After finally finishing the book I realized how short it was and how it ended on a strong point, unlike Brave New World. The plot developed so nicely as we see D-503 at the end of the book reverting back to his original self, before meeting I-330. I still have many questions though for the author. If I had the chance, I would like him to confirm if I-330 was in fact in love with D-503, or was she merely using him because of his knowledge of the One State. There are times where it sounds like she is crazy in love with him but I feel like it doesn’t convince the reader that she is because even though it is just a reading, you would feel the emotion. An example of this can be seen in the twenty eighth entry where I-330 and U talk to D-503 about O-90, “I know you will believe me, not the thousand. Because, after what happened yesterday, I am open to you-all of me, to the very end, just as you wanted. I am in your hands, you can – at any moment..”(161). After hearing this, D-503 is blushing so much that he can’t seem to talk straight. I can’t help but to feel that she is saying this with no meaning and it is just words to get D-503 to become more attached to her. I also can’t help but to feel that their initial meeting in the beginning of the book was all planned to use him for the plan to take down the One State.

When the Great operation was announced on the Gazette, D-503 was relieved and grateful because this would help him fix his “sickness” hes been feeling. I found this interesting because I would think that he would be against it because of his changed self after meeting I-330. I thought after all his new thoughts on the soul and everything would help me see things differently in the One State. After receiving the Great Operation, D-503 is “Claimed” by the One State once more and snitches out I-330 and her organizations plan to take down the great wall . Although they were sentenced to the end and the ending of the book seemed gloomy, I think it is a ignition of something. A light that will eventually mark the end of the One State. There are starts of rebellion in the One State and some people from the other side of the wall get into the One State. It looks like I-330 and her organization had failed but the truth is their plan on manipulating D-503 worked to their favor and got their plan started to overthrow the One State. I think it’s sad to see D-503 go back to the way he was but I think it’s good for him now he is finally out of I-330’s palms and is living the way he was meant to, even if it might be the wrong way.

We can see his disbelief of his own feelings at the end of the book, “Can it be true that I, D-503, have written these two hundred pages? Can it really be true that I once felt or imagined that I felt-all this?”(231). It also seems that after the Great Operation, he forgot his memories of I-330 as he does not remember her as she is being tortured. Overall I think the book did a good job on the overall plot and the characters development. I would definitely recommend this book, of course, to someone who likes to read about dystopias.

While finishing reading the final chapters of “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin, D-503 went through various emotional and mental changes. D-503 starts off on chapter 27 by going to the other side of the Green Wall and seeing a whole new world, and by him experiencing this first hand caused him to feel more liberated and true to self. By this point he began to separate himself from the One State and began to change his way of thinking. He went from being a member of a society in which he was just a speck among a whole to someone which had a sense of self identity “I was a separate entity, a world. I had ceased to be a component, as I had ben, and become a unit” (157). D-503 starts off in the book by being an exemplary citizen of the One State yet by beginning to feel separated from the society and with the wave of emotions he starts to feel since he met I-330, he ended up joining the people from the other side of the Green Wall which are considered as the “rebels.”

As the book progresses I noticed how D-503 changes his style of writing, he started off by being a law abiding citizen. Now he is an individual which is writing very emotional and intimate entries, which he himself consciously knows which he confesses on page 160. I find outstanding since it shows how someone of great intellectual and social status whom always followed the One State can change so much internally that he confesses his change of perspectives. D-503 also began to deny the existence and respect to the Benefactor, in which the Benefactor is the representation of the One State. I noticed this on the following quote “oh, for the sake…for the sake…” (163), this was an action in which he removed “for the sake of the Benefactor” and tried to replace it with a meaning of his own.

In the end of the book he began to go back to respect and became a member of the One State, which I find somewhat hypocritical since he went through all this change in character yet went back to being what he was in the beginning, a law abiding citizen. It seems to be that whenever emotions or a discovery of new evidence is present, it is a moment in which D-503 changes, because of I-330 he discovered another life, adventurous and the bad aspects of the One State. Yet when the Benefactor says “You, who were to have become the greatest of conquistadors” (212) along with finding out the truth behind I-330 was a big tipping point which caused him to react by returning to the “nurturing” One State. Not only did he return to the society, he proceeded with the Great Operation.

Overall I am happy to finally be done with book, honestly I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped. Yet it was somewhat interesting to see how D-503 developed throughout the book, due to emotions affecting him such as being with I-330. Although when I read the last sentence “Because Reason must prevail” (232) it took me a little by surprise since in the beginning of the book it was said that knowledge and happiness was the goal which they wanted to spread.

