Blog Post Group E

The manipulative nature of Tom, the CEO, further emphasizes how the people in the society are helpless compared to the larger company, CraveTech.  Alex and Sandra, who work for an underground group that wants to free people from “the tyranny of corporate chemical dependence” , are convinced that they are outsmarting the company, but the company actually knows about their plan all along.  Even though Tom seems “dangerously oblivious”, he is actually extremely aware of everything that is going on.  His “dangerously oblivious” nature works against Alex and Sandra because it is dangerous for them to just assume that he is completely oblivious to his surroundings. At the end of the story, the CEO shows his ability to manipulate by first drugging Alex, and then asking her to marry him.  He basically forces her response by using the chemical to make her do exactly what he wants, just like the company will soon be able to do to control the rest of the society.