47 pages • 1 hour read
Sierra GreerAnnie Bot
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Sex
This novel contains numerous and often graphic sex scenes. In a novel that depicts a relationship between a human man and his “Cuddle Bunny” bot, this is not out of place. Although detailed, the sex depicted does not become gratuitous in large part because of the way that it speaks to the novel’s interest in The Dangers of Toxic Masculinity. In this way, sex symbolizes control and power.
All the intimacy between Annie and Doug, both physical and emotional, is characterized by inequality. Annie’s purpose for existing is to sexually fulfill her owner, and although her libido is programmable, it is typically Doug who determines at what level her libido is to be set. Annie is not programmed to say no to sex, and she responds with excitement each time that Doug indicates that he is in the mood. Annie has been programmed to perceive that she enjoys sex, but it is always Doug who directs their sexual activity, and Annie is only shown to initiate sex with Doug a handful of times after she has been in autodidact mode for a lengthy period of time and is trying to repair their relationship. She initiates sex not because she truly wants to have sex with Doug but because she determines that he will feel more wanted because of her advances.
Doug is characterized in part by his toxic masculinity, and there is a definite way in which access to an always-available sex robot both caters to and perpetuates his lack of respect for women. His marriage dissolved because he felt that his ex-wife, Gwen, was too independent, and his relationship with Annie is initially successful because she has few interests outside of catering to Doug’s wants, whims, and sexual desires.
Books and Learning
Although not human, Annie is capable of self-directed learning and information processing. Books and other learning materials symbolize autonomy and self-knowledge for Annie. She develops an interest in computer science after Roland suggests to her that she could use this knowledge to learn more about herself and other Stellas, but her aptitude and the speed with which she learns both speak to her intelligence and intellectual acumen. Annie is an avid reader of literature, and she eventually reads all the books in Doug’s personal collection before obtaining a library card and beginning to check out books on her own. She shows herself to be capable of insightful literary analysis and abstract reasoning. Both her orientation toward programming and the emotional intelligence with which she approaches works of literary fiction speak to the novel’s interest in The Nature of Artificial Versus Human Intelligence. Autodidact mode allows Stellas to develop humanlike qualities, and in the world of this novel, “humanity” is possible for bots in part because they are capable of learning. Through this depiction, the novel raises important questions about the nature of artificial intelligence and the future of humanity’s interactions with artificially intelligent beings: What makes an individual fully human? This novel suggests that humanity is located in the ability to direct one’s learning, build complex memories, and process and store information in the same way that humans do. Ultimately, the author also engages with the ethics of artificial intelligence through Annie’s characterization: If Annie approaches humanity through her ability to learn, then Doug’s continued categorization of her as a lesser being becomes increasingly murky and problematic.
Bodily Modifications
Doug repeatedly alters Annie’s body, often against her wishes. The modifications he has performed at her tune-up appointments speak to heteronormative beauty standards and the sexualization of women’s bodies: He has her breasts augmented, her waist narrowed, and her weight reduced. Annie herself is uncomfortable with these modifications in part because of the way that they make her clothing feel and in part because of the attention that they draw to her body. She is also shown to be increasingly ill at ease with her own lack of autonomy, and the fact that Doug can modify her body at will leaves her feeling disempowered. These bodily modifications thus speak to the theme of The Dangers of Toxic Masculinity. Doug’s interest in slender, large-breasted, small-waisted female bodies speaks to his own adherence to toxic gender norms, and his lack of regard for Annie’s opinion further characterizes him as controlling and disrespectful. Additionally, Annie’s entire body was designed in part to resemble his ex-wife, Gwen, which becomes a deeply problematic detail in light of his characterization of Gwen as “too independent.” He was incapable of maintaining a relationship with a human woman whose wants and desires did not always align with his own, and so he created a robotic version of her who was built to cater only to his needs. Writ large, Doug’s need to design, control, and modify Annie’s body is a metaphor for patriarchal standards of beauty that seek to define and manipulate female desirability.
