Doomed for Failure

Domin’s obsession with creating a better human world leads to the creation and production of robots that are superior to their human creators. Sounds familiar, right? Victor Frankenstein is blinded by knowledge, and so he creates a being that becomes superior to him, eventually leading to his downfall. Domin and the rest of the robot creators are in a similar situation: their quest for a better world leads to their downfall. Their downfalls stem from the experiments to make the robots “more human.” These tests cause the robots to understand they are more powerful than their human creators, at which time they decide to replace the human race as punishment. However the robot’s massacre of humans backfires when they realize they are unable to replicate themselves. The robot-human relationship needs to be balanced appropriately and this balance is thrown off when the robots terminate humanity. Both races are doomed at this point: Alquist is the only surviving human and the robots are unable to replicate themselves. As a result, both races must wait to die off. Domin’s fellow creators warn him of the robots’ capabilities yet his obsession to solve all of man’s problems gives him tunnel vision. As a result he seals their fates. Alquist alone is spared since “he works with his hands like a Robot. He builds houses. He can work” (70). His survival, coupled with Robots Primus and Helena escaping together, suggest a fresh start for the world. Since Alquist calls them Adam and Eve, their story alludes to a hopeful future despite all of the loss that has filled their world.