A Study on the Narrative Deception Strategies of the Io Machine in "The Very Pulse of the Machine"

Abstract

This paper analyzes the three core narrative deception strategies employed by the non-human subject in The Very Pulse of the Machine, focusing on the Io Machine. Drawing upon Shang Biwu's Non-Human Narrative Theory, Freud's Hallucination Theory, and Baudrillard's Simulacra Theory, the study demonstrates how the Io Machine systematically lowers Martha's cognitive vigilance through the use of familiar Romantic poetry, enhances its narrative credibility by utilizing Burton’s corpse as both a physical and emotional symbol, and ultimately induces a profound transformation in Martha's cognition from rationality to irrationality via drug-induced hallucinations. These strategies collectively form a sophisticated narrative loop that manipulates human cognition and emotion, effectively dissolving human subjectivity and challenging traditional anthropocentric narrative frameworks. Existing scholarship primarily focuses on the work's scientific-philosophical themes or its film adaptation, lacking a narratological perspective on the machine's active cognitive manipulation. This study fills that gap, providing an academic framework for applying Non-Human Narrative Theory to science fiction short stories and enriching discourse on non-human narrative agency. Future research may further explore transmedia adaptations to understand how these strategies evolve across media platforms.