Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

I-330

People can argue back and forth about whether I-330 truly loves D-503 or not. As a rebel, she may just be using him to gain access to the Integral. Or conversely, she starts out trying to use him to get to the ship, but gradually falls for him as the story goes on. Either way, she definitely serves as a guide or a mentor, helping D-503 discover what it is to be human and serving as an object of desire to pull him through his gradual awakening. She does this by enticing him, by seducing him, and ultimately by forcing him against himself. She speaks to him in ways that drive his curiosity ("No, I cannot. Why? You shall see tomorrow." 24.16), leading him further and further down his path. It's awfully sneaky, but clearly it works: under her guidance, he finally understands what it is to be human.