We

Analysis

The most intriguing part of We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is the relationship between D-503 and I-330. This relationship is a struggle through the whole book, but it is perfectly described by the following excerpt from the novel:

I said ‘darling’ very softly. And for some reason this made me think of a thing that happened this morning at the hangar: For a joke somebody had put a watch under a hundred-ton sledge. They’d swung the sledge with all their might, it made a wind in your face, and then stopped, a hundred tons of gentleness, just short of the little watch (133)

This is stated as D-503 waits for I-330’s response to the suggestion of she spending time with him the following day. The passage relates to the immediate issue of the anticipation of the answer, but it also applies to their relationship as a whole. The “hundred-ton sledge” is symbolic of I-330, because she has so much control over D-503 that she can manipulate him to do whatever she likes. Therefore the massive power in the sledge represents the amount of power I-330 has over the men she deals with, in particular, over D-503. The “little watch” is symbolic of D-503’s heart. I-330 continuously plays with D-503’s emotions and his heart to the point where she almost breaks it. She thinks nothing of this abuse of power, but rather is quite pleased with her ability to boss him around, which is shown through the phrase “for a joke” in the passage. Logic reasons that wielding a hundred-ton sledge is no joke, just as toying with one’s emotions is no joke, but I-330 finds it absolutely acceptable to do just that. Also, the words “made a wind in your face,” point to a couple different things. It indicates the influence I-330 had on D-503, wind being the force to sway someone, and it suggests the twisted nature of their relationship. Wind on one’s face can be either bothersome or comforting and refreshing. This relates to the interaction between D-503 and I-330. D-503 is annoyed by her behavior at one moment and yearns for it the next. She is the sledge almost breaking his watch and she is the wind striking, then caressing his face.

Favorite

            “I could already see the three of us—the three of us, her, me, and I-330—going down the corridors, taking her to where the flowers and grass and leaves…But she took a step back away from me and the horns of her pink crescent were trembling and turning downward.

            ‘You’re talking about…her,’ she said.

            ‘About?…’ I was embarrassed, for some reason. ‘Of course, I’m talking about her’” (165).     

            I like this passage because of D-503’s humanness. He doesn’t understand a lot of his emotions during his journey to the truth, and he doesn’t understand why he feels embarrassed, as displayed with, “I was embarrassed, for some reason.” I like this because he is at least feeling bad about the way he is treating O. He may not comprehend why he is (rightly) feeling this way, but the fact that deep inside he realizes that it is wrong to hurt her give me a small sense of satisfaction.

Review

            I have to say I cannot stand this book. I hated it and my feelings have lessened very slightly. I do not enjoy the stream of consciousness writing style used by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It seems more disorganized than any sort of literary genius. I find We very strange, and not in a good way that makes the reader reflect on life, but in a way that totally discredits the book for me; an example being the hairy people outside the Green Wall. That was completely ridiculous. I did not enjoy We in the slightest.