The Use Of Visual Imagery, Biblical Allusions, Irony And Symbolism In The Blade Runner By Ridley Scott

In the film Blade Runner, replicants are perceived as corporate prototypes of a flawed system dependant on the experimentation, vivisection, and control of another nonhuman species. The humans in the film separate themselves from these nonhumans, painting them as the enemy. As the humans distance themselves from the animism and the feelings of the nonhuman world, they spiral into a myopic approach at human progress. In the world of Blade Runner, everything is technologically substitutable; people and animals are copied and discarded, and as one world is depleted of its resources, there stands the corrupt belief that there is always another.

Living as a slave in these “Off-worlds, ” Roy is introduced as the leader of the Nexus-6 rebellion, descending to Earth on a mission for “more life. ” It can be argued that Roy’s motives throughout the film are solely centered on advancing the replicants’ cause, and more specifically, his own cause. The fact that he cheats, lies, and steals emphasizes his zeal to, above anything, survive. He places himself on a pedestal, as an “angel” that is better than Humanity, selfishly demanding “I want more life” from Tyrell rather than “We want more life”. In this moment, he becomes so fixated on himself in a bout of self-promotion. Furthermore, by saving Deckard, Roy is still seeking “more life” for himself, as this supposed selfless gesture is just Roy’s attempt to insert himself in Deckard’s memory and live through him (Blade Runner Final Cut). Although Roy’s purpose may seem like a fight for the replicants, he actually fights for the humans by challenging the human condition. Through the use of visual imagery, biblical allusions, and irony Ridley Scott deifies Roy Batty as a savior, who, in his quest for "more life, " re-determines his own fate, gains emotional maturity, and consequently acts as a catalyst in restoring humanity in Deckard. Scott's use of visual imagery, namely eye symbolism, links the importance of sight with the formation of self, giving Roy the insight and ability to transcend Tyrell's opportunistic hold on him. The power of sight holds profound importance in the shaping and judgement of one's identity. When Chew, the maker of the Nexus-6 eyes, takes credit for designing Roy's eyes, Roy responds with "If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes, " which sheds light on the connection between sight and the impact of his own experiences.

Sight, in this case, goes beyond its literal meaning, and represents Roy's extended knowledge of his own ability to feel and anticipate his limited life span. Also, Roy possesses sophistication in controlling his own emotions, as he manipulates Sebastian into helping his cause. Banking on mutual sympathy for "accelerated decrepitude, " Roy corners Sebastian into Pris' open embrace and forces a sense of guilt and desire onto him, warning that "Pris hasn't got long to live". He then twists his seriousness in to playfulness, using two glass eyeballs as props to effectively seal the deal with Sebastian, who lightens up at the tension-relieving stunt. The glass-encased eyeballs represent a distorted truth, as Roy tactically exploits Sebastian's loneliness, saying "We are so happy you found us, " when in fact, it was he who found Sebastian. Furthermore, Roy's killing of Tyrell, crushing his head through his eye sockets, is an act of judgement on Tyrell's soul. Tyrell’s eyes symbolize "the windows of the soul" and therefore reveal his shallowness and moral corruption. As Roy approaches Tyrell for help and realizes it is a lost cause, he seeks forgiveness for his misdeeds, the "questionable things" that he has done (Blade Runner Final Cut). Instead of forgiveness, Tyrell praises Roy's accomplishments as if they were his own--simply a byproduct of his "prize" creation. Tyrell's objectification of Roy not only heightens his lack of empathy, but also determines his fate, as Roy revolts at the betrayal by his own creator who appears to put himself before his own "prodigal son". Roy purposely excludes Tyrell's glasses from the gruesome murder, as the glasses are a representation of technology, which is not the source of Roy's rage. Instead, it is the fact that Tyrell uses technology for his own callous personal gain, yet dismisses his own "son” that sets Roy on edge. With his hope diminished, all Roy sees is a selfish egomaniacal scientist, deflecting responsibility of the suffering of his own flawed creations.

The last sarcasm-fueled statement Roy says to Tyrell, "Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you in heaven for?" taps into Roy's mockery of Tyrell's misguided morals. The theme of eyes in Tyrell's death exposes all that humans prefer not to see, the myopia of a cold power-hungry scientist who not only capitalizes the gene pool, but also neglects the subjects of his experimentation, treating them as mere pawns in a chess game. Roy's vision outshines that of Tyrell, the contact-lensed Gaff, and the heedful corporate eye. In addition, Roy's quest for extended life unravels into a series of archetypal questions sourced in creation stories and mythology, such as "Who am I?" and "What is my destiny?" In order to fully understand his own destiny and morality, Roy first seeks to understand his relationship with his environment, which recognizes death as a process of life. His question of destiny parallels mankind's quest for God, and drives Roy, in the flaw of hubris, to seek to be close to God. The closeness only makes Roy lose faith in his own god Tyrell. In turn, the loss of faith gives him the opportunity to come to terms with his mortality as well as find his place in the world. Created in the hands of Tyrell and banished from the Earth, Roy’s story begins as a parallel to the creation of man who was expelled from the Garden of Eden. Like all mankind’s mission to find God in their lives, Roy searches for his creator, doing “questionable things” in the process, just like the many crimes committed by man in God’s name.

