What Does Titus Mean When He Says That the Party is Over in the Book Feed
Titus, who is referred to by name only a handful of times throughout the book, is the protagonist and narrator of Feed. He acts as the reader's guide through the terrifying, dystopian world where the book takes place. Titus, who comes from an extremely wealthy family, enjoys taking luxurious vacations to the moon, getting mal (or high) with his friends, and buying whatever he wants using his feed. For most of the novel, Titus accepts his world without question: he doesn't see any reason why he shouldn't have fun all the time, or why he should try to learn more about the world. As he develops feelings for Violet Durn, however, Titus begins to express doubts about his lifestyle and his society. Violet makes him feel guilty for having fun all day while millions of people starve or work hard to survive, but she also inspires him to pursue a mature, emotionally-rewarding relationship with her—which provides them both with an escape from the culture of instant gratification that most people are used to. However, while Titus may be unusually thoughtful and free-thinking by his society's standards, he can still be apathetic, cruel, and emotionally hollow. When Violet gets sick and faces death, Titus can barely muster the interest to keep talking to her, let alone show real sympathy and compassion. Anderson leaves the ending of the novel open: perhaps Titus has learned to overcome his own indifference, or perhaps his efforts to do so are too little, too late.
Titus Quotes in Feed
The Feed quotes below are all either spoken by Titus or refer to Titus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.
Related Characters: Titus (speaker)
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But the braggest thing about the feed, the thing that made it really big, is that it knows everything you want and hope for, sometimes before you even know what those things are.
Related Characters: Titus (speaker)
Related Symbols: Feed
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I feel like we're the only two of us who like remember the, like, the thing.
People want to forget.
You can't blame them.
Related Symbols: Feed
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What I've been doing over the feed for the last two days, is trying to create a customer profile that's so screwed, no one can market to it. I'm not going to let them catalog me. I'm going to become invisible.
Related Symbols: Feed
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Also, it's good because that way we know that the big corps are made up of real human beings, and not just jerks out for money, because taking care of children, they care about America's future. It's an investment in tomorrow. When no one was going to pay for the public schools anymore and they were all like filled with guns and drugs and English teachers who were really pimps and stuff, some of the big media congloms got together and gave all this money and bought the schools so that all of them could have computers and pizza for lunch and stuff, which they gave for free, and now we do stuff in classes about how to work technology and how to find bargains and what's the best way to get a job and how to decorate our bedroom.
Related Characters: Titus (speaker)
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"You know what he was in?" said my dad. "Remember Virtual Blast? He played the fifth Navy Seal, with the croup. You know, coughing."
"He was in the feature with all the crazy utensils," said my mother. "A few years ago? That one? He was the doorman in the pillbox hat." I had already pulled up a list of his feed-features and I was going over them. None of them got more than two stars.
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"He was beaten to death at the club. We saw it. The police, remember? They beat him over the head."
She reached out and took my arm.
My father walked toward us across the pavement, waving. The plastic flags were flapping in the artificial wind while Muzak came out of heaven.
I bought the Dodge.
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He said in a high-pitched voice, like a teensy-weensy kind of voice, "Ooooooh! Observe the remarkable verdure! Little friend, I am master of all I survey."
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She said she had a theory that everything was better if you delayed it. She had this whole thing about self-control, okay, and the importance of self-control. For example, she said, when she bought something, she wouldn't let herself order it for a long time. Then she would just go to the purchase site and show it to herself. Then she'd let herself get fed the sense-sim, you know, she'd let herself know how it would feel, or what it would smell like. Then she would go away and wouldn't look for a week.
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And we are the nation of dreams. We are seers. We are wizards. We speak in visions. Our letters are like flocks of doves, released from under our hats. We have only to stretch out our hand and desire, and what we wish for settles like a kerchief in our palm. We are a race of sorcerers, enchanters. We are Atlantis. We are the wizard-isle of Mu.
What we wish for, is ours.
Related Characters: Titus (speaker)
Related Symbols: Feed
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Someone once said it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich guy to get into heaven.
There is a city. A marketplace. Camels. Arabs. The upcar shoots overhead, and they duck.
Yeah, sure. Now we know that the "eye of the needle" is just another name for a gate in Jerusalem-and with the Swarp XE-11's mega-lepton lift and electrokinetic gyro stasis, […] getting through the gate just won't be a problem anymore.
The Swarp XE-11: You can take it with you.
