If It Bleeds

Smartphones are a motif in “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” drawing out the theme of The Banality of Evil. In the novella, the dawn of the iPhone places Craig and Mr. Harrigan at a historical moment in which social behaviors and attitudes were shifting due to the influence of new communication technologies. Mr. Harrigan initially rejects the iPhone that Craig gifts him, fearing that this new technology will take up all his time, but Craig succeeds in convincing Mr. Harrigan to keep the iPhone or risk falling behind his business competitors. This argument encapsulates the coercive quality of such technologies, which have reshaped the social world so rapidly that anyone who chooses not to adopt them risks being left behind.

One of the ways Craig responds to Mr. Harrigan’s death is to impulsively take his iPhone. The iPhone is an embodiment of their bond, which is why Craig uses it to leave his friend a final thank-you note before placing it in Mr. Harrigan’s pocket at the funeral.

Craig misses Mr. Harrigan so much that he calls him to hear his voicemail recording. Over time, he uses the voicemail inbox as a safe space for secrets he cannot readily share with others, like Kenny Yanko’s harassment. When Kenny dies, Craig can’t help but connect it to his voicemail in Mr. Harrigan’s phone. Craig tries to learn more about the nature of Kenny’s death, but only becomes less certain of what really happened. When Ms. Hargensen dies, Craig uses his old iPhone’s connection to Mr. Harrigan’s inbox to take revenge on Dean Whitmore. After Dean dies, Craig becomes convinced that his use of the iPhone is dangerous. He disposes of his old phone by throwing it in a lake. He briefly considers disposing of his current iPhone as well, realizing how much he has become reliant on smartphones to function through daily life. He admits that Mr. Harrigan was right about people losing all their time to technology and hopes that he never gets buried with his phone.