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We · Chapters

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Chapter companions for We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

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  1. Chapter 1

    We

    The opening chapter introduces the narrator, D-503, a mathematician and builder of the Integral, who describes the utopian OneState where citizens live in perfect conformity and rationality. He reflects on the harmony of the unified society and his own contentment, while hinting at the existence of an irrational, chaotic world beyond the Green Wall.

  2. Chapter 2

    Record One

    D-503, the builder of the Integral, records the official announcement of the spaceship's impending completion and the United State's mission to subjugate other planets under reason. He reflects on his role as a mathematician and his devotion to the collective 'We', feeling a creative impulse akin to pregnancy as he begins his chronicle.

  3. Chapter 3

    Record Two

    D-503 reflects on the perfect order of the One State during a walk, encountering I-330 who challenges his certainties with her enigmatic smile and sharp wit. He contrasts her with the gentle O-90 and grapples with the tension between collective uniformity and individual difference. The chapter explores the beauty of mechanical ballet and the instinct of non-freedom, ending with I-330's invitation to auditorium 112.

  4. Chapter 4

    Record Three

    D-503 reflects on the precision of the Tables and the United State's control over daily life, contrasting it with the chaotic freedom of ancient times. He discusses the irrationality of past societies that allowed uncontrolled sexual life and slow murder through lack of regulation, and praises the scientific ethics of the United State. He also mentions his encounter with the S-shaped Number and I-330, and explains the Green Wall and the Two Hundred Years' War.

  5. Chapter 5

    Record Four

    D-503 attends a lecture on ancient music and is disturbed by I-330's performance on an antique piano, which awakens chaotic emotions in him. He later meets with O-90, who becomes upset when he discusses his diary and the beauty of mathematical forms.

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  1. Chapter 6Record Five
  2. Chapter 7Record Six
  3. Chapter 8Record Seven
  4. Chapter 9Record Eight
  5. Chapter 10Record Nine
  6. Chapter 11Record Ten
  7. Chapter 12Record Eleven
  8. Chapter 13Record Twelve
  9. Chapter 14Record Thirteen
  10. Chapter 15Record Fourteen
  11. Chapter 16Record Fifteen
  12. Chapter 17Record Sixteen
  13. Chapter 18Record Seventeen
  14. Chapter 19Record Eighteen
  15. Chapter 20Record Nineteen
  16. Chapter 21Record Twenty
  17. Chapter 22Record Twenty-One
  18. Chapter 23Record Twenty-Two
  19. Chapter 24Record Twenty-Three
  20. Chapter 25Record Twenty-Four
  21. Chapter 26Record Twenty-Five
  22. Chapter 27Record Twenty-Six
  23. Chapter 28Record Twenty-Seven
  24. Chapter 29Record Twenty-Eight
  25. Chapter 30Record Twenty-Nine
  26. Chapter 31Record Thirty
  27. Chapter 32Record Thirty-One
  28. Chapter 33Record Thirty-Two
  29. Chapter 34Record Thirty-Three
  30. Chapter 35Record Thirty-Four
  31. Chapter 36Record Thirty-Five
  32. Chapter 37Record Thirty-Six
  33. Chapter 38Record Thirty-Seven
  34. Chapter 39Record Thirty-Eight
  35. Chapter 40Record Thirty-Nine
  36. Chapter 41Record Forty
  37. Chapter 42Endnotes
We — Chapters Explained