Related Characters: Titus (speaker)
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"This top is the Watts Riot top."
Violet said, "I can never keep any of the riots straight. Which one was the Watts riot?"
Calista and Loga stopped and looked at her. I could feel them flashing chat.
"Like, a riot," said Calista. "I don't know, Violet. Like, when people start breaking windows and beating each other up, and they have to call in the cops. A riot. You know. Riot?"
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So he's the genetic clone of Abraham Lincoln.
Yeah.
Abraham Lincoln.
That's what I said.
Tell me what he's doing now.
Eh . . . the limbo. With the coaxial cable.
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The only thing worse than the thought it may all come tumbling down is the thought that we may go on like this forever.
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Violet was screaming, "Look at us! You don't hate the feed! You are feed! You're feed! You're being eaten! You're raised for food! Look at what you've made yourselves!" She pointed at Quendy, and went, "She's a monster! A monster!"
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You are such a shithead. You don't know what happened to me this morning. And the news. Titus—this morning . . I can't believe in the middle of all this, you went and got malfunctioned. You are such an asshole and a shithead.
Related Symbols: Feed
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I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water. I filled a glass. I looked at the window over the sink.
I deleted everything she had sent me.
Related Symbols: Feed
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I didn't want to be called her hero.
I looked at her, and she was smiling like she was broken.
I reached down, and turned up the fan in the climate control.
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It was like I kept buying these things to be cool, but cool was always flying just ahead of me, and I could never exactly catch up to it.
I felt like I'd been running toward it for a long time.
Related Characters: Titus (speaker)
Related Symbols: Feed
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"It's almost time for foosball. It will be a gala. Go along, little child. Go back and hang with the eloi."
"What are the eloi?"
"It's a reference," he said, snotty. "It's from The Time Machine. H. G. Wells."
I stepped closer to him. "What does it mean?" I asked. "Because I'm sick of—"
"Read it."
"I'm sick of being told I'm stupid."
"So read it, and you'll know."
"Tell me."
"Read it."
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Explanation and Analysis:
"It's about this meg normal guy, who doesn't think about anything until one wacky day, when he meets a dissident with a heart of gold." I said, "Set against the backdrop of America in its final days, it's the high-spirited story of their love together, it's laugh-out-loud funny, really heartwarming, and a visual feast." I picked up her hand and held it to my lips. I whispered to her fingers. "Together, the two crazy kids grow, have madcap escapades, and learn an important lesson about love. They learn to resist the feed. Rated PG-13. For language," I whispered, "and mild sexual situations."
I sat in her room, by her side, and she stared at the ceiling. I held her hand. On a screen, her heart was barely beating.
I could see my face, crying, in her blank eye.
Related Symbols: Feed
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Titus Character Timeline in Feed
The timeline below shows where the character Titus appears in Feed. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
...to completely suck." The narrator of the book (whose name is later revealed to be Titus) and his friends, Link Arwaker and Marty, are bored (or, as they say, "null") and... (full context)
...to the moon, and their "feeds" give them lots of information about what to buy. Titus thought that he'd be excited by the moon but instead he finds it "old and... (full context)
In part, Titus wants to go to the moon to "meet someone." He's been feeling lonely, even when... (full context)
...fun. They eat dinner at a restaurant which is "just like the one at home." Titus notices the moon has artificial gravity that makes it "almost like normal, which is how... (full context)
Link, Titus notes, is ugly, but he's also rich, meaning that everybody wants to be his friend.... (full context)
...lounge, Link stands out because he's so tall—apparently, he's part of a "secret patriotic experiment." Titus breaks his "arm lesion," and it oozes everywhere. Titus and Loga dated until a few... (full context)
Then, suddenly, Titus sees "the most beautiful girl, like, ever." She's watching Titus and his friends, and Titus... (full context)
Titus follows the mysterious girl. He notices that her shoulders are hunched, as if she doesn't... (full context)
In the Lounge, Link finds Titus and tells him, "This so big sucks." Titus is worried that the girl will hear... (full context)
The girl, Titus notes, is "completely youch" to him and the other guys. She seems to be attracted... (full context)
The girl, Titus learns, has come to the moon without any friends, even though it's spring break. Her... (full context)
