Reflecting on Reality and Self-Perception in Regina Kanyu Wang’s “The Brain Box”
In “The Brain Box,” Regina Kanyu Wang delves into the intricate dance between our perceptions of reality and the facades we construct for the outside world. Through the lens of Zhao Lin’s final, desperate moments aboard a doomed flight, Wang explores the profound impact of an experiment meant to immortalize one’s last thoughts. As Zhao Lin is confronted with her imminent death, her internal narrative becomes a battleground between the desire for authenticity and the fear of vulnerability.
The Weight of Self-Reflection
Wang’s narrative masterfully captures the double-edged sword of constant self-reflection, prompted by Zhao Lin’s participation in an experiment that records her thoughts. This incessant scrutiny amplifies her self-doubt, chaining her to a relentless examination of her own existence. The story follows the final thoughts of Zhao Lin as she is hurdled towards her imminent death in a plane crash.
As the plane crashes downwards, she realizes how naïve it was to agree to this experiment that has forced her to live in a constant state of self-reflection, shackled by heavy chains of self-doubt. She thinks about her relationship with her fiancé, realizing that she has fallen out of love with him for some time. It plagues her that he will find out, or will she be alive for five more minutes? Will she manage to think of something else? Is she in control of her thoughts?
“On the brink of death, does the fear of exposure outweigh the fear of death itself?”
This thought-provoking short story examines how humans are prone to imposing constraints on themselves by letting their perception of reality get in the way of freely existing. It is Regina Kanyu Wang’s first translated work and emblematic for her writing style, which generally is classified as so-called “soft science fiction”. In contrast to writing about prevalent tropes in so-called “hard science fiction” such as alien invasions and spaceships, her work primarily revolves around the human condition and our subjective perception of reality in a rapidly changing society.
“Everyone’s instinct is to shape the presentation of the self to maintain a consistent mirage in front of others. His romanticism and my rationalism are both masks that we fear to take off.”
Regina Kanyu Wang: A Voice in Chinese Science Fiction
Regina Kanyu Wang has a background in Business administration and creative writing. Her award-winning novella Of Cloud and Mist 2.2 is a story about memory implanting to form an artificial personality. She is the co-founder of SF AppleCore and is actively involved in doing promotional work for Chinese science fiction both in China and abroad. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Oslo, researching Chinese science fiction with a focus on gender and environmental perspectives.
A translated version of “The Brain Box” can be found in the anthology “Broken Stars” (2019), edited and translated by Ken Liu.