The last chapters of We were by far the most interesting out of the whole story for me. Everything came to a conclusion that left me wondering what would happen now. Even though everything is explained, I was left wanting more out of the story.

When D-503 first saw what was beyond the wall, he was completely overwhelmed by what he saw. Nothing in this world is familiar to him and the emotions it brings are too much for him to handle at first. However, as time went on he felt free, as the One State is longer controlling his actions. “Slowly, just overhead – a bird. I see: it is alive, like me” (122). He no longer feels tied down. He is also referring to himself as I and even mentioned this as the true him. That the person he was in the One State wasn’t truly what he was like.

What interested me the most was how the One State tried to take back control over its citizens. The One State knows how much perfection and unison means to the people and used this method to take them back. They called it The Operation, and used being like a machine the reason everyone should get cured.  “You are perfect, you are machine like. The road to one hundred percent happiness if free…hurry to submit to the Great Operation!” (139). D-503 himself thought it was amazing when he first read it. Perfectly built machines is something that everyone in the One State valued. It’s logical, and only does what is necessary. There are no extra parts, no unnecessary functions. The people of the One State who were feeling confused after the events were probably so frightened of the unknown of the future that they voluntarily went to get “cured”. Everyone who didn’t go to get cured was forcefully taken, D-503 included.

At the last entry of the novel, D-503 began talking only through what he considered facts and reason. Because the One State has “cured” him of a soul and imagination he is exactly as he was in his first entry. There are no emotions, no individual thought. Only the facts the One State wants him to believe. “The handwriting is mine… but fortunately, only the handwriting. No delirium, no absurd metaphors, no feelings” (179). Also, after he got “cured” he started referring to himself as a number more often. He no longer says only “I” which implies individuality, he adds his number to it, which shows just how tied he is to the One State once more. “Can it be true that I, D-503…” (179) “On the following day, I, D-503…” (180). His entry doesn’t contain any questions. He even says he’s happy about not having a soul anymore. His return to the One State and its values are now complete. He is just another number now.

We to me was the most interesting read compared to Brave New World, as it shows just how quickly people can change and how fast someone can become influenced by something, or in this case someone.

I have to say, I am extremely happy to be finished with this book. This book was the hardest thing for me to try to blog about. I found this novel very hard to comprehend. I was seriously confused reading this novel from beginning to end. Honestly, I’m not exactly sure what happened throughout the whole story.

The purpose of the character D-503 journal was for unknown outside readers beyond his world. For them to understand The One State way of living, and to subject them to happiness. Throughout the story D-503 struggled with staying on topic with his writing. D-503’s interaction with the character I-330 turned his writing into his infatuation with her. In the beginning of the story D-503 was trying to avoid her. I believe that he knew that something wasn’t right with her, but quickly fell into her trap. I didn’t really understand how he fell for her as quickly as he did.

Throughout the last entries we were told to read, the story got really good. We are also introduced to what is call “the Great Operation”. No one knew at first what it was but we find out what it is, and it’s interesting the way they announce this news. At the beginning of these chapters D-503 is demonstrating that he is  all for I-330, but the decision he takes at the end was unexpected. Throughout the last chapters the Decision that D-503 makes is influenced fully by the truth behind I-330 and her plans.

The entries  begins with I-330 and U coming into D-503’s room, I-330 came in asking D-503 if he had given U permission to guard him from her. U persisted it is her duty, D-503 orders her out and she leaves. After this I-330 tells him that all auditoriums are closed as medics set up tables in them, she didn’t know what or why they were doing this but we soon find out, what was going on. “REJOICE! For henceforth you shall be perfect! Until this day, your own creations—machines—were more perfect than you(179)”. It was called the Great Operation. They made it seem that the machines were prefect and that humans had the opportunity to be just like them. “Prefect” the way how they made the announcement sound as if the citizens of the One state were sick. It was such an interesting way they used it, it got me thinking towards the end of how important this quote was. “historians of the One State ask for retirement so that they need not record disgraceful events. But this is not your fault—you are sick. The name of this sickness is IMAGINATION……This is the last barricade on our way to happiness.Rejoice, then: this barricade has already been blown up.The road is open”(179).  This was basically the solutions to all the rebels that were trying to go against the Benefactor. This was the “cure” for the citizens of the One State. It was a solution for the Benefactor. It’s funny how the citizens were also fooled by they thought was a cure. “Run upstairs! They’ll cure you, they’ll stuff you full of rich, fat happiness, and, sated, you will doze off peacefully, snoring in perfect unison”(207).