Back at the hotel, the friends try to break into their minibar. Titus notices that Violet seems bored. The others complain that there's no alcohol, and Marty suggests... (full context)
At the Rumble Spot, there are lots of people wearing expensive shorts, which Titus's feed advertises to him. Titus "chats" Violet, asking if she dances. He notices that she... (full context)
Suddenly, an old-looking man bumps into Titus and yells, "We enter a time of calamity!" Link explains that the man is "completely... (full context)
...the old man with "stunners." They explain that they're going to have to "shut off" Titus and his friends. (full context)
Titus regains consciousness and immediately feels "no credit." There's a message in his head explaining that... (full context)
Titus is in the hospital. He finds Violet nearby. Everyone else is asleep. Violet asks, "What... (full context)
The hospital is boring. The walls are dull, and there's a picture of a boat. Titus can't figure out why anybody would paint a picture like that. (full context)
...while the authorities examine their feed history to aid in the investigation of the hacker. Titus's head feels "real empty." (full context)
Titus misses his feed. He's unsure when feeds were invented—maybe a century ago. Before that, people... (full context)
The best thing about the feed, according to Titus, is that it knows "everything you want and hope for, sometimes before you even know... (full context)
In the hospital, Titus is bored. All he can do is look at the painting of the boat. He... (full context)
Titus looks at a few "pages" he saved from before his feed stopped. The pages show... (full context)
...visit, but she is clearly chatting with her friends on Earth and laughing at jokes Titus can't hear. (full context)
That night, Titus runs into Violet in the hallway. He suggests that she sit down next to him,... (full context)
Titus's dad shows up at the hospital, trying to look "businesslike." When he visits his son,... (full context)
Titus asks his dad how "Smell Factor" is doing, and his father replies, "Your brother has... (full context)
...The game is fun, and the day ends up being one of the best of Titus's life. Everyone hits on Violet, but Violet only pays attention to Titus. (full context)
Violet and Titus sit together, talking about old music they liked as kids. Violet says, to her own... (full context)
...the hospital, the friends continue to pass the time by blowing needles at the wall. Titus notices that Link and Calista are spending more time together, meaning that they're probably hooking... (full context)
...Violet returns from talking to the doctor, and says that she has to talk to Titus. They find a "huge window" overlooking what was once a garden. A broken pipe appears... (full context)
Still in the hospital, Violet and Titus talk about their families. Titus explains that he has a little brother, that his dad... (full context)
Titus asks Violet why her father can't come visit her. Violet admits that he's not too... (full context)
...and technicians, who examine their brains to make sure there are no "permanent hacks." Suddenly, Titus can feel his feed again—there's an ad for a "Ford Laputa," along with hundreds of... (full context)
Back on Earth, Titus falls back into his old routine of chatting with his friends. He sees his family,... (full context)
One night, Titus goes to a party at his friend Quendy's while her parents are at a "choking... (full context)
Violet asks Titus if he thinks things will be different. Titus isn't sure what she means, but says,... (full context)
Violet, who looks nervous, says hello to Calista while Titus talks to Quendy. Quendy chats him to ask if he thinks Calista and Link are... (full context)
The party proceeds as if Titus and his friends were never hacked. Everything is normal. (full context)
The party continues. Everybody watches a comedy called Snowblind, but Titus notices that Violet isn't laughing. While Titus walks to the bathroom, Link and Marty find... (full context)
Downstairs, Violet asks Titus if he'd like to walk around, and he agrees. Violet points out that Titus seems... (full context)
Titus senses that he's protecting Violet from something, and this makes him feel good. They kiss,... (full context)
After the party, Titus has what he thinks is a dream. In the dream, he plays games for free.... (full context)
One day, Violet chats Titus to explain that she's working on a new project. They agree to meet at the... (full context)
Violet and Titus walk around the mall, trying out different products—everything from searchlights to rugs. They listen to... (full context)
At dinner, Titus asks Violet why she never talks about her father. Violet explains that it costs a... (full context)
That night, Titus chats Violet. Even over chat, Titus can tell something is wrong. He asks if Violet... (full context)
Then, changing the subject, Violet shows Titus the ads she's received after her day at the mall. The ads sell her everything... (full context)
Titus reports, "Being with Violet was great." Violet did not grow up with a feed because... (full context)
Titus isn't a good student in School™. School™ is better than it was when it was... (full context)
In School™, Titus thinks about Violet, who stays home and reads about how "there was less air and... (full context)
