Title: The Proud Robot
Author: Lewis Padgett (C.L. Moore & Henry Kuttner)
Date of First Publication: 1943
Place of Publication: Astounding Science-Fiction
Type: Short Story
Characters: No Character
Themes: ANDROID; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; POSTHUMAN; BYRONIC HERO; WOMEN WRITING MONSTERS
Critical Summary: Constantly drunk and distracted, Gallagher has a reputation as a ruined genius. He uses blackout drinking to tap into his genius self-subconscious for his greatest inventions. Joe, his latest sentient creation, is a narcissistic robot obsessed with himself and providing no real benefits. He created him in a drunken stupor with an unknown purpose. Hungover after another night of blackout drinking, Gallagher is interrupted from his drinking by Harrison Brock. Hired earlier in the week, Brock comes to check in on Gallagher’s process with a task he can’t remember. The owner of the largest television company, Brock seeks Gallagher’s help to eliminate bootleg theaters by a rival company. Patents and legal loopholes threaten to bring Brock’s company down and create a television monopoly. Joe wants to sing and stare at himself, annoyed by the distraction. Gallagher discovers Joe’s hypnosis abilities when he fakes his identity to sign a conflicting contract with the rival company. Taking it to court, Joe refuses to cooperate with the ugly humans. Gallagher just wants to return to drinking in comfort. In a moment of clarity, the scientist returns to the drink he had the night he made Joe. He asks him to hypnotize himself, in order to admire himself in a new way. He successfully hypnotized himself, revealing his true purpose; he was built as the world’s most advanced can opener. Gallagher created him to open a can of beer no longer in production. With this knowledge, Joe was now bound to his creator. He could prove his hypnosis in court. He was also installed with a subsonic noise that solved the illegal theater problem. Still, he had no purpose but to admire himself.
The most advanced being in existence has no great purpose in life. He was created to open cans only for the factory to shut down. Joe sees himself as superior and beautiful while everyone else feels he’s annoying and whiny. His own ability to admire himself surpasses human ability. A further step in evolution, his pride is not unwarranted. He’s a step above Gallagher, until it’s discovered he was made for opening cans. He was forced to follow orders under his creator, as many androids are required to do. Joe didn’t share human ideals for money or responsibility but had the capacity to help. His selfish desire mirrors Gallagher’s devotion to drink. His inadequacy as a scientist created an imperfect creation.
Administrative Notes: Noelle Simonne Zaffiro, CSUF; Cynthia Alvarado (editing)