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Chapter 8
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
Finnerty comes to Paul’s office later in the day and asks if he wants to go for a drink. When Paul calls Anita to tell her they’ll be late for dinner, she asks if he’s thought about what he’ll say if Kroner asks him about Pittsburgh, but he dodges the question. Once in the car, Finnerty directs Paul to a bar on the other side of the river, not wanting anyone to hear their conversation. On the way, Paul says he has to stop at the police station to report his missing pistol, but Finnerty tells him to keep driving because he’s the one who took the pistol. When Paul asks why, Finnerty casually says he was considering killing himself earlier that day. Instead, he decided to throw the gun into the river.
Again, Anita is more concerned with Paul’s career advancement than Paul himself is. Instead of focusing on what he’ll say if Kroner talks to him about the Pittsburgh job, Paul just wants to go to a bar with his good friend, showing that he cares much more about his relationships than his job. To that end, his friendship with Finnerty seems likely to thoroughly interfere with his work life, especially since Finnerty is on what appears to be a destructive streak, as evidenced by his drunken display at the Country Club, his decision to quit his job, his appearance at Ilium Works, and his suicidal behavior. All of this contrasts with the uptight, strait-laced environment of Ilium, so it makes sense that Paul is enticed by Finnerty.
Themes
Paul is used to hearing Finnerty say morbid things, but he still suggests that his friend see a psychiatrist. Finnerty refuses, saying that a psychiatrist would try to bring him back to “the center,” when what he really wants is to live life on “the edge.” From this vantage point, he insists, it’s possible to see life anew.
After years of unhappiness in a boring job, Finnerty welcomes the idea of a chaotic life. Instead of conforming to society’s expectations by acting mild-mannered and polite, he wants to live life on his own terms—an idea that surely impresses Paul, who also feels unsatisfied by the corporate lifestyle, though he hasn’t yet reached the breaking point that Finnerty clearly has.
Themes
Paul and Finnerty go to the same bar that Paul visited the day before. Over a drink, Finnerty admits that he’s been a little disappointed by his reunion with Paul. He had thought that seeing Paul would make him feel better and solve his problems, but it hasn’t. Paul says he, too, was hoping for a feeling of “rebirth” upon seeing his old friend.
It’s a little strange that Paul claims seeing Finnerty hasn’t given him the feeling of “rebirth” he hoped for, since there have already been several moments in which he has felt invigorated by his friend’s presence. In particular, he felt excited and alive after the Country Club dinner, when Finnerty helped him embarrass Checker Charley. All the same, it’s possible that he had even higher expectations for his reunion with Finnerty, maybe hoping that seeing him would completely change the way he feels about his life. In fact, this is what Finnerty’s presence has done, but perhaps not in the way Paul hoped; instead of helping Paul feel better about leading an unfulfilling life at Ilium Works, Finnerty has pushed him in the other direction, urging him to acknowledge his discontent.
Themes
Paul and Finnerty start drinking, and Finnerty explains that he felt deeply lonely at his job in Washington. He used to be lonely in Ilium, too, but he thought getting a better job would solve that. But it was worse because everyone in Washington was even more obsessed with their self-image and the importance of their jobs.
Finnerty reveals one of the reasons that life in this highly efficient, productivity-oriented society is so unfulfilling: it’s lonely. One of the reasons for this is that companies like the one Paul works for create highly competitive atmospheres. Consider, for instance, the way that Bud started bickering with Katharine after he lost his job, saying that, by the same principles, she, too, should lose her job. This illustrates the cutthroat mentality that perpetuates itself at this company, where even the closest people might turn on each other, creating a lonely atmosphere full of suspicion and animosity.
Themes
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A ruckus in the street interrupts Paul and Finnerty, as people march to the sound of loud music. Finnerty asks the man with thick glasses who these people are, but he cryptically says that the group doesn’t want anyone to know who they are. The people are dressed in lavish, vaguely Arabian clothing. The man with glasses cheers them on, though he doesn’t know what they represent. He explains that he’s mainly cheering Luke Lubbock, the apparent leader of the procession. Luke is carrying a large tusk, and the three men—Paul, Finnerty, and the man with glasses—watch him pass. Then, down the street, another group makes its way toward them, and the man with thick glasses explains that this is all part of a parade competition.
