MovieChat Forums > Robot Stories (2003) Discussion > 4th story 'Clay' questions

4th story 'Clay' questions

posted 13 years ago by Slogutis
2 replies | jump to latest

It seems like this story is mostly wide open but I want to know what some people assumed.

1. First off, was that woman the main character's ex-gf or wife that left him? At first I figured they had been married at some point and then she died when she was younger. But later on there were some things said in their conversations that made me think that she left him.

But if she left him how was it that she was a machine?

2. The son said it was "illegal" to not have it done. Was he talking about some kind of weird futuristic law where you had to transfer your memories when you died? Or was he talking about his dad not finishing a project or work assignment?

Ok, that might be the only things I was wondering about. I thought I had another one about the ending. I was a little confused about the timeline. I remember him fishing out the clay and then dying. It made me think that he actually died at the beginning of the story or something. Sorry, having trouble remembering at this moment.

Well, any thoughts on the above questions or anything else about Clay will be appreciated.

[–] ejr-4 13 years ago

My impression is that was his wife who died many years ago, and her memories and personality were transferred to a machine that could project multiple holographs (recall he asks her where she is and she names several locations)just as his would be if he accepted the treatment.

[–] Niki3333 12 years ago

1. Yes, that was his wife, in avatar form. She had died and her consciousness was transferred as is the way things are done in this future. She is a projection who can be many places at the same time. Think hologram, like Star Trek. They may have divorced. It is not clear. But what IS clear is that they had a rocky marriage and he wasn't the best husband to her back then.

2. The son said it is illegal to NOT have one's consciousness transferred. He meant that people are not allowed to "waste" talent, personality, knowledge, etc.

3. The end of Clay. He fished the clay out of the river, the movie happened, then as he was near dying, he went back to the river (where he was the most happy about his art) and had lay on the rocks having memories of fishing the clay out of the river and his wife and saying goodbye to her before he let himself die naturally (without transferring his consciousness - i.e true death).

Note: He did not want to trans his consciousness not only because he wanted to be able to only create his art with his true mind and his hands, but also because he did NOT want to be united with his wife's consciousness in a false sense of love. He loved her and she loved him when they were both alive, but he thought that her avatar / consciousness was showing him love without the reality of how things were and it felt like a lie to him. He did not feel he deserved love that way, a.k.a. living a lie.