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Kroner
Baer is the Chief Engineer of the entire Eastern Division at the company that employs Paul. He works alongside Kroner, and everyone sees them as a perfect duo. They are, however, quite different from each other, since Kroner is serious and authoritative while Baer is talkative, socially awkward, and eccentric. Paul notices that Baer will always give a problem—any problem—his full consideration, even if someone like Kroner would simply ignore it. When the Ghost Shirt Society sends out a letter outlining all the ways automatization has ruined lives, then, Baer reconsiders his role as Chief Engineer and decides to quit. He is therefore the rare example of someone in a position of power who is willing to consider how his own success has affected others.
Baer Quotes in Player Piano
The Player Piano quotes below are all either spoken by Baer or refer to Baer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
“[…] The Atomic Age, that was the big thing to look forward to. Remember, Baer? And meanwhile, the tubes increased like rabbits.”
“And dope addiction, alcoholism, and suicide went up proportionately,” said Finnerty.
[…]
“That was the war,” said Kroner soberly. “It happens after every war.”
“And organized vice and divorce and juvenile delinquency, all parallel the growth of the use of vacuum tubes,” said Finnerty.
“Oh, come on, Ed,” said Paul, “you can’t prove a logical connection between those factors.”
“If there's the slightest connection, it’s worth thinking about,” said Finnerty.
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Chapter 12
Quotes
Kroner looked at him with surprise. “Look, you know darn good and well history’s answered the question a thousand times.”
“It has? Has it? You know; I wouldn’t. Answered it a thousand times, has it? That’s good, good. All I know is, you’ve got to act like it has, or you might as well throw in the towel. Don’t know, my boy. Guess I should, but I don’t. Just do my job. Maybe that’s wrong.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Baer Quotes in Player Piano
The Player Piano quotes below are all either spoken by Baer or refer to Baer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
“[…] The Atomic Age, that was the big thing to look forward to. Remember, Baer? And meanwhile, the tubes increased like rabbits.”
“And dope addiction, alcoholism, and suicide went up proportionately,” said Finnerty.
[…]
“That was the war,” said Kroner soberly. “It happens after every war.”
“And organized vice and divorce and juvenile delinquency, all parallel the growth of the use of vacuum tubes,” said Finnerty.
“Oh, come on, Ed,” said Paul, “you can’t prove a logical connection between those factors.”
“If there's the slightest connection, it’s worth thinking about,” said Finnerty.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12
Quotes
Kroner looked at him with surprise. “Look, you know darn good and well history’s answered the question a thousand times.”
“It has? Has it? You know; I wouldn’t. Answered it a thousand times, has it? That’s good, good. All I know is, you’ve got to act like it has, or you might as well throw in the towel. Don’t know, my boy. Guess I should, but I don’t. Just do my job. Maybe that’s wrong.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