It’s not exactly clear what’s going on in this moment. Why these people are dressed like this remains unknown, as does the general purpose of the parade competition. The only reasonable thing to assume is that this is simply an event meant to entertain the people of Homestead. On a deeper level, though, it’s possible to see this event as Homestead’s version of the corporate competition that Paul experiences at Ilium Works. The societal hierarchies in Homestead have essentially been flattened, since everyone has been put out of work and thus has to serve in the army or the Reconstruction and Reclamation Corps—meaning that everyone is more or less equal. Without a corporate power structure, then, the community members have instituted their own ways of competing with one another.
Themes
Paul and Finnerty decide to have a drink with the man with glasses. Paul asks him about his son, and the man seems surprised for a moment before matter-of-factly saying that his son doesn’t have any problems anymore because he took his own life that morning. This sends Paul into hysterics, as he fervently apologizes to the man. Seeing this reaction, the man apologizes to Paul, admitting that he’s lying—he never even had a son, he just made that up because he wanted to see what Paul would do.
When he first came here the day before, Paul promised this man that he would try to help his son get a job by talking to the person in charge of “testing and placement.” Needless to say, this was an empty promise: he didn’t even try to reach out to anyone about the stranger’s son. This is why Paul responds so emotionally when the man says that his son killed himself; he feels guilty, as if he has contributed to the circumstances that led to the young man’s death. Of course, the man was lying about having a son, but this entire interaction still sheds light on Paul’s overall personality, demonstrating that he feels guilty about any failure of compassion on his part (and about his elite stature in society).
Themes
The man with the glasses asks Paul his IQ, and Paul bitterly responds by telling him to look it up, since it’s public knowledge. This is true: everyone’s IQ is available to look up at the police station. Finnerty tells the man with glasses that Paul isn’t the best person from Ilium Works to “experiment” with, since he’s different than most of the managers and engineers. He also adds that he, too, was an engineer before he quit. This surprises the man, who’s startled to hear that there are “malcontents” on the other side of the river. He also admits that he’d almost rather not know that some managers and engineers have consciences; it makes it easier to dislike everyone on the other side of the river if he doesn’t have to make any exceptions.
By making everyone’s IQ public knowledge, the country has ensured the existence of class division and hierarchy. After all, this society as a whole is obsessed with the idea that “know how” is the most important thing a person can possess, so it makes sense that people respect anyone who has a high IQ. But the man with thick glasses doesn’t seem to respect people with high IQs, as evidenced by his apparent desire to dislike anyone from the other side of the river. This highlights the resentment that people in Homestead have for the managers and engineers of Ilium.
Themes
The man in the glasses introduces himself as the Reverend James J. Lasher, giving his employment identification number (everyone has one). This number indicates not only that Lasher is a minister, but also that he’s an anthropologist with a master’s degree. When Paul asks him why he sees people on the other side of the river so negatively, Lasher explains that he used to tell his congregation (when he had one before the war) that the most important thing in their lives was their relationship to God. But now, the people on the other side of the river have forced everyone to realize that, without their jobs and sense of purpose in the economy, they’re left with pretty much nothing.
It turns out that Lasher is highly educated. And yet, he still lives in Homestead. This suggests that education in and of itself isn’t necessarily enough to give someone a life of luxury and privilege in this futuristic version of the United States. Rather, people have to study in specific fields, learning things that will help them become engineers or managers—not anthropologists or ministers. In this streamlined, highly efficient society, only people who are useful to the economy find true success. Lasher hints at this when he talks about how automation has made the people of Homestead feel like there’s nothing worthwhile left in their lives, now that they’ve lost their jobs. Even religion seems meaningless to them.
Themes
Lasher argues that most people haven’t felt like they play a meaningful part in the world for a long time. During the war, the country sang the praises of engineers and managers so much that now anyone working in those positions has an inflated sense of importance, while everyone else is left without anything to latch onto. Given the state of things, Lasher believes it’s only a matter of time before a “phony Messiah” comes along.
One of the most important implications of what Lasher says here is that people are unhappy when they don’t feel like they matter. Automation has taken more than just jobs from people: it has also taken away their sense of self-worth. Meanwhile, managers and engineers have become a celebrated, elite class, creating a stark division in society. And it’s because of this division, it seems, that Lasher thinks someone might come along and act like a “Messiah” who will organize and empower the many people who feel like they’ve been forgotten.
Themes
Paul and Finnerty ask Lasher what he means when he says that a Messiah will someday entice all of the jaded people toward rebellion. He explains that somebody is bound to capture the general public’s interest by promising to give them back a sense of importance and participation in the world at large. What people want, Lasher implies, is to feel “needed on earth.” They want, in other words, “dignity.”
