The Windup Girl Analysis

Courage in Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl: Fall to Rise
Ambrose Redmoon once said, " Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear". In Paolo Bacigalupi's novel, The Windup Girl, this particular quote is pertinent as the symbols, conflicts, and characters in the novel indicate that to be truly free,one must have courage to face one's fears. As a result, the symbols in the story show that being able to face one's fears can give one hope for the future, the conflicts demonstrate that perseverance is required to get what one wants, and the characters show that being courageous can lead one out of dangerous consequences.
It is clear that in the story, there are many hardships, but
For instance, one of the main characters, Emiko, is one of the New People;an engineered robot who looks human. However, she has limitations which prevent her from blending in with the crowd, including her porcelain skin; a result of her fine pores. Due to the minuscule pores Emiko has, she tends to heat up at a quick rate and at a high temperature. Consequently, ice is what Emiko usually crunches on to regulate a normal body temperature. When running away from the “white shirts”, Emiko thinks to herself:"Adrenaline and shock...I need water. Ice"(Bacigalupi 200). On a symbolic level, the ice represents Emiko’s hope for the future. Although the ice is what relieves Emiko from heat and relief from other physical pain, it is what shows her that there is a way out for her from all the daily abuse and disrespect she gets from her coworkers. Accordingly, the ice clearly aids her and demonstrates that she is able to help herself out too if she believes in a better tomorrow. Resultantly, Emiko learns that she has to have hope for her future if she ever wants to get away from her past. Thus, Emiko has already proven this faith as she faces her fear of being killed by the "white shirts" by running away. Apart from this problem,