We: Analysis of Major Characters
"We" is a dystopian novel that explores the themes of individuality versus collectivism through its major characters. The protagonist, D-503, is a mathematician and builder of the spaceship Integral, who initially adheres to the strict societal norms of the One State, a totalitarian regime led by the Benefactor. His character embodies the struggle between reason and emotion, as he experiences a profound transformation upon falling in love with I-330, a revolutionary figure advocating for personal freedom and individuality. I-330 represents the fight against the dehumanizing forces of the One State, embodying ideals of infinity and irrationality as she leads a rebellion against the oppressive system.
Other significant characters include O-90, D-503's assigned partner, who grapples with forbidden feelings and ultimately seeks freedom, and R-13, a poet who secretly supports the revolution despite his public loyalty to the regime. The Benefactor symbolizes the authoritarian control over society, while S-4711, the secret police agent, adds an element of surveillance and intrigue. The character of U, a supervisor, illustrates how duty can conflict with personal attachment. Together, these characters illustrate the complexities of human desires and the quest for individuality in a world that suppresses it, prompting readers to reflect on the balance between community and personal identity.
We: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Yevgeny Zamyatin
First published: My, written, 1920–1921; corrupt text, 1927; complete text, 1952; first published in the Soviet Union as My, 1989 (English translation, 1924)
Genre: Novel
Locale: A city-state known as the One State
Plot: Fantasy
Time: The thirty-second century
D-503, the narrator and the protagonist, a mathematician and builder of the spaceship Integral. At first, D-503 is a faithful follower of the Benefactor, the leader of a futuristic society, the One State. D-503 blindly believes that the One State is a just society, that individual freedom is a burdensome remnant of the distant past, and that the numbers, the inhabitants of the One State, live and work best in a collective state of contentment rather than happiness. He is happy to contribute to the export of the One State's ideas, by way of the Integral, to other planets. His metamorphosis begins when he meets, and falls in love with, a female number, I-330, who harbors dangerous ideas of individuality and personal freedom. He even promises to place the spaceship at her disposal in her efforts to topple the government of the One State. D-503 discovers, to his horror, that he has developed a soul (anathema in the materialistic, totally rational society of the One State); the hair growth on his hands is another indication of the suppressed, primitive side of his nature. He changes his mind at the last moment, after discovering that I-330 does not really love him but only wants to use him and the spaceship. D-503 is an ironic caricature of an intellectual and a scientist who unquestioningly serves a totalitarian ruler, believing that the ruler is right in creating a collective frame of mind and in basing everything on a rational basis, excluding all emotions and spiritual values. D-503's wavering and an almost complete conversion, or a betrayal of reason, indicate the vulnerability of such convictions and the indestructibility of “the other half” of the human psyche, even after hundreds of years of brainwashing.
I-330, the woman with whom D-503 falls in love, a leader of the revolution. As the letter in her name hints, I-330 stands for individuality, infinity, and irrationality: individuality in protest against the deadening collectivism; infinity, refuting the finite world of the One State as a result of the final revolution that took place a thousand years ago; and irrationality, signifying the rebellion against the atrophying grip of reason based exclusively on mathematics. I-330 demonstrates that some individuals eventually will pierce the crust of conditioning and reject being nameless numbers. A strikingly beautiful woman, she uses her charms to assist the revolutionaries in their rebellion. Her failure in the end is only a temporary setback; eventual success is ensured: If, after a thousand years of strict controls, a revolution was possible, what is to stop it the next time?
O-90, D-503's girlfriend and registered sexual partner. O-90 is assigned to D-503 after a careful examination of their hormones but is supposed to be shared by others. She falls in love with D-503, against the rules and scientific tests. She displays another forbidden sentiment, jealousy of the love relationship between D-503 and I-330. She is a plump and less appealing woman than I-330 but also is capable of genuine feelings. It is significant that during the rebellion, she escapes to freedom across the border of the One State, carrying with her D-503's unborn child, thus ensuring that in the future the numbers will become individuals again and live in freedom.
R-13, D-503's friend, who shares O-90 with him. He is poet laureate of the One State. Showing a striking physical resemblance to the greatest Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin, R-13 ostensibly serves the One State while secretly supporting the rebellion. His position makes it clear that even the officially sanctioned artists cannot escape the lure of individuality and freedom. He dies together with I-330, but his poetry gives hope that free art can never be totally suppressed.
The Benefactor, the authoritarian leader of the One State. Elected “unanimously” for the fortieth time, he is devoid of a normal human countenance and is seldom seen acting like a human being. He is more of a myth or a symbol, almost an idea. He is the quintessential totalitarian leader, commanding total obedience and loyalty.
S-4711, a member of the Guardians. As his snakelike letter indicates, S-4711 is an omnipresent secret police agent who seems to spy on everyone. In the end, he sides with I-330 and the rebels. That his fate at the end of the rebellion is not clear may be another indication of his elusiveness and insincerity.
U, a supervisor of the building in which D-503 lives. The only character without a number (D-503 omits her number lest he say something unflattering about her), she seems to have the sole duty of keeping an eye on D-503 as the builder of the Integral. In the course of her duty, she, too, falls in love with him. At the crucial moment of the rebellion, her sense of duty prevails, and she reports D-503's complicity, ostensibly to save him from punishment.