The style of narration
The style of narration of the novel is very specific and holds meaning in itself. The novel is made out of interviews, characters’ logs or news articles. This form of narration provides a sense of detachment, sterility, artificiality and even factuality. We get to see the progression from discovering the giant robot hand and the slow discovery and sense of dread as more information is revealed about it. The fact that the chapters are divided into files gives a sense that what we are reading is a collection of evidence from the past that led to some large world-altering event.
A she-robot
Dr. Rose Franklin is convinced from the very start that the robot that they are searching for to assemble is a female. She immediately becomes attached to it, not only from the scientific standpoint, but from emotional as well. The fact that the robot is humanoid makes it less of a threat to Dr. Franklin, and she sees it as a tool of saving, instead of a weapon of massive destruction that it is.
A weapon of death
As more pieces are assembles and more discoveries made about the giant robot, Dr. Franklin realizes that she can’t ignore the simple truth any longer. She is, in fact, building a weapon. As an allegory to it, she quotes a line from Hindu scripture about Vishnu:
“”Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”
She realizes that the robot might have been an instrument of peace once, as she previously believed, but of peace that is enforced.
A sleeping giant
The giant robot is an object from the ancient past, of a time when the existence of it would seem impossible according to the scientific evidence. Nevertheless, its existence proves that scientific evidence wrong. It is a symbol of possibility, the possibility of alien life visiting the Earth and bringing advanced technology to it. It is a symbol of the ever-asked question: “Are we alone in the Universe?”