That night, Titus comes home and asks his mom whether she thinks he is dumb. Mom tells him... (full context)
The next day, Titus flunks a test while Violet stays home and learns about interesting, complicated things Titus can't... (full context)
Titus can sense that his parents are getting uncomfortable because they're chatting with each other. Suddenly,... (full context)
On Saturday, Titus and his dad go to test-drive upcars, and Violet joins. While Titus test-drives, Dad looks... (full context)
As Titus tries each car, his feed sends him banners showing him what it would be like... (full context)
Violet asks Titus why his parents are buying him the car, and Titus says it's because he went... (full context)
...is very proud that his son owns his own upcar. Violet suggests that she and Titus go driving in the forests near Jefferson Park, but Dad says that the forest has... (full context)
Titus asks his parents about the hacker, and Dad confirms that he's dead, adding, "There wasn't... (full context)
Suddenly, Violet chats Titus that her foot isn't working. This has happened a few times since being hacked—sometimes, she... (full context)
The next day, Titus drives to Violet's house, noting the beautiful Clouds™ in the sky. Violet's neighborhood is hundreds... (full context)
Violet introduces Titus to her father, who uses complex vocabulary that Titus can't understand. Titus notices that Violet's... (full context)
In the car outside, Titus tells Violet that her dad is "something." Violet explains that her father thinks language is... (full context)
Violet and Titus fly out to farm country, and during the flight, Violet talks about her family. Her... (full context)
Titus explains to Violet that his parents met through "some friend" and took a trip to... (full context)
Violet and Titus decide to stop at a filet mignon farm. They see miles and miles of raw... (full context)
Later, back in the upcar, Violet asks Titus how he'd want to die if he had the choice. Titus decides that he'd like... (full context)
Titus drops off Violet and then goes home. He sees his family members using their feeds... (full context)
That night, Titus has nightmares. Someone pokes his head with a broom. He sees riots in the streets... (full context)
Suddenly, Violet chats Titus. She explains that somebody was "nosing around" in her feed, even though she put up... (full context)
A few days after the events of the previous chapter, Titus sees an ad claiming that they'll receive free Coke for using the word "Coke" around... (full context)
Violet chats Titus and asks him to take her home—she can't stand Calista and Loga. Titus reluctantly agrees,... (full context)
Titus drives Violet home, making a show of being "quietly angry." The two of them start... (full context)
...nobody can fix her feed, partly because she got her feed unusually late in life. Titus isn't sure what to do, and decides to put his arm around her, even though... (full context)
Suddenly, Violet cries, "I want to feel something, then adds, "Let's feel vertigo." Titus agrees, and turns off his upcar, so that they drop out of the sky. Breathing... (full context)
Back at his house, Titus leads Violet inside. Violet tells Titus, "I wish there was someplace we could go," and... (full context)
...return home. Violet ends up staying for dinner, from which Dad is absent. Mom chats Titus about how Violet is a "great girl." (full context)
On the drive back to Violet's home, Titus asks Violet, "Do they know how long?" and Violet says she doesn't know but adds,... (full context)
Violet and Titus go to the seashore, which is "dead, but colorful." They have to wear special suits... (full context)
On Monday, Titus goes to School™ and notices that Calista has a "macrolesion." Link kisses Calista and tickles... (full context)
Violet chats Titus to tell him that she's reading about Mayan spells, because she wants to preserve them... (full context)
On Friday, Titus drives Violet to the party. On the ride, Violet talks about what she has been... (full context)
...their feeds. Quendy's entire body is covered in lesions, which Violet finds horrifying. Violet chats Titus that "the only thing worse than the thought it may all come tumbling down is... (full context)
Titus takes Violet to the attic of the house and explains that he and his friends... (full context)
Violet and Titus come down from the attic, passing people making out and other people "in mal." Downstairs,... (full context)
...the feed! You are feed! You're feed! You're being eaten!" She calls Quendy a monster. Titus tries to calm Violet, but she scratches at him. Then, Violet realizes that her hands... (full context)
Titus sits in the hospital waiting room. He tries to ask a nurse for information about... (full context)
Violet's father arrives at the hospital shortly after Titus gets there. After speaking to a doctor, he notices Titus and reports that the doctors... (full context)
Titus thinks about what Violet said just before she collapsed. He wishes Violet could be "uninsane"... (full context)
Afterwards, Titus is allowed in to see Violet. She begins apologizing to him. Titus replies that he's... (full context)
Titus's mom picks him up from the hospital. Titus eats dinner and tries to do some... (full context)
