Bridesicle

“So Lycan had a hitcher. At least one” (4)

This notion of being able to host a dead relative in your mind is inconceivable to us. It wholly ruins the connection between body and mind, and goes against everything we know. But to the characters of Will McIntosh’s’ Bridesicle it is not strange to host one or even multiple “hitchers” and hear them constantly in their minds.

However, the characters seem to have differing opinions as to whether or not these “hitcher” relationships are beneficial. For Mira, her relationship was terrible, and her mother was constantly driving her crazy, even to the point of driving Mira to kill herself in order to escape her mother. On the other hand the hitching experience is wonderful for Lycan’s family and allows them to become closer. This shows that even though technology has advanced enough in this story to keep people’s minds alive, the tensions of families and of relationships still exist and transgress the mind-body relationship.

In this story the mind is powerful, and it is implied that humans live through their minds. However, that brings up the question of what qualifies as being alive? If the body is removed are we still alive? Personally, I do not particularly like the idea of reviving or of absorbing people, and I think that once a loved one dies they should be allowed to rest in peace and move to their next stage of being.