but artificiality that results in an apocalyptic scenario.
Technology
Technology is a key element within the text. It is the cause of much of the anxiety as was relevant during the time period the text was constructed. Written in the 1990s it is understandable to ascertain the anxieties the people of the current time were going through and, through the text Coupland has captured this perfectly. Many of the other themes interlink and lead back to the source of technology, instigating that technology is the source for many of the uncertainties throughout the novel. For instance, Technology is blamed - especially by Karen - for the loss of identity and meaning. Being in a Coma, unlike the others she has not adapted with it, giving the reader an alternative, an outside view of how technology is breaking society. It has overrun the meaning in all their lives with the exception of Karen. She is almost and alien to this technological world whilst her friends are immersed daily within its digitized realms, therefore overtaking much of their ability to be human almost. The use of technology to such a degree as implied in the novel presents the fear that society will eventually become overrun by technology (I do appreciate the irony of using technology to write about technology) diminishing humanity and this is exactly what Karen symbolises. She sees what her friends does not and through their work with constant technology (special effects etc...) they are losing their humanity. They would rather sit on the computer and talk through a digital means than go and actually see and spend time with each other in the flesh, implying that society is becoming too digitized and therefore losing meaning that was present before technology was introduced (to such an extent anyway) and therefore strips away their identity and resulting in an empty life full of nothing but artificiality that results in an apocalyptic scenario.
