I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov

Mr. Weston Character Analysis

Gloria’s father in “Robbie.” When Mrs. Weston approaches Mr. Weston saying that she wants to get rid of Robbie, Mr. Weston reminds her that Robbie could never harm Gloria, but to no avail. He eventually gives in to his wife’s desire to get rid of the robot. Seeing his daughter’s despair at this development, however, ultimately leads him to try to reunite the two, and he plants Robbie in a robot factory that the family plans to visit in New York City. This leads an over-excited Gloria to run in front of a moving vehicle when she sees Robbie, and only Robbie is able to save her, demonstrating how human fallibility and irrationality can often lead to their own folly.

Mr. Weston Quotes in I, Robot

The I, Robot quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Weston or refer to Mr. Weston. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Morality and Ethics Theme Icon
).

Robbie Quotes

“You listen to me, George. I won’t have my daughter entrusted to a machine—and I don’t care how clever it is. It has no soul, and no one knows what it may be thinking. A child just isn’t made to be guarded by a thing of metal.”

Related Characters: Mrs. Weston (speaker), Mr. Weston, Gloria, Robbie
Page Number and Citation: 7
Explanation and Analysis:
Two years after Mr. and Mrs. Weston buy Robbie to help take care of Gloria, Mrs. Weston starts to express some doubts about Robbie having charge of her daughter. Mrs. Weston’s fears stem from several sources: first, her fear of the robot, which she implies with the statement, “no one knows what it may be thinking.” She worries about what the robot might do to her daughter, a fear she expresses later as well, even though she knows that it is physically impossible for a robot to harm a human being based on the First Law of Robotics. This irrationality Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero

“Why do you cry, Gloria? Robbie was only a machine, just a nasty old machine. He wasn’t alive at all.”

“He was not no machine!” screamed Gloria, fiercely and ungrammatically. “He was a person just like you and me and he was my friend. I want him back. Oh, Mamma, I want him back.”

Related Characters: Mrs. Weston (speaker), Gloria (speaker), Mr. Weston, Robbie
Page Number and Citation: 11
Explanation and Analysis:
After Gloria returns from the visivox, she discovers that Robbie is gone. Her parents have gotten rid of him, though they tell Gloria that he simply walked away. Gloria’s quote here demonstrates how she has begun to think of Robbie not as a robot, but instead as a being that is just as alive as she and her parents are. Robbie was deeply compassionate and cared for Gloria, and Gloria understands this empathy as something that only a highly intelligent and advanced being would be able to do; she doesn’t realize that these are functions for which Robbie was expressly Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupt

It took split-seconds for Weston to come to his senses, and those split-seconds meant everything, for Gloria could not be overtaken. Although Weston vaulted the railing in a wild attempt, it was obviously hopeless. Mr. Struthers signalled wildly to the overseers to stop the tractor, but the overseers were only hu man and it took time to act.

It was only Robbie that acted immediately and with precision.

Related Characters: Gloria, Mr. Weston, Robbie, Mrs. Weston
Page Number and Citation: 21
Explanation and Analysis:
At the end of the Westons’ trip to New York City, Mr. Weston proposes that they take Gloria to a robot factory so that she can see that Robbie was just a machine, not a person. But he secretly plants Robbie in the factory in order to reunite them, and when Gloria sees Robbie, she runs to him just as a moving vehicle is speeding in her direction. Unlike the human adults, only Robbie’s reflexes are quick enough to save her. With this ending, Asimov proves the key point that robots are actually more ethical than the humans are. Robbie Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a
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Mr. Weston Character Timeline in I, Robot

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Weston appears in I, Robot. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Robbie
Morality and Ethics Theme Icon
Irrationality, Fear, and Folly Theme Icon
Later that afternoon, Mrs. Weston approaches Mr. Weston . She vents her frustrations about Robbie, saying that she doesn’t want it to take... (full context)
Morality and Ethics Theme Icon
Mr. Weston reminds Mrs. Weston of the First Law of Robotics, that it’s impossible for a robot... (full context)
Irrationality, Fear, and Folly Theme Icon
Two nights later, Mrs. Weston comes to Mr. Weston and tells him that the neighbors believe Robbie is dangerous. They aren’t letting other kids... (full context)
Morality and Ethics Theme Icon
At the end of the week, Mr. Weston takes Gloria to the “visivox show,” and when they return, Gloria finds a new dog... (full context)
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, and Humanity Theme Icon
...like you and me and he was my friend.” Gloria storms off. Mrs. Weston assures Mr. Weston that Gloria will forget her sorrow in a few days. (full context)
Morality and Ethics Theme Icon
Irrationality, Fear, and Folly Theme Icon
...crying but remains silent and depressed. Mrs. Weston sends the dog back, and complains to Mr. Weston that Gloria is driving her to a “nervous breakdown.” Mr. Weston suggests that they get... (full context)
Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, and Humanity Theme Icon
...robot if it knew where Robbie was, because she has to find Robbie. That night, Mr. Weston proposes an idea to Mrs. Weston: that they take a tour of a robot factory... (full context)
Morality and Ethics Theme Icon
Irrationality, Fear, and Folly Theme Icon
Mrs. Weston, Mr. Weston , and Gloria take a tour of U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men the next day.... (full context)
Human Superiority and Control Theme Icon
Mrs. Weston immediately whirls on her husband, accusing Mr. Weston of planting Robbie in the factory, because he wasn’t designed for engineering or construction work.... (full context)