Virtual Center

By Raissa Claire U. Rivera

Setting

“Virtual Center” is a short story written by Raissa Claire U. Rivera. The setting of the
story is the futuristic Virtual Center near Manila Bay where the main character Delia works. The
center is where the ultra-rich people who no longer want to live an ordinary life are experiencing
a virtual living.

Point of view

(Nick’s POV)

"They’re the ones who’ve entrapped us in our lives, Delia. Because of them, we’ve lost
our freedom to choose how we’ll make a living. Our entire lives center around taking care of the
rich so their money will take care of us... Are you happy that they control the government, that
they made rules before they went out like this and we continue to follow them like program
robots? We’re kept so busy by their demands that we’ve even stopped noticing what an
unhealthy place the real world is becoming. They’ve set up the system in such a way that we
can’t ever get out, so we’ll always be there to look after them... Higher education is
expensive...so the lower classes can’t learn how to operate super computers and complex
machines. And of course we are taught by our middle class teachers who have been bribed by the
promise of an eternal virtual life after retirement that the system is perfect. Perfect for these
people maybe, but not for us... The kind of freedom which you don’t obtain at the expense of
half of society’s freedom. The kind of freedom where you are free to act but not to choose the
outcome of your actions. That is freedom!"

(Art’s POV)

"I thought I was (happy). I guess I was, but I always felt there was something missing,
and now after our great escape, I know what it was... adventure, challenge, surprise."

(My POV)

Its about the class division of future Philippines, where poor people will work in an
endlessness cycle for the rich people. Rich people controls the poor people in terms of salary. it
also depicts the "dystopian" Philippines. Despite the advance technology in the future brings the
inequality between the rich and the poor. t talks about the future of the Philippines as a Nation
with progress and possess powerful economic prospects. However even though of such progress
of life, technological; the gap between the poor and the rich will widen and certainly it will cause
much more destruction to these people, being exploited for the purposes of rich people.
Conflict

Man Vs Government

Theme

The Virtual Center represents what most people would love to go to-heaven. In this story,
Delia worked very hard at the Virtual Center with hope that one day, he may be able to escape
poverty and enjoy the fruit of her labor