I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

The narrative uses allusion, or references, to imply a global, mythological scale to the suffering of the survivors and the power of AM. The biblical references are manifold, from referring to the abhorrent food provided by AM as “manna,” to Ted’s Christlike self-sacrifice, to the name “AM” itself that parallels God’s statement to Moses: “I am that I am.” Ted also refers to the giant bird as a “Hurakan,” the Carib origin of the English term “hurricane,” and also as “Huergelmir,” the name of a powerful, ancient Norse spring. In addition to the biblical references, the text also nods to the Christian allegory Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. The line “And we passed through the slough of despond” (9) refers to an allegorical location in Bunyan’s tale in which all the sins of mankind make up a swamp where pilgrims can drown.

Additionally, Ellison nods to H. G. Wells in the quote: “And we passed through the country of the blind” (9). This refers to Wells’s novel The Country of the Blind and locates the story within the science fiction and horror canon.