I, Robot: Post #1

For this term's R.O.A.R. (theme being Book into Film), I will be diving into Isaac Asimov's I, Robot.  It is not really a full story, but rather a collection of nine short stories.



Summary pgs.1-56
"Robbie"
We start this story with little Gloria Weston, running around playing tag with her android guardian, Robbie (as the title name implies).  The robot was bought by her father to serve as a babysitter of some sort.  Gloria enjoys playing with her mute robot companion, and she developed a very strong relationship with him.  Unfortunately, her paranoid mother believes that having a mechanical figure as company would greatly affect the child's social skills, meaning that she might not want to interact with other human being.  With that possibility in mind, Mrs. Weston persuades her husband to take Robbie back to the factory where he was assembled.  Naturally, Gloria disapproves of this, being very attached to him.  Due to the loss of her friend, Gloria became very crestfallen.  Her parents try to cheer her up by getting her a dog, but their efforts were to no avail.  Yes, she was in a very bad mood.  Mrs. Weston then had an idea: why not place Gloria in a different environment, one that does not make her reminiscent of Robbie.  So the family then decides to go to the bustling city of New York... City.  Gloria was taken all around town, visiting popular attractions, landmarks, and museums, such as the Roosevelt Building.  To put the icing on the cake, their last stop for the trip was a robot assembly factory.  Or to be more specific, the institution of the U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men.  After a guided tour of the facility, the Westons come across one last room, the main purpose of which is the assembly of working robots.  As they looked in the room (and to Gloria's surprise, here it comes), it turns out that Robbie was coordinating the workplace.  Happy to see her friend again, Gloria rushes to him with glee... right in the path of a fast-moving tractor.  Luckily, the bold robot steps in the way just in time before collision.  Thanks to this event, Mrs. Weston had a change of heart and thought about Robbie: maybe some robots are not so bad after all.

Quotation Explanation
"Her shriek pierced the air, and one of the robots about the table faltered and dropped the tool he was holding.  Gloria went almost mad with joy" (Asimov 21).

My Reaction
 As seen in the Quotation Explanation above, Asimov has a very descriptive way of writing.  His use of verbs, personification, and anaphora can (metaphorically) paint a picture in the reader's head depicting a certain scene.  His style of plot development is not dull either, but I must say that it was a little predictable.  I had a small thought immediately when I got past the first few pages: perhaps one of the short stories will involve robots turning against humans and taking over the universe.  It sounds quite cliche, but since I, Robot must be one of the first books to introduce the robot science fiction theme, it might be a possibility.