Later in the book, Kalden calls The Circle a "totalitarian nightmare". I had a sense of this throughout the book up until this point when he actually says it, but it makes complete sense. The Circle resembling the power of the totalitarian system, and Mae (and those like her) are those who are being manipulated by technology (the nightmare). The technology is almost entirely what makes Mae be successful in The Circle, but is also what is causing her to change so much as a person as well. Keep in mind also, that Annie was the one who got Mae into The Circle in the first place, and at the end of the book, Mae wants to triumph over her and push her out. At the beginning of the book, that is not the same Mae we knew by any means. Could this "totalitarian nightmare" be a general statement about The Circle and its influence on people through technology? Or could it be a power struggle between the old time friend (Annie) and the up and coming star of the company (Mae)?
What do you guys think of this idea?
Good point. Like any governmental system, Totalitarianism has its pros and cons. I think the "Nightmare" obviously shows that The Circle represents the negative side of this system, and I agree. The Circle is based on control, total control, over their employees. They even go to great lengths such as manipulation to get their employees to do what they say. This connection is one of the scarier and more eye opening ones in the book.
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