Through the use of Sebastian, who takes on a Christ-like figure, Roy reaches Tyrell who sits atop a throne in a church-like chamber. Roy, like any other man aware of mortality, demands a chance to outlive his programmed retirement date. When Tyrell dodges Roy’s demands, Roy proceeds to rebuke Tyrell in a modern-Frankensteinian demonstration of a loss of faith in God. In the final scene, Roy undergoes a change in character as he saves Deckard instead of killing him. He quits trying to change his fate, and instead, looks philosophically at all he has seen and accomplished. In this way, Roy redeems himself as he shadows Christ, digging a nail into his hand and granting forgiveness. With his refined soul taking the form of a white dove, Roy represents mankind’s climb towards peace and redemption. By combining archetypal stories, Blade Runner challenges human authenticity through outlets such as art, with examples like Roy misquoting William Blake. By misquoting the renowned English poet, Roy devalues the poem, trivializing it through a nonhuman character. In all, Scott’s biblical allusions and mythological references shape Roy’s purpose in finding himself and challenging human authenticity. Scott uses irony to prove Roy’s humanness, as he surpasses the humans’ ability to display emotion. Even within the context of the film, Scott sets the scene through the use of irony. By dividing society into those who remain on polluted Earth and those who were able to flee to the elite Off-worlds, Scott captures the irony in the fact that life can be engineered but contamination and sickness, like that of Sebastian, cannot be treated.

The clash of corporate agendas of happiness and Earth’s polluted setting is a token of this irony, as there is no true escape from the depraved world. Also, Scott ironizes the replicants’ intersubjectivity, as they care for one another unlike the humans Deckard, Tyrell, or Sebastian who opt to live in solitude. Through caring for each other, they pave the way for human feelings, such as empathy and compassion. The inability to recognize relationships is a result of domination and repression of non-humans and human nature. Roy, in his final scenes, breaks through the chains of dominion and proves himself human. As he cradles the dove, his final line, “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. . . All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain, ” expresses a valuation of his life experiences. In his four years, Roy goes beyond merely watching the moments in his life pass, but rather he develops an emotional appreciation for these moments, which is how one expresses true humanity. Ironically, Roy manifests Tyrell’s advice and “revels” in the moment. His emotional response, unique to his own experiences, proves his value as a human being. Subsequently, Scott unveils the irony of life: Roy dies just as he turns human, but does so with dignity in an ascent to Heaven. The irony within Blade Runner challenges the domination and repression of society, and reveals what it means to be a true human being. Through the culmination of visual imagery, biblical allusions, and irony, Scott alters Roy’s fate to that of a savior who spares Deckard’s humanity and the human condition as a whole. After killing his god, Roy becomes a sole entity, a copy missing its original, with no rules or moral code to obey.

In the final scene, as Deckard’s hand begins to slip, Roy saves him. Reborn, free from Tyrell’s programming, Roy alters his own fate from a life-taking combat robot to a life-granting savior. Roy not only saves Deckard’s biological life, but he also saves his humanity, teaching him what it means to be a human being. Roy revives Deckard’s empathy through their shared experience of fear, as evidenced in the words “Quite an experience to live in fear, isn’t it?” Scott shapes Roy’s emotional maturity through his empathy and compassion towards Deckard, who, like the turtle on its back, needed help. Instead of letting him fall, Roy proves replicants are not devoid of feelings and shows empathy, which is what makes a human truly human. He learns that it is not Tyrell or any genetic engineer that can make him human; he has to create this in himself. Along with this realization, Roy finally acknowledges his hopelessness, for no one can save him from his impending death. At this moment, Roy embodies the human condition. After Roy proves that being human is a state of mind rather than just biology, Deckard exhibits a change in his own life. Deckard sees Roy’s new appreciation of life and follows in his footsteps, returning to find Rachael. Instead of pressing Rachael to comply to his demands as he did earlier, Deckard questions her: “Do you love me? “Do you trust me?” Deckard allows her to freely repond, and for the first time honors her autonomy. The respect he shows her disrupts the current regime, which preserves humans’ superiority by enslaving and oppressing the “inferior”. This corrupt system is a result of a lack of empathy and emotional maturity.

Roy acts as a catalyst, bringing Deckard to his senses to resist the corporate command. Throughout the film, Roy shows progression in his character, from assuming his programmed identity to finding his new morality. In the beginning, Roy is nothing but ruthless and emotionally inept, just like Tyrell programmed him. After witnessing many deaths, he takes on the image of a“fallen angel, ” as his emotions break free from his controlled facade and he kills his creator. Then, Roy strips to a primal lost state, howling like a wolf after Pris’ death and painting himself with her blood like a savage. As he jumps between buildings in the final scene, Roy crosses over from being restrained by his emotions to being in control of them, and finally finds his morality.

Scott’s use of visual imagery, biblical allusions, and irony illustrates Roy’s progression towards a savior who restores humanity in Deckard. Eye symbolism in the film demonstrates Roy’s ability to escape the tight grip Tyrell had on him. Moreover, Scott’s use of biblical allusions and mythological references gives Roy’s quest a purpose: to find his own destiny and morality. Finally, the underlying irony throughout the film proves Roy to be authentically human. Each of these components initiates a breakthrough in Deckard, who, by witnessing Roy’s progression, is enlightened.