"The Circle" Prompt #5: Mae Against the Machine

3) The New York Times review of The Circle contends that, in the end, “Mae, then, is not a victim but a dull villain.”  Expand on this notion, while also interpreting the meaning of Egger’s surprising departure from novelistic conventions in the text’s last pages. 

To quote a popular movie: "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." That's Harvey Dent, from The Dark Knight. Perhaps that's a bit overdramatic considering how Mae's story ends, but it works, too. Confession time: I've never liked Mae, even in the early parts of the book when she's portrayed as the everywoman protagonist. I found her to be whiny, spoiled, selfish, and annoying; aka, not an easy character to relate to in such a complicated novel. However, I never saw her as the villain of the story per se until I went back and thought long and hard about the text. The members of the Circle aren't blatantly villainous; they genuinely believe in the morality and righteousness of their actions, yet the various "innovations" they shepherd go against many of the moral and ethical truisms of our time. So I suppose it would be correct to say that Mae, that figurehead, in many ways, of the organization, is the true villain of the story. 

Throughout the book, Mae builds more and more of a wall between herself and her humanity, namely her relationships, beliefs, and private experiences. She betrays those closest to her; Annie, her parents, Mercer, and even Kalden. She compromises her inherent regard of privacy and human connection in favor of advancing further up the corporate ladder. And by donning a body camera herself, Mae bares herself to the entire world, literally, allowing total strangers access into her deeply private moments. Mae serves as the embodiment of everything that is wrong with the Circle and its supporters, yet refuses to listen to Mercer or even Kalden/Ty, who has the most insight into all the trouble the Circle can cause if its power remains unchecked. Her progression is clear; Mae willingly gives herself over to the Circle rather than doing the right thing, as several more "enlightened" characters try and fail to stop her. Mae has become so robotic by the end of the book that she feels no emotion for Mercer's death, and presumably Ty's as well, and reflects upon Annie's coma from the view of entering her thoughts rather than showing any real concern for her friend.  

Mae's final thoughts on Annie serve as a highly atypical ending for the protagonist of any story. Usually, the protagonist follows a version of the "hero's journey" storyline, in which they reach rock bottom before finding redemption by vanquishing some ultimate evil. Mae, on the other hand, is no hero. Her story is a slow, downward spiral into psuedo-villainy that ends the story on a much more ominous note than it started on. (And the book was never exactly cheerful to begin with.) However, Mae's transformation is less malevolent than it is petty and reeking of neediness, which is clearly Eggers' idea of how social media affects people, especially teenagers and young adults. I'm not sure if I'm alone, but reading about Mae's various screw-ups just made me want to bang my head against a wall; the ending, however, was just plain creepy. It gets the author's point across, no doubt, but is handled with all the delicacy of a bull in a china shop. Again, perhaps that's the point, as it certainly leaves an impression that sticks, and not in a good way.