Literary elements in WE

Style: Zamyatin's style is centered around his specific word choice. One example of this is the frequent emphasis of D-503 referring to society as a whole, as We. He is comforted by this fact, by the limited individuality of the world he lives in, which is a reflection of the overall style of the work.

Tone: D-503's feelings for the rule of the one state are all positive, but his attitude is not such when it comes to the way of the ancient times. One way that this hatred is emphasized is through his description of and feelings for I-330. Tying her to the ancient world, he considers her an interference of his structured life and describes her having undesirable characteristics like pointy teeth and considers her actions appalling.

Irony: I found irony in the fact that D-503 was so uneasy in the ancient house, while he finds immediate beauty and comfort when he's in a purely functional, cold glass building with no privacy.

Plot: In D-503's records, he follows a chronological  time line of events as they happen to him. Although he periodically refers back to the barbaric ancient times, he never has a real flashback.

Characterization: As D-503 records his every thought we see his obvious loyalty to the one state. However, we also see the insignificant thoughts that torment his mind, a vulnerability when passion takes over with I-330. All these situations allow the reader to identify with D-503.

Setting: The novel is set in 1920s Russia, the one state, after the 200 years war. In this world, there is absolutely no freedom, only complete government control.

Point of View: This novel is told in the first-person narrative, and the only thoughts and feelings we know of are that of D-503's. Even though the reader doesn't find his world to be comforting in the least, D-503's feelings do help the reader to shape their own opinion on this odd society.

Symbol: I think that the fact that D-503's hands are "ape-like" and resemble the hands of the ancients is more symbolic than anything. I think they suggest that, in I-330's presence, he will succumb to a more ancient way of thinking and acting.

Theme: I would have to say that the overall theme of the novel deals with the lack of freedom leading to dehumanization. It is clear that D-503 loves following the strict rules of the one state and enjoys having absolutely no freedom of choice. Such machine like obedience has led to a society of robots. However, humans have feelings, aspirations, dreams, and imagination. Imperfect robots. Such a restrictive society can't last.