At the beginning of the entries 28-30 we see that D-503 is with the rebellious group. It’s seems as if he has cleared up his mind of what he thought was right and now is all for I-330. The love he has for I-330 was what made him go against what he once believed was right and do things he normally wouldn’t do. “I must kill U. Kill her, and then go to the other and say, “Now you believe?”… killing is somehow messy, primitive. Crushing her skull with something—it gives me a strange sensation of something sickeningly sweet in the mouth(205)”. He was basically going to kill her to please I-330. It’s crazy how far D-503 went since the beginning of the book. At the end of the book, D-503 is crushed to hear the news that the only reason why I-330 looked for him was because he was the engineer of the the integral. “There we were tied to the tables and subjected to the Great Operation. On, the following day, I, D-503, went to the Benefactor and told him everything I knew about the enemies of happiness. How could it have seemed so difficult before? Incredible. The only explanation I can think of is my former sickness (the soul)(232)”. Although this quote was long, I felt this quote was of great significance because it demonstrated the real truth behind the “Great Operation”, this was the solution for the Benefactor for all those who tried to rebel against the One State. They had no more individuality, no more soul. They were walking zombies, not living life.

The final chapters of We, to me seemed like a giant roller coaster of emotion. Everything began to spiral down and become unwound, with events fluctuating between calm and chaotic. This is essentially why I believe the ending is really well written. The statement
“Because Reason must prevail.” (We .232) is so powerful, that upon reading it, I put the book down and just “Wow.”

D-503’s down fall was that he was infatuated with I-330. This new sensation caused him to lose focus on what he began doing at the beginning of the book. As the book progressed and he delved deeper into this emotion, he began to act without reason and on impulse only due to his feelings. Now, I am not condoning the fact that he was operated on to lose those feelings, as I truly believe at times it’s good to act on a whim (in a controlled situation of course, not in the downfall of your society), but the book does have a moral to it. I was truly not expecting that ending.

We, was very much a book that took you down the rabbit hole. I think it really does a great job at capturing raw, human emotion. The beginning was a bit rough for me, but towards the middle I began to feel more comfortable with it, as it turned more into the perspective of someone wrestling with his feelings, and that is something I can relate to. One of these days I will definitely give it another read through, as I feel the second time around, it will hold much more subtle little hints about the end than on the first, but for now, I must say, I am quite content with what I read and definitely will recommend it to someone.

I haven’t blogged about this story at all and as we finish this story I find it, as it was when we started, difficult to blog about it. This was a really confusing story to follow for me personally. As I read the last words in 40th entry two feelings ran over me. One was relief. I was elated that this story was finally over! The next feeling was pure confusions! What just happened? What did I Just read? The only clear thing was the book was finally over!

The final entry, which to me was the clearest entry, explained that D-503 under went the operation and confessed all his crimes to the Benefactor, and name everyone involved. It seemed to me that after the surgery he did not know who I-330 was, as if she was erased from his memory. He was returned to the same obedient, law abiding citizen he was in the beginning of the book. Which I for one was glad that he was. The new, corrupted, confused D-503 made no sense to me and it made for a difficult to read to follow his story.

I-330 was being, for a lack of better words, tortured, to tell the truth and admit her crimes but she refused too do so, she remained silent the entire time. For me I was glad she was finally brought to justice, because I think she was using D-503 from the beginning. I think it was mentioned that this was true when D-503 went to the Benefactor’s office. I have this whole conspiracy theory about her evil intentions with D-503.
I believe that D-503 Guardian, S, was in cahoots with I-330 from the beginning and set the whole thing up. I believe he knew that I-330 was planning this for lack of better terms again, “revolution”, and he also knew that D-503 was the builder of the integral. I also feel that he knew D-503 was weak minded and easy to manipulate. I feel he knew that I-330, as beautiful and cunning as she was could easily manipulate D-503 into do what she wanted. I think that he knew that D-503 would never turn in I-330 and if for some reason he was to turn her in he would turn her into himself, s, and therefore their secret would be safe.

The whole story to me, started off ok, then it became interesting once I-330 came in the picture then it just got weird, and confusing. There were several entries where I didn’t know if he was dreaming or if it was actually happening.  This book really made me appreciate Brave New World, and I’m kind of disappointed I took it for granted. It was a much simpler read and easier to follow along. The character plots were easier to follow and dissect and the storyline seemed to flow effortless. I found that We was way more challenging, which made me less enthused to read it and it became more of a task, something I had to do as appose to  something I wanted to do.