Critical reflection on Del Rey’s Helen O’Loy

Romanticization of Helen O'Loy in Del Rey’s reading omits explicit sexual writings,

humanicizes and makes-passive the robot Helen to create a sci-fi reminisce of romance literature,

which attracts a wider range of consumers that are not just adolescent males, who are

stereotypically considered target audience of the sci-fi genre.

Helen O’Loy, a robot created by Dave and Phill in Del Rey’s novel, appears to have

acquired abilities to emote, ‘feel’, love, and converse/behave in ways that are fully human. As

shown in the reading, Helen encompasses such a range of emotions and human-needs that she

overwhelms Dave, who experiences a difficult time interpreting her affections, knowing full well

she is a robot. Emotional distresses elevate as Dave expresses wishes to change Helen’s memory

coils to ease her emotional demands on him. This sends Helen into a deep psychological spiral.

When Phill tries to persuade Dave to change Helen’s memory coils, Phill says “you try it.

I had that idea, but she put up a wail that would wake Homer. She says it would be muder - and

the hell of it is that I can’t help feeling the same about it. Maybe she isn’t human, but you

wouldn’t guess it when she puts on that martyred look and tells you to go ahead and kill her”.

Later on Helen expresses to Phill that she thinks of herself fully a woman in every way but flesh-

and-bone, right after asking Phill if Dave would be happier in the absence of her very existence.

This unravels great torment within the plot itself, and brings Helen’s character to flesh and bone,

as a fully emoting being that feels and experiences, arguably, a lot more human emotions and

torments than Dave. What romanticizes this sci-fi novel is the inevitable urge in search to fulfill

the kind of ‘love’ that human beings ‘distinctively seek’1. John Alan Lee states that this kind of

1 John Alan Lee, A Typology of Styles of Loving. University of Toronto, 1977.

love “must be productive, conductive, to optimal development, or conferring survival benefits”2.

As Phill states in the reading: “a man wants flesh and blood, not rubber and metal”.

The Del Rey reading subscribes to literary clichés specifically characteristic of romance

novels. Being a robot, and in Helen’s case, unloved by Dave, puts her in a passive position -

until Dave decides to look past her mechanical nature and actively choose to develop feelings for

her, there is nothing she can do to change her position or the relationship. As Suzanna M Rose

points out: “‘doing’ is never the route to a relationship for female heroines. Merely ‘being’, or

passively waiting as one is, will lead to the ultimate recognition and reward of being loved”3.

Helen and Dave construct a dysfunctional relationship in which one is ‘checked-in’ in terms of

love and the other is not. However, what validates Helen’s character to keep her perceived as

desirable, more real, and ‘human’ is Phill’s affection, love and empathy towards her. In a way,

this forms an interesting love triangle. This form of dramatic conflict is often favoured in

romance fictions to “build up for the happy ending in the end: the deepest impression on

romance is that of a happy resolution, after many trials and manifold dangers, of lovers’

difficulties”4. The selected reading does not mention of any sexual acts/natures between Dave,

Phill, and Helen. It is worthwhile to wonder if the lack of explicit sexual portrayals/descriptions

in this novel makes it more favourable to both sexes5. Romantic novels that omit explicit and.or

pornographic contents could be percieved as more favourable for women because “they are more

likely to prepare men to follow monogamous sex script that is socailly encouraged and

superiortized”6. Whilst sci-fi literature targets adolescent males, its influences penetrate within

2 Ibid, 1.
3 Suzanna M Rose, Is Romance Dysfunctional? International Journal of Women’s Studies. 1986. 252.
4 Yun-oh Whang, Jeff Allen, Niquelle Sahoury, Haitao Zhang, Falling in Love With a Product: the Structure of a
Romantic Consumer-Product Relationship, Association for Consumer Research. 2004.
5 Benjamin S Timson, The Drug Store Novel: Popular Romantic Fiction and the Mainstream Tradition. Alfred.
1983. 69.
6 Benjamin S Timson, The Drug Store Novel: Popular Romantic Fiction and the Mainstream Tradition. Alfred.
1983. 78.
the entire household and community - every demographic of population every member of the

household represents becomes a second-hand consumer of the literature.

In conclusion, the Del Rey reading Helen O’Loy embodies/presents literary strategies and

manners romantic novels frequents. Humanization of Helen creates a strongly relatable and

pitiful character that not only fits into stereotypical romantic clichés but also makes a captivating

plot for female consumers.

Work Cited

Lee, J.A. (1977). A typology of the styles of loving. Personality and Social Psychology. Bulletin.

Rose, S. M. (1986). Is Romance Dysfunctional?. International Journal of Women’s Studies.

Timson, B.S. (1983). The Drug Store Novel: Popular Romantic Fiction and the Mainstream

Tradition. Alfred.

Whang, Y.-O., Allen, J., Sahoury, N., & Zhang, H. (2004). Falling in love with a

product: The structure of a romantic consumer-product relationship. Advances

in Consumer Research, 31, 320-327