Diana Cordero
Honors 390
3/22/11
The Role of O-90 in “We”
Zamayatin’s “We” is a classic example of dystopian literature. “We” follows the
everyday life of D-503, the builder of a very important spaceship, called the Integral. As D-503’s
story progresses, the reader follows his transformation, from a law-abiding citizen of the One
State to a rebel fighting for a new future. In the midst of D-503’s inner struggle, he also struggles
with his relationship with a woman named O-90, who served as a reflective portrayal of D-503’s
metamorphosis.
At the beginning of “We”, the reader is introduced to O-90, D-503’s sexual partner. D503 considered O-90, to be part of his family. O-90 was described as, “ten inches shorter than the
Maternal Norm, and therefore carved in the round, all of her, with that pink O, her mouth, open
to meet every word I say. And also, that round, plump fold on her wrist, like a baby’s” (4).
Throughout the various entries of D-503’s journal, O-90 is continually described as having babylike fold on her wrist. She is also portrayed as adoring, caring and very much in love with D-503.
O-90’s character is reminiscent of the innocence and naïve aspect of a young child, in
love with their parents. “O-90 sat over the exercise book, her head bent to her shoulder, he
tongue diligently pushing out her left cheek. This was so childlike, so enchanting. And within me
everything was pleasant, clear, and simple” (37). In the beginning of the novel, D-503 also has a
child’s disposition, one that is unquestioning and unwaveringly loyal. There is no place where
this is more obvious than in D-503’s first journal entry. “For the line of the One State is the
straight line. The great, divine, exact, wise straight line—the wisest of all lines” (2). D-503
displays the same unquestioning trust in the One State, as a child does to his mother.
As D-503’s entries continue, he eventually begins to question his loyalty to the One State,
leading him to stray from its straight line. D-503 distances himself from O-90 after he becomes
involved with another woman named I-330, a rebel. Following an encounter with I-330, D-503
was scheduled to meet with O-90, yet he could not bring himself to have sexual relations with
her. “How could I now, with O, after all that had happened?” (77). It is as if D-503, could no
longer go back to the innocence and naïve nature that O-90 represented, after seeing the world
from I-330’s perspective. Hurt, O-90 left his room. “I cried out, suddenly frightened…She [I330] had robbed me of O” (78). D-503 was not frightened of being alone in his room, but
frightened because he realized that he had lost O-90 along with his unwavering belief in the One
State. His life was in a state of disorder and conflict.
The reader sees the return of O-90 when she comes back to D-503, begging for a child.
She willingly becomes pregnant, at the risk of punishment by the Benefactor, the leader of the
One State. Desperate, O-90 goes to D-503 for help with her unlawful pregnancy. “Shrunk into a
little ball below, on the cold stair, and I bend over her, stroking her head, her face—my hands are
wet. As though I were very big, and she altogether tiny—a tiny part of my own self” (190). D503 comes to consciously see himself in O-90. As a desperate attempt to save her from certain
punishment, D-503 arranges for her to escape the One State, to the other side of the Green Wall.
There, she would be free to have and raise her child. D-503’s final act of goodwill towards O-90
was one of reconciliation. “…but I know: yes, I must. Preposterous, because this duty and crime
cannot coincide. Or is there no black or white in life, and the color depends only on the initial
logical premise? And if the premise was that I unlawfully gave her a child…” (190). By helping
O-90 escape over the Green Wall, he placed his faith in the freedom and freewill that life on the
other side of the wall represented.
O-90’s character served as a valuable indicator in “We”. Through her, the reader was
able to follow D-503’s journey, from a loyal citizen of the One State to a rebel willing to
sacrifice his hard work on the Integral in order to bring change to their society.
Comments
Diana,
This is an interesting analysis of the role of 0-90 in the novel. I had some difficulty figuring out
at first what question you were responding to—I assume you were creating your own? How
would you put that question into words? I think it would help if you could establish more clearly
in the beginning of the essay what is at stake, or what you are responding to, so readers can more
easily understand the significance of your argument.
I like your comments about O and D being like children in the beginning of the book. You don’t
say it directly, but are you implying that their rebellion is a sign of growing up? It’s also
interesting that One State acts as a kind of parent; then later in the book O and D become actual
parents, which is an act of rebellion. What might be significant in this parent-child dynamic in
the book?