Lasher’s main point is that automation has stripped people of their “dignity,” making it harder for them to maintain a sense of self-respect. This hints at the novel’s interest in the downsides of a society that has replaced physical laborers with machines. However, this point also strangely endorses the idea that people are defined by their jobs—after all, the implication is that people can only be happy if they feel “needed” and useful. Although Player Piano offers such a harsh critique of the corporate world’s obsession with productivity, then, it also underhandedly supports the notion that a feeling of productivity lends meaning and value to life. In another sense, though, Lasher’s point about people liking to feel “needed on earth” brings to mind not just the idea of productivity, but also the importance of a more general sense of purpose in life—something that isn’t necessarily tied to the economy or the corporate world.
Themes
Lasher points out that things are perfectly poised for a class war, especially since everyone’s IQ has been publicly recorded. He can imagine a reality in which revolutionaries decide to kill anyone with an IQ of over 110. Finnerty agrees that the system of assigning worth to people based on their IQs is a terrible practice, since it’s virtually impossible for people to improve their IQ.
Lasher’s argument is that society’s obsession with productivity and efficiency (and, for that matter, intelligence) has created a tense atmosphere—one in which people are ready to revolt against the elite class of engineers. The focus placed on intelligence has only exacerbated this; the fact that people can’t change their IQs means that the only thing they can do is try to change the power structures that have made their lives harder. This is why Lasher thinks society is ripe for a revolution.
Themes
When Lasher turns to go, Finnerty eagerly asks where he can find him. Lasher writes down an address and then tells Finnerty that he’d make a good Messiah if only he washed his face—a comment that startles Finnerty. When Lasher is gone, Finnerty says, “Magnificent, wasn’t he?” Paul realizes that his friend has finally found somebody who really excites him.
Finnerty has fully left behind the corporate world (to which Paul still technically belongs), so it makes sense that he’s enticed by Lasher’s anti-establishment ideas. Lasher’s cynical thoughts about the entire societal structure appeal to him because he himself thinks automation and productivity have hurt the country at least as much as they’ve helped it.
Themes
A man sitting at the bar named Alfy asks Finnerty if he wants to bet what song they’re playing on the television, which is currently muted. When Finnerty makes his guess, Alfy makes his own, then tells the bartender to turn it up. Alfy wins. They play this game several times, and Finnerty loses $20. This, Alfy explains, is how he makes his living. After watching this, Paul drunkenly stumbles to the phone to call Anita, having forgotten that they were supposed to be home for dinner. But Anita tells him not to worry. Shepherd came by the house to apologize for the previous night, and he mentioned seeing Paul and Finnerty at the bar. Anita then tells Paul to enjoy himself, thinking it might do him some good to get drunk.
In the context of this futuristic version of the United States, the fact that Alfy makes his living by guessing the song on a muted television is remarkable. After all, almost everyone else has to join the army or the Reconstruction and Reclamation Corps in order to support themselves. Alfy, on the other hand, has simply found something he’s good at and has figured out how to monetize it. Best of all, he doesn’t have to worry about competition, since nobody else tries to make their living this way. Paul, on the other hand, has to deal with people like Shepherd constantly trying to undermine him—which is exactly what Shepherd seems to do when he visits Anita while Paul is at the bar.
Themes
Returning from the phone, Paul finds Finnerty with two young women. Paul tries to flirt with one of them, but she’s clearly uninterested in him. Before long, he drunkenly falls asleep, and when he wakes up, the young women have left. Inspired by Lasher’s ideas about the arrival of a Messiah, Paul stands on a table and calls for everyone’s attention. He shouts that the two sides of Ilium should come together in the middle of the bridge, and then the table breaks.
Unlike Finnerty, Paul is still wrapped up in his job, even if he has misgivings about the value of automation and society’s entire power structure. And yet, it’s evident that Lasher’s thoughts about a possible revolution have gotten to Paul. By saying that everyone in Homestead should unite with the managers and engineers on the other side of the river, Paul tries to help society avoid a war between the classes. But nobody in the bar has any interest in making amends with the managers and engineers, so Paul’s rallying cry does nothing.
Themes
Paul wakes up hours later to a mostly empty bar. Finnerty is working his way through a song on the player piano while Lasher sits in a shadow nearby. When Paul tries to get Finnerty to go, Finnerty tells him he’s going to stay with Lasher, so Paul stumbles onto the street and drives home by himself.
The image of Finnerty playing the player piano is symbolic of his desire to challenge the current societal structure. This is because the player piano itself represents the way automation has replaced human laborers in the workplace. The fact that Finnerty is physically playing the piano—instead of letting the instrument play itself—thus foreshadows a shift away from society’s reliance on machines.
Themes
