He, She and It

The story of the Golem functions as an analogy, comparing the “lives” of Joseph the Golem and Yod the Cyborg. The Golem and the cyborg face similar challenges: They slowly accept the reality of life and try to become more human; they both fall in love and their love ends in tragedy; both are eventually killed by their masters after protecting their community from an outside threat.

The main narrative (the story of Yod) is told through a third person omniscient narrator. The story of the Golem, however, is related by another character in the first person. As Malkah relates the narrative to Yod, it draws attention to the act of storytelling. The reason the story is being told—and the way it is being told—are important; it has already been demonstrated that Yod can download and ingest fiction on his own. Instead, Malkah’s reading of the story demonstrates her belief in the analogous qualities of the story, as well as her investment in Yod’s human characteristics. The mode of narration is quiet and intimate; it is like a bedtime story told to a child, and it is clear that Yod appreciates the telling of the story.