A cruel bird of prey
The novel opens up with the system and belief the Reds are made to follow. They are told that they are making a noble sacrifice for humanity, making Mars inhabitable with their work. The voice of Octavia au Lune, the ultimate leader, praises their sacrifice and work. Darrow compares her beauty to that of a cruel bird of prey, giving a hint of the nature of the superior Golds.
A talking puppet
Darrow’s brave wife Eo criticizes his meekness and acceptance of his fate. He tries to argue with her about their noble cause of making Mars inhabitable, but she reprimands him by calling him a talking puppet, senselessly repeating the words of their oppressors.
A shell
After Eo’s death Darrow loses his purpose in life, he wants to die with her and gives her a proper funeral knowing he will pay for it with his own death. After being awoken in the tunnels, and discovering that his death was staged, he is struggling to see the meaning in what is expected of him. He calls himself a shell, with a mind away from this life.
A sheep wearing wolves clothing
Finding himself in a setting among Golds, after changing his own Red skin to that of a Gold, Darrow slowly realizes their ruthlessness and the cruelty of their world. He misses home and feels himself as a sheep in wolves clothing moving among wolves.
A monster dripping in decadence
In his confrontation with Jupiter, one of the Proctor’s cheating to help the Archgovernor’s son win, Darrow sees right through the show and the violence. He compares him to any other tyrant in history. He sees him as the symbol of the Society, a monster dripping in decadence, unaware of himself and his hypocrisy.
