Maya and the Robot

Ralph is a robot designed by Christopher with the general purpose of helping people in need. When the novel starts, he is incomplete and cannot turn on, but through diligent reading of Christopher’s notes and lots of perseverance, Maya is able to boot him up and even add additional programming to him. Ralph is the fulcrum for all the novel’s themes: he provides Maya with a distraction and companionship while she struggles to adjust to school without Jada and MJ; he helps Mr. Mac reconnect with the memory of his son, Christopher and becomes the embodiment of Christopher’s spirit by continuing to help people; he allows the novel to explore ideas about the ethics and societal implications of robots and artificial intelligence; and learning through working on him is central to Maya’s growing confidence and self-worth.

Ralph also plays a central role in the climax of the novel when Zoe Winters resets him, which disables his keyword activation and ends up sabotaging Maya’s science fair project. However, this not only leads to Maya expressing her feelings to her friends and learning that she had both made some mistakes and misinterpreted things but requires her to improvise a science fair presentation that empowers her and makes her finally feel like a “real” scientist.

Mr. Mac owns a corner store beside Maya’s apartment building and employs her from time to time. He makes a great effort to get to know everyone who comes into his store and always remembers specific details about his customers’ lives. This is especially true for Maya, who reminds him of his deceased son, Christopher. His kindness makes the store a familiar and safe space for Maya, which becomes increasingly important after she loses that sense of security at school. His store also functions as a hub for the community, as everyone is always welcome, and he is eager to help anyone who comes in. Being able to help people in need seems to be more important to him than making a profit.

He works incredibly hard, and this idea is reinforced by Maya’s dad when he explains that Mr. Mac has always been a “hustler.” While there are hints throughout that Mr. Mac has experienced something tragic in his past (evident in the way he responds when Maya initially asks him about Christopher), he never lets this impact his outlook on life or the way he treats other people. Because he sees a lot of Christopher in Maya, he encourages her to take Ralph. This both helps Maya through her tough time and brings Mr. Mac closer to the memory of his son.

Christopher was Mr. Mac’s son. He was extremely smart and talented and went to Stanford to study engineering. During his summers off, he worked on Ralph as a side project, and while he never completed him, he left detailed notes about his intentions in his notebook. It is implied that something must have happened to him because he is always talked about in the past tense, and it is eventually revealed he was shot and killed coming out of his father’s store 10 years ago. While the novel isn’t broadly about gun violence, the memorial service the community holds for him provides an opportunity to discuss the issue and its impacts briefly.

Christopher primarily serves as a role model for Maya. She immediately relates to him because they are similar, and because he comes from her neighborhood, looks like her, and has achieved things she wants to achieve. Their similarities also help Mr. Mac reconnect with the memory of Christopher, as he realizes that his son’s spirit lives on and is still helping people. Learning about his death is a coming-of-age moment for Maya, as she is forced to confront the death of someone she feels close with (even though it is just the idea of Christopher, she had no idea she would never get to meet him).