Someday

Asimov’s first Law of Robotics states, “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm” (Asimov, Isaac. “Runaround.” I, Robot, Bantham Spectra, 1991, pp. 25-45). This is a theoretical law that Asimov often but not always utilized in his science fiction. “Someday” has a unique relationship with this hypothetical rule. It is set in a computer-dependent society that may well operate according to those parameters. However, in the final lines of the story, the robotic Bard comes close to suggesting an eventual retaliation. Though Asimov uses ambiguity to obfuscate the true outcomes for his characters, the piece overall hints at a grave cost to Dependence on Technology gone too far.

In the short story’s examination of Conformity and Control, Niccolo represents nonconformity and, as a result, hints at what humanity has lost due to its heavy reliance on technology. The story’s opening scene is one of grim rumination. Niccolo is in the position of a thinker, “chin buried in the palm of one small hand” (27). He lies on his stomach, close to tears, as he listens “disconsolately” to the Bard. The Bard’s story, in turn, features two contrasting siblings, the older with dark hair, the younger with golden hair.