preview

The Critical Race Theory In Robot Dreams By Isaac Asimov

Decent Essays
Open Document
In the short story, “Robot Dreams” by Isaac Asimov, there is a hidden truth behind the story that reveals the critical race theory. The story starts off with a robot named, Elvex and he claims he has experienced a dream. A doctor named Linda Rash programmed the robot’s brain to resemble the brain of a human as closely as possible, but without the permission of her boss, Susan Calvin. Both Dr. Calvin and Dr. Rash question Elvex’s dream, so he reveals many robots were working in factories as slaves. He says the robots must protect their existence and he only quotes part of the Third Law of Robotics. The robot also mentions that one human appears in the dream subsequently, and he says, “Let my people go!” The doctors then find out that Elvex is the man and his people are robots in the dream, so Susan decides to fire her gun at Elvex and destroy him. The short story reveals the critical race theory with examples of white supremacy, dehumanization, and disempowerment throughout the story.
Throughout the story, white supremacy is a hidden truth behind the piece of writing. The doctors are assumed better than the robots and they have greater authority and power. In his dream, robots are slaves, but because of his advanced brain he considers himself as human, so the doctors find him threatening with the possibility of Elvex leading robots to rebel and fight for freedom. The robots are a metaphor representing African Americans who were once slaves, and the doctors are like white
Get Access
Related
Get Access