The Wild Robot: A Heartwarming Book - Abdurrahman

     As I was combing through books I’ve read when I was younger, I stumbled upon a book that tells a captivating tale of friendship, identity, and nature versus technology: The Wild Robot. It may be labeled as a story most suitable for children, but I believe people of all ages should read this heartwarming work. The Wild Robot takes the reader from bullying moments and being an outcast to those of indestructible bonds of friendship and family. Hold on to your seats because you’re about to be in for a banger of a book!

     The Wild Robot begins with a robot named Roz who finds herself activated on a mysterious island without any human inhabitants. She is completely lost in terms of purpose, and strives to learn how to survive in the wilderness. However, that proves to be a challenge, so she must turn to the island’s animals. After learning their languages after a long time of observation, Roz discovers that she is labeled as a “monster” and that the animals are very unwelcoming of her. The narrator mentions how Roz’s lack of emotions is crucial so that she isn’t hurt after hearing what the animals say about her. Nevertheless, Roz becomes capable of befriending animal after animal by giving them a kind, helping hand. In return, the animals each teach Roz something about surviving in the wilderness, which ultimately leads to the grown Roz that acts and lives like the animals. One day, Roz falls off a cliff and ambiguously causes the deaths of most of a goose family. She takes care of a surviving egg until it hatches. She intended to give the hatchling to another goose, but the gosling decides that Roz is her mother. As a result of Roz’s adoption of the gosling, whom she names Brightbill, Roz is brought closer to the animals like never before. The animals’ appreciation for Roz grows to a very great extent as she helps plant a garden that supports everyone and rescues animals in a very harsh winter. Roz blends in and becomes at the core of the animal society. One day, after a great celebration by Roz and the animals, her technological past haunts her, and she, as well as the animals, fight a perilous battle that forces Roz to leave the only home she’s ever known, including her only friends and family.

     In the beginning, the story may seem dull at first. I became slightly bored, but this part when Roz is beginning to adapt to her environment and to learn the animal language is just the introduction, which you soon discover after the accident that causes the deaths of almost an entire goose family. I didn’t realize this at first, but I also noticed that Brightbill needed Roz just as much as Roz needed Brightbill. Without the gosling, Roz may not be as well appreciated and loved by the animals as she is with Brightbill on her tail. I also find the relationship between Roz and Brightbill specifically interesting. After all, they are a strange family; the mother is an artificial object. As Brightbill grows and gains consciousness of the things going around him, he realizes this and loves Roz even more because of her uniqueness. Brightbill says “We’re a strange family. But I kind of like it that way.”

     As Brightbill becomes more aware of the strange and unique nature of his mother, he becomes more interested in learning about her by exploring robot gravesites by the island’s shore. I find their conversations in which Brightbill learns more about his mother’s technological background quite interesting. 

     I also observed that labeling Roz, a robot, as a monster by the animals resembles racism. Near the beginning of the book, the animals flee from Roz every time they see her because word has spread throughout the island that robots, which Roz tells the animals is one, are savages, just because she is a new and odd addition to the island inhabitants. Like I said earlier, Roz isn’t programmed to have emotions, which leave’s her emotionally unaffected after some creature says something derogatory. This is quite important because her ability to be kind and help the animals throughout the book doesn’t decrease. For example, when Roz asked the beaver family to build her and baby Brightbill a lodge in exchange for a gift of some wood, the father initially refused because he pointed out that Roz is a “monster.” This idea of "racism" persists even after Roz is accepted by the animals. One day, Brightbill returns to Roz from the pond upset because his peers called Roz a monster, meaning that her label as a monster hasn’t absolutely disappeared for some inhabitants. Despite this “racism,” Roz stays kind to those who have wronged her, which eventually causes the animals to feel guilty and in debt. While Roz lets in animals into her lodges to protect them from the harshest winter they have seen, an old groundhog asks how he and the animals could pay Roz for being so mean to her, and she responds by saying “Your friendship is payment enough.” The groundhog replies, “Oh, please, your sweetness is gonna make me sick. There must be something we can do!” Roz assures the animals that their friendship is truly enough because, with their help, Roz has been able to survive in the harsh wilderness. This really shows how being forgiving and kind can have a big impact on those who have oppressed you.

     I find the ending quite sad. After a fierce battle between nature and technology, Roz is absolutely wrecked and many animals have been hurt in some way. To promise a lasting safety of the island, Roz is forced to leave the only home she’s ever known and enter the human world. And even worse, she is leaving her only friends and family she’s ever had. The animals are losing the one who rescued them during a devastating winter, the one who made their lives better through many aspects, like growing a flourishing garden for them and being kind. As for Brightbill, who has grown older, he’s losing the mother he’s been tagging with for his entire life. Poor guy. Roz is leaving the island for an unspecified time, possibly forever. But, there is hope, I believe. Roz promised the inhabitants that she will do everything in her power to return. First, as she planned, she would get the repairs and then find a way to return to her friends and family.

          Overall, this is a fantastic, heartfelt novel that deserves to be read. The author combines friendship, family, kindness, humor, nature, and technology to produce a fabulous book. This book is followed by two more sequels. So far, I've read the second one, which is as great as this book. 9.5/10.