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Doctor George Proteus was Paul’s father. He was the former “National Industrial, Commercial, Communications, Foodstuffs, and Resources Director,” which is the title Doctor Gelhorne now holds. This job is perhaps the most powerful position in the entire country—on par with the President of the United States. Although she never met him, Anita is obsessed with the idea of Paul’s father, loving the idea that Paul will follow in his footsteps. But Paul knows this is absurd: his father was deeply motivated by all things business, committing himself to the “corporate personality.” Paul, on the other hand, can’t bring himself to care about his job. Still, even Kroner expects Paul to go down the same path as his highly successful father.
Doctor George Proteus (Paul’s Father) Quotes in Player Piano
The Player Piano quotes below are all either spoken by Doctor George Proteus (Paul’s Father) or refer to Doctor George Proteus (Paul’s Father). 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 1
Quotes
Some people, including Paul’s famous father, had talked in the old days as though engineers, managers, and scientists were an elite. And when things were building up to the war, it was recognized that American know-how was the only answer to the prospective enemy’s vast numbers, and there was talk of deeper, thicker shelters for the possessors of know-how, and of keeping this cream of the population out of the front-line fighting. But not many had taken the idea of an elite to heart. When Paul, Finnerty, and Shepherd had graduated from college, early in the war, they had felt sheepish about not going to fight, and humbled by those who did go. But now this elite business, this assurance of superiority, this sense of rightness about the hierarchy topped by managers and engineers—this was instilled in all college graduates, and there were no bones about it.
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Chapter 6
Quotes
When Paul thought about his effortless rise in the hierarchy, he sometimes, as now, felt sheepish, like a charlatan. He could handle his assignments all right, but he didn’t have what his father had, what Kroner had, what Shepherd had, what so many had: the sense of spiritual importance in what they were doing; the ability to be moved emotionally, almost like a lover, by the great omnipresent and omniscient spook, the corporate personality. In short, Paul missed what made his father aggressive and great: the capacity to really give a damn.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Doctor George Proteus (Paul’s Father) Quotes in Player Piano
The Player Piano quotes below are all either spoken by Doctor George Proteus (Paul’s Father) or refer to Doctor George Proteus (Paul’s Father). 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 1
Quotes
Some people, including Paul’s famous father, had talked in the old days as though engineers, managers, and scientists were an elite. And when things were building up to the war, it was recognized that American know-how was the only answer to the prospective enemy’s vast numbers, and there was talk of deeper, thicker shelters for the possessors of know-how, and of keeping this cream of the population out of the front-line fighting. But not many had taken the idea of an elite to heart. When Paul, Finnerty, and Shepherd had graduated from college, early in the war, they had felt sheepish about not going to fight, and humbled by those who did go. But now this elite business, this assurance of superiority, this sense of rightness about the hierarchy topped by managers and engineers—this was instilled in all college graduates, and there were no bones about it.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6
Quotes
When Paul thought about his effortless rise in the hierarchy, he sometimes, as now, felt sheepish, like a charlatan. He could handle his assignments all right, but he didn’t have what his father had, what Kroner had, what Shepherd had, what so many had: the sense of spiritual importance in what they were doing; the ability to be moved emotionally, almost like a lover, by the great omnipresent and omniscient spook, the corporate personality. In short, Paul missed what made his father aggressive and great: the capacity to really give a damn.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
