Jonathan Middleton: The Fantasy of Ready Player One

 While Ready Player One certainly leans on its Science Fiction elements far more strongly than it does any Fantasy elements, it does have one thing in common with Fantasy as it pertains to this class. The characters of Ready Player One live most of their life in a simulation, a fantasy so to speak. This simulation functions as prime example of escapism. 

In this way the characters within Ready Player One are not too different from the reader in that both are enjoying a form of escapism from their normal reality. Admittedly though the character's virtual world is by far a superior form of escapism between the two.

An interesting note though on Ready Player One is that by the end, the main character realizes that while his form of escapism is effective that the real should certainly not be utterly abandoned, no matter how it may be. This is an important lesson to take from the reading of this story, that no matter how bad something may be it isn't always possible or at times could be detrimental to completely ignore it.

Escapism is best used sparingly then, if you're not careful you'll wind up living in a dream world completely detached from reality, a situation many characters in Ready Player One found themselves.

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