Android 4F6, from Heather O’Neill’s futuristic world in the short story "The Dreamlife of Toasters” accidentally possessing the emotions “deemed unnecessary for their specific function in the world” (209) challenges the distinction between humans and their mechanical inferiors. Acting upon her unsolicited passion, the android is given the miracle of life, which causes her values to be compromised as her humanistic and robotic traits create internal conflict with respects to the decency shown towards her child versus the preservation of society. Ultimately, Heather O’Neill’s "The Dreamlife of Toasters” provokes a feeling of uneasiness as 4F6 humane emotions oppose her programmed mechanical response and reaction towards her tiny android.
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Despite androids “ability to be struck by perfect things” (O’Neill, 210), 4F6 is troubled by this phenomenon for she “knew something horribly wrong has happened.”(213) Challenged by her hard-wired program, the new mother is unable to appreciate her gift due to it’s possible compromise to the safety of her species. The projected effect of her child could be a recall of androids, depriving all of having the slim chance to be amazed, fall in love and crave affection. Compelled to preserve and protect 4F6 resorts to abandoning her child. Mistakes such as a child would create havoc, for the possession of emotions and the ability to reproduce results in arguably little differentiating a human from an android, deteriorating any functional social hierarchy. Even though 4F6 abandonment may seem “android-like”, her thought process highlights her higher level of consciousness and emotional intelligence even if used to rationalize an inhumane reaction, which projects a sense of uneasiness. Yet 4F6’s reasoning seems apprehensive for she is of disposition for coveting a maternal role, which is then contrasted with her failure to play a decent mother
Despite androids “ability to be struck by perfect things” (O’Neill, 210), 4F6 is troubled by this phenomenon for she “knew something horribly wrong has happened.”(213) Challenged by her hard-wired program, the new mother is unable to appreciate her gift due to it’s possible compromise to the safety of her species. The projected effect of her child could be a recall of androids, depriving all of having the slim chance to be amazed, fall in love and crave affection. Compelled to preserve and protect 4F6 resorts to abandoning her child. Mistakes such as a child would create havoc, for the possession of emotions and the ability to reproduce results in arguably little differentiating a human from an android, deteriorating any functional social hierarchy. Even though 4F6 abandonment may seem “android-like”, her thought process highlights her higher level of consciousness and emotional intelligence even if used to rationalize an inhumane reaction, which projects a sense of uneasiness. Yet 4F6’s reasoning seems apprehensive for she is of disposition for coveting a maternal role, which is then contrasted with her failure to play a decent mother