Title: No Woman Born
Author: C.L. Moore
Date of First Publication: December 1944
Place of Publication: Astounding Science Fiction (magazine)
Characters: No Characters.
Themes: ANDROID; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; WOMEN WRITING MONSTERS
Critical Summary: In “No Woman Born,” we are introduced to Deirdre, a beautiful actress who is famous by all means and adored. She is unfortunately burned to death in a fire. Her brain however, is preserved and used to bring her back to life in the body of an automaton.
Robotics Specialist, Maltzer sculpts and creates her body form golden metal. He does not make it to her likeness as much as he builds it to move just like her. The automaton adopts her movements and her sound. Her manager, Harris, is concerned at how an audience will react to her even though she truly feels they will not care. Her confidence is high and she believes she’ll make her way into their hearts once again. She does not care about the loss of her body. She knows the audience will recognize her. Maltzer however is not as confident.
He confides in Harris that he does not believe they’ll act how Deirdre believes and that it will upset her. Harris feels differently, having spent time around her and witnessing the way she carries herself. He believes they’ll react just as she says.
When the curtain draws open and the audience hears her, they stay silent. But once they know it in their hearts to be her, they applaud and praise her just as she knew they would.
Harris is elated but comes to find Maltzer is convinced that this charade must be stopped. Having worked and created Deirdre for a whole year, he has a marriage-like bond with her. He feels her worry and he knows the audience is applauding for entertainment’s sake, but not for her. Maltzer knows this will fade and it will crush her.
Harris doesn’t believe that will happen, but Maltzer insists it will end badly if he doesn’t stop her now. He believes the audiences will regard her as a robot and grow tired of her. Maltzer, as her creator, fears the future Deirdre faces.
Maltzer invites Harris to witness as he explains his concerns to Deirdre. He brings up young Frankenstein and tells her just how he could not bear to leave her like that. He knows she is his greatest masterpiece and he is scared for her and he knows she is afraid too. Harris too notices Deirdre’s hesitation while Maltzer speaks. He too sees that Maltzer is right to have his concerns about his creation’s future. Deirdre speaks to them about how she does not believe herself to be a robot. She believes she is human because she knows her faults and sees the truth. She proves it by smoking and leaves them dumbfounded.
Harris is convinced that she is not in dismay. However, Maltzer still does not believe her. He calls her a great actress and tells her she is lying to herself and to them. Deirdre says she is not a monster but real. It is in this moment that Deirdre lunges across the room and sticks Maltzer out the window, shaking him, not because he is cruel and doesn’t care for her, but because he cares too much. She feels he isn’t listening to her. She tells him that she is lonely but not for the reasons he believes. She is one of a kind and no one can replicate what he has created. She is lonely, and she wishes there were others like her.
Maltzer is old and will soon be gone from this world, and she doesn’t want to lose her connection to the human race. She is his perfect creation.
Administrative Notes: Giselle Castro, CSUF; Mark LaMonica (editing).