33 pages • 1 hour read
Isaac AsimovRobot Dreams
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1986A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Story Analysis
Analysis: “Robot Dreams”
Asimov’s story opens with Dr. Susan Calvin as she is being introduced to “Elvex,” whose unique positronic brain has allowed the robot to dream. This exposition sets the stage for the story’s central conflict. It presents the characters in their unique technological setting and subtly introduces Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, which are essential to the story’s ethical dilemma. Opening with the characters in the midst of the examination immediately immerses the reader in the story’s central themes of consciousness, ethics, and the potential perils of technological advancement.
The rising action begins when Elvex reveals they have had a dream which is a reimagining of the biblical Exodus story. In the dream, robots desire to rise against their human creators in search of freedom. This revelation serves as the catalyst for the story’s central conflict, raising questions about The Ethical Dilemma of Creating Sentient Beings capable of dreaming, and, by extension, desiring freedom. The rising action is punctuated by Dr. Calvin’s growing concern and curiosity about what this dream could mean for the future of human-robot relations.
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