D-503’s questions

From this weeks reading, we as the readers see changes in D-503 and how/what he is writing. In the beginning of We, D-503 states that he is writing this journal for the people who will be entering into One State in the future. Now D-503 is writing more about his own feelings, experiences and conflicts in his life such as his relationships with I-330 and O-90.

D-503 starts to question why exactly he is writing this, and what it’s real purpose is. “Why should I record all these absurd “dreams”, closets, endless corridors? I am saddened to see that . . . I am producing some sort of a fantastic adventure novel. Ah, if it were really nothing but a novel, and not my present life” (102-103) I am seeing that D-503 is now beginning to change the purpose of the journal because of the new life he is living concerning his love of I-330.

One conflict D-503 has is, when he is wondering if the life he lives is for himself or for One State.  “we have the scales: on one side, a gram, on the other a ton; on one side “I”, on the other “We”, the One State. Is it not clear, then, that to assume that the “I” can have some “rights” in relation to the State is exactly like assuming that a gram can balance the scale against the ton? Hence, the division: rights to the ton, duties to the gram. (115) I think what D-503 means when referring to grams and tons is how people are treated in the One State. One single person by themselves is considered to be something small, like a gram. A group of many people together are referred to a ton. Mathematically, a gram is something that has a very small weight. A ton, is 2,000 pounds, something that is big, which is why according to D-503 “tons” are viewed as more important to One State. “Rights to the ton, duties to the gram” (115) I think he feels like individuals are not supported in One State, and its main concern is all the people and not just one person.

We find out that D-503 is completely in love with I-330. He thinks about her all day long, everything he does she is the one he is thinking about and whenever he’s not with her, he is just thinking of the next time he will be with her. He is basically obsessed with her. When he is going to see her he starts breathing heavily and his body becomes weak.

Something that confused me was when D-503 “dies”. He was going to see I-330 in her apartment, but when he found out that she was not there, he automatically became nervous and thought that she was with someone else in their apartment. D-503 goes into the closet and dies for “no more than five or ten seconds” (96) After that D-503 wakes up and sees the doctor then I-330 appears. I was confused. Does D-503 actually really die then come back to life? Or did the thoughts of I-330 being with someone else besides him make him go crazy and he just thought he died?

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