Elements of Fiction

Style: At times the writer makes the sentences short and repeats words to show that the narrator is confused or has a conflict. The writer also uses (...) to show the trailing off of a sentence and uses it as a way that the narrator doesn't have to say something he's horrified to say; it works when the reader has an idea of what that unsaid word is. The writer uses many mathematical equations and numbers to show the logical thinking of the narrator and to show what is the norm in this futuristic society.

Tone: In the beggining of the story, the narrator's tone is loving and almost admirable of the place he lives in. But once he knows what freedom of thought and motion is, he's almost sarcastic towards all that the citizens do in this city. He starts to see the mechanical actions of all the people and starts to destroy the love and admiration he has for the place.

Irony: The writer uses a lot of irony in the way that the narrator speaks. The narrator says that he hates the character I-330, but in reality he is deeply in love with her. He also repeats this as though he's trying to make it seem true to himself and the readers.

Plot: I feel like the plot of the story begins with the start of the narrator's first entry into his journal of sorts. It follows the story from beginning to end, and doesn't start in the middle or at the end. Though there aren't really flashbacks truly, there are sentences that refer to the past, of the time of the ancestors.

Characterization: Though the character's have no unique and personal names, they are still described fairly well. The descriptions are vivid, even though they seemed to be described in a way that doesn't use the word smile or frown, like the way the narrator describes O-90's frown as half-moon with small horn pointing downwards.

Setting: The setting seems to be in some perfect world with a green wall that nobody will go over. I invision everything to be made of steel and glass, and to have no personality and character of its own. Everything is the same and monotonous. That's what Zamyatin's descriptions of the setting make me imagine.

Point of View: It's first person from the point of view of D-503.

Symbol: I feel like I-330 might symbolize freedom, the taste of freedom, of not being just a number. She shows the narrator how to be like the ancestors and opens up the world of the ancestors. She also seems to appear and disappear quickly. I feel like she might be a symbol of the freedom that the narrator secretly yearns for. It's a feeling that even the narrator's friend R-13 has experienced, when he reveals that he knows I-330.

Theme: The central meaning of the story to me is the fact that even if freedom is taken away from the people, they will still rebel. They will yearn for that feeling of not being constrained, even if they haven't experienced it before. Once they are given the idea or have a fleeting thought of "what if," they'll want to be free. Once the constraints become even tighter, people will fight even harder for that freedom, much like a teenager who is told not to do something.