We by Zamyatin and Ginsburg - Book Report/Review Example

Analysis Of The Roles Portrayed By O-90 And I-330 In We Novel By Yevgeny Zamyatin And Mirra Ginsburg Introduction Zamyatin’s We (Zamyatin and Ginsburg), is a novel set in the future drawing direct comparisons between the characters perfect mathematical lives in OneState and the Biblical tale by using religious imagery and allusions. This novel is a diary written by D-503, the main character, to be sent to other planets for the sole purpose of describing OneState’s greatness. The diary focuses on the changes occurring in the way of thinking and the life of D-503. The changes were brought by a rebellious woman known as I-330, who steals D-503 from the woman who is in love with him, O-90. The two women, I-330 and O-90, and in particular I-330, have significant roles in the story. In this analysis our focus will be on the direct comparisons between the characters perfect mathematical lives in OneState and the Biblical tale. Use of religious imagery and allusions In We Just like in the Garden of Eden, D-503 is likened to Adam who is satisfied with the life he is living in OneState as a mathematician (KJV, Gen.2.20). The life perfectly suits him in OneState where citizens have alphanumerical names, events are scheduled for a particular time in a day, and law of ethics established in division, subtraction, addition, and multiplication exists. This perfect life of D-503 in OneState is similar to the life of Adam in the Garden of Eden where everything runs in a perfect manner (KJV, Gen.2.20). D-503 builds space shuttles that are meant to colonize other planets. He spends time with a woman known as O-90 who is his girlfriend in the beginning although it is revealed later that O-90 has two boyfriends. It is later in the story that D-503 gets another girlfriend and his life changes rapidly. O-90 is vital to the story in the novel because she is a woman who is rebellious against the OneState that D-503 holds dearly, although she has a peaceful character that does not resort to violence. She is described in detail as resembling her short, round, name, and with a mouth that is circular and always open. O-90 is described as having puffy flesh that makes her look like a baby. O-90 is portrayed as a gentile woman who admires flowers and the spring season, while D-503 is unaware of nature. Just as Eve in the Bible wants Adam to eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge to have knowledge (KJV, Gen.3.6), O-90 loves D-503 and wants to have his baby, which is in rebellion against the OneState, because it would not consent to her becoming pregnant as her height is ten centimeters below normal. Although O-90 is important to the story, she is not viewed as having the ability to change D-503 as I-330 does. I-330 is described as a crucial character having eyebrows that make the shape of an X across her face, who meets D-503 while he walks with O-90. Other features that describe I-330 are tough, slender and having unusually sharp white teeth. Just like Eve is in rebellion against God’s rule that they should not eat fruits from the tree of knowledge (KJV, Gen. 3.6), I-330 is in rebellion against the OneState’s government rules. Contrary to this D-503 as Adam is devoted to the rules that are set by God. I-330 drinks alcohol and smokes cigarette which OneState prohibits. In the Bible, Eve persuades Adam to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree to gain knowledge (KJV, Gen. 3.6). Similarly, this figure is used in the novel where I-330 uses sex on D-503 as a means of seducing him, making him fall under her spell doing her bidding. However, to D-503, I-330 who does not follow the rules is likened to an irrational number which does not follow mathematical rules. There are some changes that occur in D-503 after he meets I-330. The first change is jealousy (Zamyatin and Ginsburg, 63). He is in a love triangle with I-330 and O-90 and this jealousy makes him feel like he is a savage. Second, the fascination with the costumes and customs of the old ways because of his relationship with I-330, leads him to have sex with I-330 without a pink ticket. After the sexual intercourse, he cannot be with O-90. D-503 in this situation resembles an Adam’s situation in the Bible where Eve’s influence resulted to him eating the fruit from the forbidden tree gaining knowledge (KJV, Gen. 3.6). This act resulted in God banishing them from the Garden of Eden; similarly, because of the sexual intercourse between I-330 and D-503, D-503 cannot be with O-90. Another interpretation used by I-330 to describe her sexual intercourse situation with D-503, is the resemblance of how D-503, a good person felt like an angel just as the good angels fell from heaven after disobeying God in Genesis (KJV, Luke 10:18). The knowledge gained from disobedience is seen as a being dangerous to OneState that can result to rebellion just as it was in the Garden of Eden. The government of OneState captures I-330 and tortures her just like in the Bible where the fallen angels were thrown to the earth for their rebellion against God (KJV, Luke 10:18). Conclusion In the discussion above from the novel we gather that O-90 and I-330 are both alike in particular ways, but also at the same time extremely different in relation to mathematics and the Christian Bible. The two women are rebellious against the OneState. I-330 wants to change the OneState government by using D-503, which is likened to the Bible story where Eve wanted knowledge by using Adam to eat from the tree of knowledge (KJV, Gen. 3.6). O-90 wants to get a child with D-503 which is not allowed. Both women are also similarities where they appreciate OneState’s way of life. I-330 likes music and dresses, while O-90 likes nature and flowers. These similarities have been likened to the appreciation Adam and Eve showed in the Garden of Eden, where they loved what God had created. Their differences have been shown where I-330 uses deceit and violence to complete her plan, while O-90 is peaceful. While both women competed for the affection of D-503, I-330 acts like a savior and takes O-90 outside the OneState’s walls so that she can be free like the way Jesus Christ liberated humans from sin by dying on the cross (KJV, John 19.30). Works Cited King James Version. “John 19.30”Bible Gateway. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2013 < http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19:30&version=KJV> King James Version. “Genesis 2:20”Bible Gateway. N.p., n. d. Web. 4 Oct. 2013 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202:20&version=KJV King James Version. “Genesis 3:6”Bible Gateway. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2013 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203:6&version=KJV King James Version. “Luke 10:18” Bible Gateway. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2013 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010:18&version=KJV Zamyatin, Yevgeny, and Ginsburg, Mirra. We. Reprint Ed. New York: Harper Voyager, 1983. Print. Read More