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Chapter 7
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Player Piano, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Technology and Progress
Happiness, Self-Worth, and Passion
Class Division and Competition
Corporate Life vs. Human Connection
Summary
Analysis
On his way to work the next morning, Paul notices that the gun is missing from his glove compartment, but he doesn’t have time to dwell on this because his car breaks down. This happens right in front of a crew of Reconstruction and Reclamation workers, so an older man takes a look under the hood and fixes the car using some material from his own hat. Grateful, Paul offers him $10, but the man only takes $5, noting that this is the first money he’s earned in quite a few years. When he asks why Paul looks familiar, Paul lies and says he has a small grocery store in town.
This stranger’s ability to fix Paul’s car shows that there are incredibly intelligent, capable people who have been completely devalued in this society. This man is such a skilled mechanic that he can fix a car with nothing more than the fabric of his own hat, but instead of working on machines in a place like the Ilium Works, he’s stuck working for the Reconstruction and Reclamation Corps on the side of the road. Meanwhile, Paul—who is smart but can’t even fix his own car—is the manager of an industrial plant full of machines. This makes the stark class division in Ilium feel completely arbitrary, since this man seems knowledgeable enough to hold Paul’s job. Instead, he has been relegated to the lowest echelons of society.
Themes
Paul arrives at Ilium Works to find Katharine distraught at her desk. Bud’s there, too, and he’s dejectedly looking at the floor; he has just lost his job. Paul can’t believe this, since Bud is one of the best engineers at the company—he invented an important machine, whose value the company should be able to see. But this is exactly the problem: the machine Bud invented works so well that it has completely replaced him. More specifically, it has replaced him and 72 other unlucky engineers.
Bud’s predicament calls attention to the lose-lose nature of working in an industry that is obsessed with progress and efficiency. In order to do his job well, Bud has to come up with good ideas. This, however, has led him to invent a machine capable of doing his own job, effectively putting him out of work. The only way he could have avoided this fate would have been by underperforming at his job, but this would surely have put his career in jeopardy. No matter what he does, then, his job isn’t safe, indicating that automation has the power to replace not just physical laborers, but also the engineers who design the machines in the first place.
Themes
Katharine and Paul try to brainstorm new jobs for Bud, but they know it’s not up to them. A machine-based system makes all of these decisions, matching a person’s qualifications with open positions they’re qualified to fill. And since there are no positions currently open for which Bud is officially qualified, he’s out of luck. Of course, Paul is confident Bud could do nearly anything at Ilium, since he’s so clever and competent, but because his test scores are only high in one area, he can’t transition to a new concentration.
Everything about this futuristic version of the United States is streamlined and efficient. But it’s also very narrow-minded and rigid, since machines make important decisions about who’s allowed to do what. This might lead to increased productivity, but it doesn’t leave any room for compassion. Bud is a fantastic employee who is intelligent and creative, but the machines don’t care about this. They have suddenly decided that the company no longer needs Bud for the specific role he was originally hired to fill. Of course, Paul knows Bud would excel in any number of jobs, but the machines don’t take this into consideration. Although this system might lead to economic progress, then, it doesn’t create an environment that fosters happiness or fulfillment—both of which any truly advanced society would prioritize.
Themes
Katharine receives a call and tells Paul that Finnerty is at the gate. He hasn’t come to see Paul, though—he’s here to walk around the plant. All visitors are prohibited from roaming the grounds without an escort, since “saboteurs” might find their way in and destroy the machines. Despite this, Paul decides to let Finnerty do whatever he wants. Katharine disagrees, and as they argue, Bud listens intently, finally pointing out—at the end of the argument—that they wasted six minutes on a conversation about whether or not to let someone in. If the company is so concerned about streamlining everything, he says, they could easily make a machine that does Katharine’s job. Paul slips into his office just as Bud and Katharine start to fight about Bud’s insensitive comment.
Bud’s bitter comment calls attention to the cutthroat mentality that he himself faces at work. Having just lost his own job as a result of automation, Bud can’t help but wonder why Katharine gets to keep her job—after all, most high-level managers use machines instead of human secretaries. This isn’t a very kind thing to point out, especially considering that Bud and Katharine are in a romantic relationship. The mere fact that he says this, then, suggests that this unforgiving corporate environment encourages people to compete with each other in ways that are harmful to their personal relationships.
Themes
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In his office, Paul receives a call from Shepherd, who complains about an “unauthorized” person in the plant. Paul says he’s the one who let Finnerty in, and this delights Shepherd, who clarifies multiple times that Paul is “order[ing]” him to let Finnerty continue his romp through the grounds without a guard. He even says that Berringer is listening in, just so he can confirm—if anyone asks—that Paul authorized this. Finnerty, Shepherd adds, is making drawings of the machines. For a moment, Paul doubts himself, but once again he tells Shepherd to let it go.
Paul’s behavior in this scene is a little self-destructive. Considering that the country has strict “antisabotage” laws, it’s unwise to let anyone into the Ilium Works, even if that person is a trusted friend—after all, people like Kroner wouldn’t approve of this, regardless of how close Paul and Finnerty are. This is why Shepherd gleefully confirms that Paul is authorizing him to let Finnerty keep walking through the grounds: he knows this is a grave mistake, and he's excited to get Paul in trouble for it. Paul, however, doesn’t care, perhaps wanting—on some subconscious level—to make a mistake big enough to get himself fired.
Themes
