The Wild Robot

There are symbolic parallels to how Roz and Brightbill are “born.” Naturally Brightbill hatches out of an egg, but Roz’s “birth” is described in terms that are very much like hatching. The title of the chapter in which Roz emerges from her crate is called, “The Robot Hatches.” She struggles against the cords around her limbs, like a baby bird struggling to be born. The author uses the metaphor of a hatchling coming out of its shell to describe how Roz climbs out into the world. When Brightbill hatches, the author compares the way that the hole in his egg grows bigger and bigger, till his tiny beak becomes visible, to a robot breaking out of a crate. Brightbill pulls himself out of his shell, then rests, in the exact way that Roz comes out of her “shell."

There is more symbolism seen in how Roz and Brightbill enter the world. The crate containing Roz is the only one left intact after the cargo ship sinks, while Brightbill’s egg is the only one not crushed when the rockslide accident occurs. They are both one of a kind, symbolizing that they are special, singular, and meant to be together.

Roz notices the stick insect, thinking at first that it is a twig. This is a revelation to Roz, who realizes the value of camouflage and how it can help her learn more about her environment, since she will be able to observe the animals if they do not know she is there. The stick insect symbolizes the first of many survival techniques that Roz adopts to improve her chances of living successfully on the island. It is also a symbol of how Roz is forced to take in new information and learn on her own, since she was activated on the island with no one to give her instructions in how to conduct herself. The stick insect is a part of nature, designed perfectly for survival in the wilderness, and its example offers Roz, an artificial life form not designed to survive in the wild, vital information on adaptability. 

When Mr. Beaver says that Roz needs a name for her new home, she immediately chooses “the Nest.” In Roz’s linear, logical mind, since Brightbill is a bird, he should live in a nest. The name is also highly symbolic. Roz names the new lodge the Nest because she had it built for Brightbill’s benefit, so that he would have a safe, warm, and secure place to live. The Nest becomes a cozy place where Brightbill grows up, safe and loved by his mother. Because of the plentiful garden Roz plants outside the Nest, her home becomes a focal point for her animal neighbors, who happily feed there, increasing its reputation as a place from which good things arise. The animals who come to feed outside the Nest get to know Roz personally and realize what a kind and generous being she is. Roz’s own survival, as well as that of her child, is increased by the acceptance by the other animals that results. When Chitchat becomes Brightbill’s best friend, she also enjoys spending her days in the Nest as a place of entertainment, learning, and security.

During the harsh winter, many animals come into the Nest at Roz’s invitation and the place provides shelter and warmth, saving their lives. During this time, the Nest symbolizes safety, security, warmth, and community to these animals, as they gather together, embraced by its walls.

Roz introduces the island to the concept of contained fire, which is a shock to the animals. Their only prior experience with fire was through wildfires, which were set by accidents such as lightning strikes and always meant death and destruction. That Roz can produce fire and use it safely is like a miracle to the animals. In this story, fire is a symbol of technology in the wilderness, of new tools and abilities that Roz brings from the outside world to the island. The ability to harness the life-saving warmth of fire enables the animals to survive the unusually severe winter. Roz passes on human knowledge to the animals when she teaches them how to build fires themselves in the lodges. They also learn that fire is a potent force that must be respected and not treated carelessly, especially when one of the lodges is consumed by flames because its inhabitants overloaded wood on the fire pit.

The cleverer animals take the gift of fire and take it to the next level, using it for purposes other than simply warming themselves. Mr. Beaver and his friends experiment with techniques to build Roz a stronger, more permanent prosthetic foot. They boil resin to improve on the plain tree sap on the foot, which hardens more effectively. Without having learned about the potential benefits of fire, this would not have been possible. Fire is thus also symbolic of the ways in which the animals have gained knowledge from Roz that may have consequences for life on the island in the future.

Another symbol of technology that arrives on the island due to Roz is the rifle that the animals steal from RECOS 3 and use to “kill” RECOS 1. The rifle symbolizes how the means of death and destruction have been made more powerful and efficient by civilization.