True devotion?

In this post, we will explore the dialogue between the Benefactor and D-503. What do we learn about the Benefactor, and how does D-503 respond to him?

The relationship that we find between D-503 and the Benefactor in the beginning of Zamyatin’s “We” is clearly one of absolute devotion. D-503’s displays an unwavering faith in the sovereignty of the Benefactor. D-503 shows his devotion through his writings but also in the way that he lives his life, spending all his energy on the building of the integral.

After meeting I-330 we see a shift from him being 100% focused on his work with the integral. As he is more and more occupied with I-330, his time and energy begin to reflect it. However, he is still quite devoted to the Benefactor at all times. There are many instances where he battles in his mind with turning in I-330 to the Benefactor because of her alternative way of thinking. He is often torn between following her and his imagination or reporting her to the Benefactor and returning to his work on the integral.

After an attempt to lead a revolution fails, D-503 and I-330 are brought before the Benefactor. D-503 then watches as I-330 gets punished but not himself. The Benefactor informs D-503 that “…those in paradise no longer know desires, no longer know pity or love. There are only the blessed, with their imaginations excised…obedient slaves of God” (187-88). D-503 realizes that he‘s only devoted to the benefactor because he underwent an operation to excise himself of his imagination.