The Other as the mirror of the self in Solaris

Abstract

Hence the hyperreal Rheya is what television is to Baudrillard- an image which has replaced and monopolized the real. The copy or hyperreal Rheya as an image has displaced the original Rheya and dominated Kevin’s consciousness so he can no longer distinguish between the original and the copy and indeed Kevin falls more deeply for the copy than the original.This also reflects the earlier thesis that we conquer civilisations to find mirrors of ourselves only to become more obsessed with the simulations of ourselves than original man.Hence the image or copy is more compelling and grips and exercises more control over us than the original and we are in the realm of Baudrillard’s hyperreal where we can no longer distinguish between image and object or original and simulation. Hence this is what happens when youth are addicted to the internet and videogames- the simulation has replaced reality and we are firmly in the grip of the hyperreal.
Keywords: Lem; Solaris; Hyperreal; Original; Simulacra