Medical imagery
At the beginning of the text, there is a lot of medical imagery. This is because Mildred is unwell and lives in a care home. For example, she has a "medical bed," which is an "advanced home care bed, completely adjustable with built-in monitors." Carey also describes the "intravenous tubes running from a pump to Mildred's arm," representing Mildred's bad health. Carey is also a caring device, but the empathy of this character seems to be in direct contrast to the otherwise medical atmosphere.
Robotic imagery
Descriptions of Carey are often robotic and mechanical, as this character is an android. For example, Carey describes how "today I am Paul. I activate by chassis extender, giving myself 3.5 centimeters additional height... I change my eye color to R60, G200, B180, the average shade of Paul's eyes in interior lighting." Here, the author uses technical and complex language, in order to make this novel realistic.
Imagery of selfhood
Early on in the text, Carey begins to form a notion of self. This is something she is confused about, as she was only designed to emulate other people: "What that literature never says, though, is that somewhere in the interaction of those nets, 'I' emerged." Later, this idea is what makes Carey "sentient."
