In the Lives of Puppets

Giovanni Lawson is the protagonist’s loving, creative, and guilt-wracked father. Even the android’s physical appearance has a paternal kindliness to it: “The skin of his face was wrinkled and soft, his bright eyes kind. His hair hung in white waves around his ears, his beard extending down to his chest” (20). Giovanni was programmed to be creative. His designation is General Innovation Operative, which gives him a “a drive, a focus, a purpose: to make and build and tinker” (157). Giovanni’s greatest creative feat is the remarkable accomplishment of growing Victor from the last known viable human ovum. Of course, Victor is no mere science project to him. From the moment he first holds Victor, he loves him as his son and tries his best to keep him safe and happy. There is a sacrificial element to Giovanni’s love. This is most clearly seen when he destroys his heart rather than risk the Authority’s discovering Victor’s location through his memories. As much as love motivates the android, he is also driven by guilt. Before he was Victor’s father, he was “the father of Death” and built the androids who carried out humanity’s annihilation (157). Although he tries to atone for his actions, his guilt haunts him throughout the story. In Part 4, he confesses to Victor, “I hid away from the world. Selfishly, unforgivably. Then I made you. I loved you. Selfishly. Unforgivably” (408). Giovanni is a deeply conflicted character whose gift for creation allowed him to both unleash unimaginable destruction and bring the son he loves above all else into existence.

As the protagonist’s father and creator, Giovanni puts much of the plot and thematic development into motion. In this retelling of Pinocchio, Giovanni serves as the Geppetto figure; he is both a brilliant maker and a fretful, loving parent to the protagonist, and the story gains its happy ending after father and son are reunited. Giovanni’s inventions are paramount to the plot. He built the HARP, thus creating the human-less dystopia in which the story takes place as well as Victor’s love interest, Hap. In addition, he made the protagonist, and rescuing Giovanni becomes Victor’s primary motivation for most of the novel.

Giovanni also makes important contributions to the themes. He offers some of the most beautiful reflections on The Complexity of Love in the story. For example, he keeps the truth of his past and his son’s origins hidden from Victor for most of his son’s life because “for the first time in his long, long life, he knew what love was: complex, vast, extraordinarily frightening” (394). Additionally, he contributes to the theme of Free Will and Intentional Action as he develops a conscience, deeply regrets humanity’s destruction, and chooses to spend the rest of his existence trying to make amends. He temporarily falls under the Authority’s control again, but Victor and his allies restore his autonomy via a newly built heart to give the novel its happy ending.

Hap is the protagonist’s outwardly irritable but protective and self-sacrificing love interest. When Victor discovers the android in a heap of scrap, Hap has been injured by the decommissioning process: “It was built male and strong. [...] His left arm was gone. [...] His hair was black, cut short with curious swirls shaved into the back and sides. On one foot, he wore a dusty boot. His other foot—the left—was missing” (47). Hap’s striking appearance immediately fascinates Victor, and it’s later revealed that the android was made to look convincingly human so that he could get close to his prey without raising suspicion. After Hap awakens in Victor’s laboratory, he demonstrates a grouchy personality and a penchant for snarky dialogue that adds to the novel’s humor. For example, when Giovanni makes repeated inquiries about Hap’s missing memories, he scowls and retorts, “M-maybe you should get your ears ch-checked” (94). Despite Hap’s gruff demeanor, it’s readily apparent that he cares for Victor. He puts himself between the human and danger on many occasions, such as when he instinctively shields Victor from Giovanni in Chapter 6. Hap’s protective nature often crosses the line into the realm of self-sacrifice. For instance, he subjects himself to the pain of the Blue Fairy’s test to secure their aid for Victor: “‘Y-you’ll help us, after?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘And no h-harm will come to the others? Give your w-word’” (312). Although Hap’s constant scowl may make him look intimidating, the heart that Victor built him unlocks the protective and selfless personality underneath his programming.

In addition to being Victor’s love interest, Hap is one of the story’s most dynamic characters. Of all the characters in the novel, Hap’s arc is most closely tied to the theme of Free Will and Intentional Action. He gradually develops independent thinking, chooses not to hunt down the escaped Giovanni, wishes to be different, and becomes the antithesis of his former self after waking up without his memories. Hap repeatedly uses puppet imagery to assert his free will, such as when he credits Victor with cutting his strings before he uploads the virus. Hap is so strongly associated with butterflies—the novel’s motif of free will—that Victor mentions them when trying to remind Hap who he is in Part 4: “I saved you, but you did the same for me. You love music. You love butterflies. You are a protector” (415). Hap also plays an important role in developing the theme of The Complexity of Love. He gains a heart and later sacrifices it to protect the person he loves. Hap and Victor choose one another despite Hap’s previous programming and past violence. Hap is arguably the most dynamic character in the story because he goes from a killing machine built for the Human Annihilation Response Protocol to a human’s lover and staunchest protector.

The sadistic, helpful, and caring Nurse Ratched is one of the novel’s most important secondary characters. Her name stands for Nurse Registered Automaton To Care, Heal, Educate, and Drill, and she has the form of “a long metal rectangle, five feet tall and two feet wide [...] Two metal hatches on either side of her base [open] to reveal a dozen metal tentacles ending in various medical tools should the need to operate arise” (9). Nurse Ratched is eager to put these tools to use given the slightest opportunity. Her sadism is played for humor, particularly in her frequent threats to Rambo: “Euthanasia does not have to be painful. But it can, if you want it to be,” she says, riding on “her continuous track toward the vacuum, drill extended” (10). Although she can be quite menacing when she chooses, Nurse Ratched is a helpful ally. Using her extensive knowledge and vast array of medical tools, she assists Victor in repairing Hap. She also vigilantly looks after the human’s health due to her function as a robotic nurse. As the novel goes on, Nurse Ratched becomes increasingly caring. She encourages Victor when he feels daunted by his quest, defends Rambo from other machines as much as she enjoys threatening the vacuum, and volunteers to upload the virus even though doing so would erase her memories. Nurse Ratched enters the novel as a comically cruel presence but gradually reveals her true colors as a helpful and caring friend.

Nurse Ratched is one of the protagonist’s closest allies. She offers unwavering support to Victor and lightens the novel’s tone through her biting sense of humor, sometimes simultaneously. For example, in Chapter 12, she grudgingly concedes that she would search for Victor if he’d been abducted instead of Giovanni: “I would [...] do everything in my power to ensure you returned with most—if not all—of your limbs intact. [...] If you tell anyone else I said that, I will deny it and also remove your intestines” (166). Even though Nurse Ratched doesn’t have a Victor-built heart like Giovanni and Hap, she loves Victor, and he considers her family—a relationship that furthers the novel’s discussion of The Complexity of Love.