A Structuralist Reading of Terminator 1 & 2
...ense because they have or can acquire external human features. The notion of trespassing is used in both the films. Advanced technology has allowed machines to take the human form and trespass beyond the limits of human ability, by being able to morph and self-heal (T-1000), and also tracking targets by set programmes in a computer brain (T-800). The development of technology and its movement beyond the boundaries of human society has resulted in the technology being the one with the control and independence. The effects of new technologies on society consequently belong to the technologies themselves. This quality is a connotative element portrayed throughout the film. The depiction of this can be seen when Kyle talks about the domination of technology in the future and the inability to control it. “The Terminator signified the dark side of technology. In this representation, rather than enriching our lives, technology leads to our destruction.” At: http://home.fuse.net/mllwyd/cyborgs2.html An important concept represented in the film also emphasises the transgression of these cybernetic mechanisms by presenting the idea that the “artificial” and the “real” are no longer demarcated by neat boundaries. Technology has disrupted boundaries such as the definition of ‘male/female’ positions in society, example Sarah Connor, initially an ordinary working women transforms herself into a ruthless “cyber-hero” ultimately destroying the terminator. These for...