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Khashdrahr Miasma
Doctor Halyard works for the State Department as a tour guide for foreign officials. A reserved but self-important man, he takes important visitors on long trips across the country, all the while singing the praises of technological advancement. This is what he does for the Shah and Khashdrahr, showing them things like a military parade, a centralized computer network called EPICAC, a barbershop in Miami, and Cornell University. Despite his best efforts, though, he has trouble convincing the Shah of certain things, such as that the social structure in the United States is egalitarian. Still, Halyard is very invested in the social system at work in the United States, wholeheartedly believing in the benefit of machines replacing human laborers. This is a relatively easy thing for him to think, considering that he—as someone with a PhD working in a position that can’t be automated—doesn’t have to worry about getting replaced. However, the central machines that run the country eventually discover that Halyard never passed his college’s physical education test, meaning that his diploma is illegitimate. Halyard travels with the Shah to Cornell to retake the test, which he fails miserably. He is thus stripped of his title, a fact that demonstrates just how petty and bureaucratic this system really is.
Doctor Ewing J. Halyard Quotes in Player Piano
The Player Piano quotes below are all either spoken by Doctor Ewing J. Halyard or refer to Doctor Ewing J. Halyard. 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 2
Quotes
“[…] we’ve raised the standard of living of the average man immensely.”
Khashdrahr stopped translating and frowned perplexedly. “Please, this average man, there is no equivalent in our language, I’m afraid.”
“You know,” said Halyard, “the ordinary man, like, well, anybody—those men working back on the bridge, the man in that old car we passed. The little man, not brilliant but a good-hearted, plain, ordinary, everyday kind of person.”
Khashdrahr translated.
“Aha,” said the Shah, nodding, “Takaru.”
“What did he say?”
“Takaru,” said Khashdrahr. “Slave.”
“No Takaru,” said Halyard, speaking directly to the Shah. “Ci-ti-zen.”
“Ahhhhh,” said the Shah. “Ci-ti-zen.” He grinned happily. “Takaru—citizen. Citizen—Takaru.”
“No Takaru!” said Halyard.
Khashdrahr shrugged. “In the Shah’s land are only the Elite and the Takaru.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Doctor Ewing J. Halyard Quotes in Player Piano
The Player Piano quotes below are all either spoken by Doctor Ewing J. Halyard or refer to Doctor Ewing J. Halyard. 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 2
Quotes
“[…] we’ve raised the standard of living of the average man immensely.”
Khashdrahr stopped translating and frowned perplexedly. “Please, this average man, there is no equivalent in our language, I’m afraid.”
“You know,” said Halyard, “the ordinary man, like, well, anybody—those men working back on the bridge, the man in that old car we passed. The little man, not brilliant but a good-hearted, plain, ordinary, everyday kind of person.”
Khashdrahr translated.
“Aha,” said the Shah, nodding, “Takaru.”
“What did he say?”
“Takaru,” said Khashdrahr. “Slave.”
“No Takaru,” said Halyard, speaking directly to the Shah. “Ci-ti-zen.”
“Ahhhhh,” said the Shah. “Ci-ti-zen.” He grinned happily. “Takaru—citizen. Citizen—Takaru.”
“No Takaru!” said Halyard.
Khashdrahr shrugged. “In the Shah’s land are only the Elite and the Takaru.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
