George

George is one of the most important characters. His outer characterisation reveals that he is Janet’s husband and the breadwinner of the family.

Inner characterisation

His inner characterisation reveals that he is very open to having robots around the house and does not understand his wife’s decision to reject them. When his wife is taken to the hospital, George proves that he cares about her well-being:

‘I tried hard to persuade her during the first two years we were married, but it only led to trouble, so I had to drop it. This is really a culmination. She was rather shaken when she found out the reason she’d have to come here was partly because there was no robot at home to look after her.’ (ll. 33-37)

Even though he finds out that the Nurse James model robot is extremely expensive, George is determined to buy it to help his wife. When the robot arrives at their home, George is very excited to switch it on. Also, he is very happy because they will no longer have to do the dishes or clean.

The contrast between Janet and George becomes visible when they prepare to switch the robot on and when they analyse it. While Janet looks at the robot as if it were a human being, George is only concerned with the machine’s specifications:

‘ “A battery-driven model,” ’ George read out, ‘ “will normally require to be fitted with a new battery every four days. Other models, however, are...