Saying Goodbye to Yang

“Okay, it’ll be two kids then. […] He came to us fully programmed; there wasn’t a baseball game, pizza slice, bicycle ride, or movie I could introduce him to.”

When deciding to purchase Yang, Jim jokingly declares he and Kyra will have two kids—Mika and Yang—which indicates Yang’s later position in the family. Jim comes to realize his feelings for Yang even if he was not able to teach him about life, as a father would a typical child. Jim focuses on an ideal image of fatherhood, prioritizing a stereotypical relationship with his surrogate son. He does not attempt to do these activities with Mika, nor does he regularly spend time getting to know her. Jim wants an ideal image of fatherhood, and both having a daughter and having a robot son do not meet his expectations.

“It’s the first time I’ve actually embraced Yang, and the coldness of his skin surprises me. While he has lived with us almost as long as Mika, I don’t think anyone besides her has ever hugged or kissed him.”

Jim embraces Yang for the first time after the robot malfunctions and he crudely rips the panel out of his back to power him down. “Embrace” connotes affection, which Jim finds it hard to admit in the beginning of the story. Yet, his surprise at the coldness of Yang’s skin reminds Jim that their family member is not human. Jim both considers Yang a son and keeps him at a distance in their household, and the fact that he hasn’t hugged Yang before is the first indication of this distance and Jim’s contradictory feelings.