D-503’s Hairy Paws Symbol Analysis

D-503’s hairy paws repulse him because they represent life before the One State: a time when humans acted unpredictably on their animalistic impulses instead of adhering to the predictability of logic and rationality. D-503 fixates frustratedly on his hairy paws whenever he acts irrationally and unpredictably, often attempting to disassociate his logical mind from the hairy paws and the human urges they represent, thereby denying the existence of the illogical, animalistic side of his personality. When U tries to come between D-503 and I-330, for example, D-503 impulsively lashes out at U. He describes “straining to contain my other self with his trembling hairy fists” as he angrily confronts U for trying to control his life and disrupt his romance with I-330. The One State requires its ciphers to behave agreeably and rationally, so D-503 disassociates from his angry outburst and “trembling hairy fists,” attributing both to an out-of-character “other self.” D-503’s hairy hands—and his desperate attempts to deny ownership of them—shows that while desires may be repressed, repression ultimately does little do reverse or erase the presence of human urges and desires. D-503’s repeated attempts to deny accountability for the irrational actions his hairy paws commit don’t make his paws less hairy, and they don’t make his behaviors less irrational.