Pink vs. Yellow

Throughout We, D503 describes different characters and objects as being a specific color, namely pink and yellow. In this novel, D believes there is an obvious conflict between the orderly and the chaotic. These two colors seem to illustrate how D feels about the observation.

The dawn sky is “rosy.” O-90 possesses “pink lips,” a “pink mouth,” a “circle of rosy arms,” and “pink attention.” D also describes her as “pink with pleasure.” At first meeting, S is depicted as having “pink wing-ears.” Even I-330 has her pink moments. In the Ancient House, D describes I’s breasts as “glowing pink.” D is pleased by all of these things. At the time, he is not made nervous by S’s presence, and though he finds I-330 annoying and questionably defiant, she still has some redeeming “pink” qualities. All of these observations relate to orderly qualities accepted by the One State.

In contrast, I-330, the Ancient House and the Green Wall bring about a lot of yellow images that make D uncomfortable. I’s “saffron-yellow dress,” is the first. Once D acknowledges that he is “ill,” he asserts that “all the days are one color-yellow,” a “parched” and “fiery” color. He sees a beast through the green wall with “yellow eyes.” Even the fence of the Ancient House is made up of “yellow teeth of ruined walls.” To us, yellow generally implies happiness and sunshine, but D sees the color and imperfect, perhaps the color of fire and anger or simply a discolored version of pure white.