Characters

Brian Aldiss’ short story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” features two important characters: Monica Swinton and her three-year-old son, David. 

Monica Swinton is a housewife who lives in a dystopian future where reproduction is government-controlled. While waiting for the government’s permission to have children, Monica takes care of David, a synthetic boy. However, she cannot connect with him emotionally. David, who is unaware that he is not a human boy, longs to express his love for Monica, and to be loved back, but he feels lonely and confused about what is “real”. 

Other characters appear in the story, too, such as Monica Swinton’s husband, Henry Swinton, and Teddy, David’s animated teddy-bear. We also briefly meet Henry Swinton's colleagues. However, David and Monica are the prominent characters. , 

You can read the full characterization of Monica Swinton and David in the following section.