Social Media in the Rabbit Hutch

First of all this book was insane, enjoyable and entertaining, but most certainly insane. It’s hard to pinpoint one thing to talk about, but I think media and the internet has a severe impact on the progression of events throughout the Rabbit Hutch. 

Joan works for a company that monitors comments on online obituaries and ends up deleting Moses’ comment on his mothers obituary. Without this interaction Moses’ character wouldn’t have significance, but because he claims to not be able to let “an offense like that go unpunished” he looks her up online and “found her home address without even trying” (95-96). Not only is this creepy and stalkerish, but it provides a little background into both Joan and Moses’ characters. We see that Joan doesn’t do anything to hide her presence online because she believes herself to be insignificant enough that no one would bother to even look her up, much less show up at her house. We also get a glimpse of Moses’ toxic masculinity and the reasoning behind him being at the scene where Blandine exits her body, which was foreshadowed throughout the book.

Social media also plays a huge role in Blandine’s character. She gets a message from a past student of James after dropping out of school that says “So he got you too?” (147). This makes her feel insignificant since he’s done this before and takes away any sympathy a reader might have had towards James. Blandine also goes on a rant about how horrible social media is, stating that she is “too weak for it” (211). That social media makes you addicted and preys on your insecurities while guiding you towards capitalism. Although she is very extreme in her reasoning I think she makes a great point and we do through Joan’s online obituary comments, Moses’ blog, Hope’s mommy groups, etc. how people express their loneliness and seek approval and validation through social media.

And last but not least, probably the most disturbing use of social media in the book, is Malik recording the stabbing incident. You see the image on page 362 and the entire chapter on page 355-356 of how the video ended up on youtube. In the chapter “Viral”, Sapphire has a “hard time determining what obligations she has to the people she encounters, and what obligations they have to her” (356). This ties into the expanding circle and the idea of obligations to things we see right in front of us compared to things that are a little farther away.

I think without social media a lot of events wouldn’t have occurred. It pushes Moses to go to Joan’s house which ultimately saves Blandine, who might not have lived if Moses didn’t tie his coat belt around her waist. It emphasizes the theme of loneliness and the character’s search for validation and connection. And it ties into the ethical question asked throughout the story about obligations and the expanding circle. Social media might seem inconsequential in life yet it acts as an agent in this story and gives readers access into character’s thoughts and motivations. It also provides readers with little snippets of other small side characters and broadens the world created in the Rabbit Hutch.