Elijah Baley's Character an Analysis Term Paper

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Baley was capable enough, efficient enough, but he lacked something that Enderby had. Enderby fit the administrative machine perfectly. He was one of those persons who was born for a hierarchy, who was just naturally comfortable in a bureaucracy" (Asimov 37). Enderby worked within the status quo, he did not challenge the closed-minded ways of society within the caves of steel. On the other hand, Baley at his best moments was much more capable than Enderby. However, he represented change and a challenge to the social order.

Moreover, there is a certain uneasiness that Baley experiences in front of Olivaw that shows his overall lack of confidence in himself and his abilities. Baley is afraid that Olivaw might surpass him in terms of his ability to solve crimes and prove himself as a good officer. To a certain extent, Baley is afraid of being outshined by a robot. If this were to occur, that would only show Baley's insecurities as being true, and not just part of his own skewed assumptions of himself. Still, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear to Baley that Olivaw is not a foe to be feared, but rather a friend who can help him overcome his insecurities and work together to uphold the full measures of the law.

The declassification of Baley's father is another driving force within his character throughout the novel and another source of his lack of self-confidence. When his father was declassified, he lost all of his social ranking and socio-economic status within the society. He was a man of great competence, however was blamed, possibly framed, for a mistake, just as Baley almost was; "His father had been a nuclear physicist, with a rating that had put him at the top percentile of the City. There had been an accident at the power plant and his father had borne the blame," (Asimov 16). This essentially brought shame upon the family, even reportedly having an impact on the death of Baley's mother shortly after.

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The subject is a sore one, and Baley is extremely insecure regarding the nature of his father's declassification. This makes him shameful of his childhood, but also drives him throughout the novel to want to improve his own social standing in order to rid himself of the shame he has carried with him for so long. Yet, at the same time, the shame he feels tends to hold him back from truly placing effort in improving his own social condition. It is almost as if he is afraid he won't succeed, thus following in his father's footsteps, and so he simply does not put forth enough effort needed to truly secure a place for himself within the futuristic society. The declassification of his father places a shameful image of himself as a man. Yet, he can turn to his role as an officer of the law to help redeem that image within his own mind. Despite his own issues and insecurities, Baley knows he must fulfill his duties as an officer of the law, and this is the primary foundation for his later success.

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