We- Favorite Passage

"...So do this for me: Tell me the final number."

"The what? I . . . . don't understand. What final number?"

"You know-- the last one, the top, the absolute biggest."

"But I-330 that's stupid. Since the number of numbers is infinite, how can there be a final one?"

"And how can there be a final revolution? There is no final one. The number of revolutions is infinite" (Zamyatin 168).

My favorite part of this short discussion is the end. I-330 leads him up to this realization that OneState's perfect plan of a mathematical, equal society has several major faults. A society based on numbers looks okay on an equation on paper, but when put into real life, not everything adds up. The fact stated by I-330 that there will always be rebellions proves that from the beginning of time to the end of time, we will never make everyone happy. No society will get it exactly perfect and looking good on paper never reveals every available flaw and issue that could arise.

D-503 is a numbers person- not unlike most of OneState. The way I-330 was able to phrase this statement was perfect for him. She showed him through numbers that OneState, the place where all of his trust lies, was not the perfect place he imagined it to be. I think that this was the best way to get through to him. This conversation also shows D slowly becoming a doubter of his society. It shows that at first he is confused, but with that line about there being infinite revolutions, I think his mind was changing. The rebellions will be infinite just like numbers will be. This put it all in perspective for the way D-503 thinks and processes.