How does Ernest Cline differentiate the sixers and the other gunters? What message is Cline conveying by use of symbolism?
A gunter is the term used for a person who hunts for Halliday's egg. Gunter is a truncated nickname of egg hunter.
Sixers is the nickname given to employees of IOI whose job is to hunt for Halliday's egg. They are called Sixers because their employee numbers, which they use as their avatar names, all start with six. The number is supposedly meaningless.
Halliday’s Easter egg symbolizes ultimate power. With it, Wade becomes Anorak (Halliday's avatar) and has the power to give or take life within the OASIS. With the egg also comes wealth and absolute freedom. The golden egg is the promise of wealth, obtainable by only a single winner. It is also an important symbol for Wade. It represents the status of finally escaping the poverty that plagues him both inside and outside of the OASIS.
Ready Player One
