the novel. He is now an old man and recounts the events of his life to explain how he became a hero. In his youth Desiderio was a government minister in an unspecified Latin country that works under the Minister, who sent him on a journey to find and inconspicuously assassinate Dr. Hoffman and destroy his machines. At the beginning of his journey he is sardonic and the complex images produced by the desire machines bore him; he can not surrender to the mirages. It is this attitude that keeps him alive. Desiderio, in Italian, literally means wish, longing, and desire. Dr Hoffman's daughter, Albertina, haunts Desiderio's dreams and constantly seduces him. Yet despite his love for Albertina, he eventually murders her. Albertina – Dr. Hoffman's daughter, who supports her father's actions and ideals. She is Desiderio's soul mate and is extremely sexually appealing. She wants to use the energy from her and Desiderio's love to energize the omnipotent desire machines, thus increasing her father's power. The name is most likely a reference to Proust's "Albertine", a female character that serves as an "other," or mirror for the protagonist. The Minister – Works with Desiderio and essentially rules the city until Dr. Hoffman starts his campaign against human reason. The minister loves logic and admires statis. Despite his envy of Dr. Hoffman's power, the minister wants to stop the freak show that the Doctor has created. To restore society, he creates reality testing labs to discover Doctor Hoffman's secret methods. The Count – An egotistic and vulgar traveller that takes Desiderio into his company. Consistent with his arrogance, he claims that "he only lived to negate the world," and he travels according to his erotic desires (123). Though generally undaunted, the Count is fearful of a black pimp who wishes to kill him. Albertina later tells Desiderio that her father considered the Count a threat to her father's plans. Themes Feminism Carter explores feminism throughout the novel. Despite the fact that all of her female characters are victimised, they do not lose their sexual desire. "Rather than desexualize and subsequently dehumanize her female characters, Carter creates women who are sexual even when their desires are seemingly undesirable from feminist perspectives." This "undesirable desire" portrays her female character as strong and unbreakable, supporting her feminist views. Media's effect on society Doctor Hoffman's illusion inducing machines create the same effect as today's