The next day, Titus visits Violet in her home, to which she's been moved from the hospital. He sits... (full context)
Violet tells Titus that she wants to do many things with what's left of her life. But then... (full context)
Titus watches as Violet and her father try to petition FeedTech for free repairs, since Violet's... (full context)
The next day, Titus talks with Quendy, and tells her that Violet is sorry. Quendy says she understands. Titus... (full context)
The next morning, Titus wakes up to find a message from Violet. In it, she explains that her mother... (full context)
Titus listens to Violet's message while driving to School™. He's surprised to realize that he can... (full context)
...She wants great artists and writers to come to her house, where she lives with Titus. She wants to have grandchildren who help her make dinner. Above all, she wants to... (full context)
Titus is unable to concentrate at School™ where there have been funding cuts lately (no more... (full context)
Violet chats Titus again, saying, "I wish I was with you" and "Did you get my list?" (full context)
After School™, Link asks Titus how Violet is doing, and Titus says he hasn't talked to her in a few... (full context)
...friends go inside and go to a mal site. They download the mal, and suddenly Titus feels like colored bricks are falling down. He, Marty, and Link begin to laugh. They... (full context)
The three friends go to the mall, and Titus shows Marty and Link the list Violet sent him. Marty asks Titus why he's not... (full context)
Titus hears a strange banging sound, and begins laughing again, thinking, "It was good to be... (full context)
Violet asks Titus if he's out of school, and this time Titus chats back that he is. He... (full context)
Titus announces that he's going to drive to Violet, using the autopilot function. He finds his... (full context)
Titus arrives at Violet's house, and she's waiting outside. She tells him not to come in,... (full context)
While Titus sleeps on the lawn, Violet forwards him a message from FeedTech. While he's still sleeping,... (full context)
When Titus wakes up, he has a headache. He finds that he's still on the lawn, next... (full context)
Titus tells Violet he had no idea she got a refusal from FeedTech that day. Violet... (full context)
Titus walks to his upcar. As he climbs in, Violet waves to him. But the next... (full context)
Late at night, Titus gets a message from Violet. Violet has been listening to requiems and burial rites from... (full context)
Titus's dad hasn't been home in weeks, and his mom is angry. Smell Factor runs around,... (full context)
One afternoon, Violet shows up at Titus's house. She walks into his room and asks him if he wants to come to... (full context)
Violet and Titus drive away in Titus's upcar. During the ride, Titus asks if Violet has been okay.... (full context)
...point where her feed can't predict what she does and doesn't like. She smiles at Titus "like she was broken." Titus says nothing, but turns up the fan. (full context)
Violet and Titus drive to some mountains, where they've made a hotel reservation. The hotel is ugly, and... (full context)
Back in their hotel, Violet tells Titus that she wants to experience everything before her death. She's done some things with an... (full context)
Titus tries to enjoy his time with Violet, but finds that he can't even smile. Violet... (full context)
Furious, Violet asks Titus if he has any idea what's happening in Central America. She explains that the rest... (full context)
Titus drives Violet home. He notices that she looks ugly when she cries, and decides, "it... (full context)
Later on, Titus realizes that the last words he ever hears Violet speak with her own mouth are... (full context)
The next day, Violet chats Titus to say that she loves him. She knows Titus is different from everyone else—he's "someone... (full context)
The school year ends, and Titus goes to one of Jupiter's moons with Marty and Link. By this time, he's dating... (full context)
Back on Earth at the end of the summer, Titus goes to lots of fun parties. Marty gets a Nike speech tattoo, meaning that everything... (full context)
...the point where they're nostalgic for the moment they're living in right now. At night, Titus thinks of Violet. (full context)
Titus realizes that nobody wants to ride in his upcar for some reason. He keeps trying... (full context)
At dinner, Titus's dad shows his family feed memories of his latest "corporate adventure," in which he and... (full context)
Titus gets sick to his stomach. Just then, someone chats him, "She wanted me to tell... (full context)
Titus drives out to Violet's house. In the upcar, he listens to news about riots in... (full context)
When Titus sees Violet in her room, he notices that she's very pale. Her head is shaved... (full context)
Titus can only say, "I'm sorry," but Violet's father replies, "Sorrow comes so cheap." He accuses... (full context)
Back at home, Titus sits in his room, naked. He orders endless pairs of pants, until he's out of... (full context)
Two days later, Titus goes to visit Violet. He has an hour before he's supposed to meet Quendy. He... (full context)
Titus tells Violet, "You're still there, as long as I can remember you." He begins to... (full context)
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